The Knitting Diaries by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page A

called.” She paused. “At first I thought it might’ve been Vanessa.”
    “The woman he was engaged to?”
    Anne Marie nodded. “He told Mel the only reason he had anything to do with me was because of Ellen.”
    “Ouch.” Lydia winced, not even attempting to minimize the hurt his words had inflicted.
    Anne Marie looked away rather than reveal how upset she was.
    “Why would he say this to Mel?”
    “All I can think is that Mel phoned to clear the air. When I talked to him later, he didn’t mention it. But he and Tim are constantly goading each other. It’s ridiculous.”
    “So Mel decided to set matters straight?”
    “Apparently.”
    “And I assume Tim was basically assuring him he had no interest in you,” Lydia said.
    “That seems to be the case.”
    “And that upsets you?”
    More than Anne Marie ever dreamed it would.
    “You still care about him, don’t you?”
    “No.” Her denial was quick and emphatic. “How could I after everything he’s said and done?”
    “How could you?” Lydia repeated, then leaned forward and pressed Anne Marie’s hand. “Well, first of all, the two of you have a strong bond in Ellen. She means the world to you both.”
    “True.”
    “He’s hardworking, funny, sincere and darn good-looking.”
    All of that was accurate enough, especially the good-looking part. Tim was an attractive man; it wasn’t as if Anne Marie hadn’t noticed. When they’d first started seeing each other—while he’d been engaged to Vanessa and she hadn’t known it—they’d had such fun together. He’d been wonderful to her and to Ellen. They’d gone onseveral outings, the three of them, and she’d grown close to Tim. He was easy to talk to, and before she realized what was happening, she’d fallen for him and fallen hard. She’d never let him know that, although he’d probably guessed.
    The one and only time Tim had asked Anne Marie out to dinner without Ellen had been to tell her about his relationship with Vanessa.
    The news had shaken her badly. When she’d had the opportunity to meet the woman who was going to become Ellen’s stepmother, it had gone poorly. Vanessa, who’d taken an instant dislike to Anne Marie, had made her as uncomfortable as possible.
    When Tim had announced that his relationship with Vanessa was over, it was too late. Anne Marie couldn’t—wouldn’t—trust him again. She wasn’t willing to give him a second chance. She’d assumed that she’d completely recovered from her infatuation with Ellen’s father. And then she’d overheard Tim talking to Mel…. His revelation had distressed her more than she would’ve expected.
    Okay, she’d admit that her relationship with Mel wasn’t passionate, but it was comfortable and pleasant. He was a widower, and they had a great deal in common.
    “Is Tim dating anyone else now?” Lydia asked, breaking into Anne Marie’s musings.
    “Pardon?” she asked, looking up, mesmerized again by the graceful movements of Lydia’s hands. As a distraction she took a sip of her tea.
    “Tim? Is he seeing someone else now that Vanessa’s out of the picture?”
    “I don’t think so.” But she hadn’t known when he was involved with Vanessa and he was even less likely to discuss his dating life with her now.
    “What does your gut tell you?” Lydia asked.
    “That it was a mistake to let Ellen see him.”
    Lydia stared at her long and hard. “You don’t mean that.”
    Anne Marie sighed. “No, I don’t. Ellen’s become a different child since she met Tim and learned he’s her father.” The painfully shy, reticent little girl had blossomed before Anne Marie’s eyes. Tim’s love had a lot to do with that transformation. Ellen’s eyes lit up every time she saw her father.
    “In my opinion—and this is just my opinion—you need to acknowledge that you still have feelings for him.”
    Anne Marie opened her mouth to ardently object—and then hesitated. If nothing else, the incident on Saturday proved how