The Knitting Diaries: The Twenty-First Wish / Coming Unravelled / Return to Summer Island

“Not … really.” At this point their agreement was pretty loose.

“That might be something to consider,” Mel said. “Tim seems to think he can come by anytime he pleases. For obvious reasons, that’s not a good idea.”

Anne Marie turned back to the house. She didn’t ask what those obvious reasons were, but she had to admit Mel was probably right. However, she wasn’t in any mood to hear it. If she limited Tim’s access to Ellen, he’d assume she was punishing him because he wasn’t interested in her. “Can we talk about this later?”

Not waiting for his reply, she hurried inside. The instant she did, she was greeted by the sound of the girls giggling delightedly. Unable to resist, she had to look for herself.

Sure enough, Tim had taken on the role of the groom. He wore Ellen’s black velvet hair bow clipped to the top button of his shirt.

“We need a preacher,” Ellen said. “Mel, will you be the preacher?”

Mel shook his head. “Trust me, Ellen, I wouldn’t make a good preacher.” The ten-year-old’s face fell with disappointment.

“What about your mom?” April suggested.

“She can’t,” Ellen insisted. “Mom’s the bride.”

“Oh, right.”

Anne Marie opened her mouth to protest but no one noticed. Wasn’t Ellen the bride? She most definitely wasn’t willing to pretend to be Tim’s bride. “Hold on, you two—”

“I’ll be the preacher,” Ellen volunteered, ignoring Anne Marie.

“You’ll need a Bible.”

“Got it.” Ellen stood on tiptoe to get her children’s Bible from the top bookshelf.

“Can girls be preachers?” April sounded unsure of this.

“Girls can be anything they want,” Anne Marie assured her firmly. Despite her discomfort, she couldn’t let a comment like that pass unanswered.

“Even a firefighter?”

“Even a firefighter,” Anne Marie said.

Now that she’d resolved that issue, Anne Marie seemed to lose control of the situation. She was handed a plastic flower and the pillowcase was pinned to her hair as a makeshift veil. As the two girls hummed “Here Comes the Bride,” Anne Marie carefully marched down the aisle between the rows of books. Holding her Bible, Ellen went to stand in front of Tim. Mel remained in the background, looking disgruntled and ill at ease.

When Anne Marie reached Tim’s side, he tucked her arm in the crook of his, staring straight ahead. The best man had returned but clearly hadn’t understood his role. He stretched out on the floor, knocking over several “pews.” Iris, the maid of honor, peered out from under Ellen’s bed.

With great ceremony, Ellen opened the Bible. In formal tones she began, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together this evening in the presence of God and these witnesses to join together—”

April leaned close to Ellen. “What’s beloved mean?” she asked.

“You can’t ask questions during the wedding,” Ellen told her friend.

“Okay. Sorry.” But April didn’t sound contrite.

Anne Marie quickly whispered the definition as Ellen frowned.

The ceremony took only a few minutes and by the time they’d finished Anne Marie and Tim both found themselves grinning. Ellen’s performance—complete with sweeping gestures—was worthy of an acting award. Anne Marie had gradually relaxed enough to enjoy the charade.

The only person who didn’t appear the least bit entertained was Mel. He stood out in the hallway, wearing a frown.

Shortly after the “vows” were exchanged, Tim kissed Anne Marie on the cheek, then pulled out his wallet.

“What’s the money for?” Ellen asked when he removed a dollar bill.

“The groom always pays the preacher.”

Ellen raised her hand to stop him. “Give the money to the poor.”

“I’m poor,” April said, and held out her palm.

“No, you aren’t,” Ellen retorted. “Wedding planners make lots of money.”

“I guess you should put your money away,” Anne Marie said with a shrug.

Grinning, Tim did as she suggested. When he glanced up he apparently caught sight of Mel. “I’d better go.” He bent down to hug Ellen farewell.

“You need to thank your father,” Anne Marie said.

Ellen wrapped her arms around Tim’s neck. “Thank you again for fixing my bike and for being the groom and for everything,” she said in a breathless voice.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

“Can we go bike riding again soon?”

“Sure. I’ll set a time with your mother.”

When Anne Marie escorted him to the front door, Tim held her look for a moment, then raised his eyes to meet Mel’s, who stood directly behind her. “Does next Saturday work for you? I can pick Ellen up around ten.”

“We have plans for Saturday,” Mel inserted without allowing Anne Marie the opportunity to respond.

She ignored him. “Saturday morning will be fine, Tim. I’ll have Ellen ready by ten.”

His expression uncertain, Tim nodded. “Okay. See you then.”

“Bye,” she said, closing the door. Neither man had addressed the other again. She took a deep breath to compose herself, then turned deliberately to Mel. “What was that about?” she snapped.

Mel didn’t pretend not to know what she meant. “I’ve told you. I don’t like the idea of Tim spending so much time with you and Ellen. Besides, we did discuss going for brunch.”

She was in no state to deal with his insecurities and frankly she was a little unsettled by the make-believe wedding. “I think you might be making an assumption regarding our relationship, Mel. We’re good friends—”

“Friends?” he repeated, breaking in. “We’ve been dating exclusively for the past six months. Correction, I’ve been dating you exclusively. And yet Tim is still in your life.”

“Ellen’s his daughter!”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be involved with him.”