Loose Ends

Chapter 54

The Juergens were enjoying a peaceful Sunday afternoon at home. Amy and Ashley were on the floor playing with Robbie, attempting to help tire him out so he'd go down for a nap without a fuss. Anne and George were sitting on the couch folding the last load of laundry that had needed to be washed and watching their children play together. The doorbell rang and George rose to answer it. He opened the door and had to do a double take at the woman smiling back at him.

"What? Too old to give an old woman a hug?" she asked, pulling George into a hug.

"Mom?" he said with confusion, awkwardly hugging her back.

"Mom?" Amy and Ashley said in unison, giving each other a confused look. A split second later they smiled and got up to dash to the door. "Grandma?!" they asked in unison. Robbie pushed himself up to see what all the fuss was about and stopped in his tracks when he saw the strange woman at the door. Anne rose from her seat more demurely and joined everyone near the front door. George's mother released him to hug her granddaughters.

"There are my gorgeous grandbabies." She released them and looked them up and down. "Well didn't you ladies grow up to be lookers," she said with a smile. She happen to look between Amy and Ashley and saw a little boy standing there looking at her curiously. "And who's this little guy?" Realizing the stranger was talking to and looking at him, Robbie quickly hid behind his mother, clutching the skirt of her dress and cautiously peering around Anne's legs to eye the strange woman. George turned around to look at Robbie.

"Robbie, wanna come say hi to your grandma?" Robbie shook his head emphatically and hid behind Anne while George's mother turned her surprised face back to look at George, just to make sure she'd heard him correctly.

"Uh uh," Robbie said decisively, clutching Anne's skirt a little tighter. She chuckled and bent down to pick him up. He promptly buried his face in the crook of Anne's neck while she walked him a little closer to his grandmother.

"Robbie, this is daddy's mommy," Anne explained gently. Robbie turned his head slightly to peek at the strange woman, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well hello, Robbie," George's mom said to him. Robbie continued to look at her warily so she turned to face George. "You couldn't call or write to tell me I had a new grandson?" she scolded him with a smile. George shrugged.

"Let's go into the living room and have a seat," Anne suggested. Everyone made their way back to the living room and Amy and Ashley sat on the floor. The adults all sat on the couch, Anne holding Robbie in her lap as he was clutching her dress, letting her know he wanted her to keep holding him. "So when'd you get back, Penny?" Anne asked, to get the conversation going.

"About a week ago. I needed some time to get over the jetlag."

"What was it like, grandma?" Ashley asked, stretching out so she was lying on the carpet facing her grandmother.

"Definitely an adventure," she answered with a smile. "It was nice to try something new and live a more simple life for a while. I just knew it was time to come home for a bit. Get reacquainted with my family and then figure out what my next adventure will be." She glanced around at everyone. "So. Fill me in. What's been going on with you all in the two years or so I've been in Europe?" There was an awkward silence and everyone glanced at everyone else. Picking up on the slight tension, Penny's brows furrowed. "What? Is it really that bad?" Anne chuckled.

"Not really. It's just that a lot's been going on and I think no one's sure where to start."

"Oh. Well how about the quick version?" she suggested. Ashley snorted, causing her grandmother to look at her curiously.