Page 43 of After Anna

Caleb jumped up. “Anna, we gotta go upstairs. Come on!”

“Here I come!” Anna slipped her phone in her purse. “He’s fast!”

Noah rolled his eyes, standing up. “Caleb, please!”

“He’s fine.” Maggie waved him off, smiling, and Anna hustled to catch up with Caleb, who was already heading for the escalator. Noah fell into step with Maggie, and she encircled his waist with her arm. “How great are you?”

“Great.” Noah grinned crookedly. “But tell me why.”

“I sprang her on you, and here you are, all in.”

“She’s your daughter.” Noah smiled over at her.

“Andyourstepdaughter. How does it feel?”

“Great. It’ll be fun to get to know her.” Noah let Maggie go first on the escalator as Caleb motioned to them from the second floor.

“Dad! Mag! Hurry!”

Maggie and Noah reached the second floor to see Anna resting on a beautiful canopy bed with a bedspread of white polished cotton with pink piping. The bed sat in the middle of a fake bedroom that contained a matching bureau, mirror, and armoire of enameled white.

“Wow, that’s lovely!” Maggie called to her.

“Isn’t it!” Anna smiled, with a Windsor wave. “I feel like a princess.”

Noah picked up the oversized tag hanging on the bedpost. “I think it will fit. The room is large.”

Caleb opened and closed the dresser drawers. “These work good!”

“Well,” Noah corrected. “They workwell.”

“Whatever, Dad.” Caleb rolled his eyes, glancing at Anna, who smiled back.

Maggie felt happy to see them connecting. “So you think this is the one, Anna? You don’t want to look at any others?”

“I think this is perfect.” Anna sat up on the bed. “Should we get the dresser, too?”

“Yes. You need a dresser and a mirror. Maybe even the armoire because the closet in that room is small.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Anna nodded. “Plus they have a 10 percent discount if you buy the set.”

“Right, and they spread out the payments.”

“I’ll put it on my charge. James will authorize it.”

Maggie smiled. “Anna, you don’t have to pay for this. We’re paying for it.”

“You are?” Anna blinked.

“Of course,” Noah interjected. “You don’t have to pay for your own furniture.”

“But I can afford it.”

Caleb looked over, his eyes wide. “Anna,youcan buy this? How much money do you have?”

“Caleb,” Noah interjected, “don’t ask personal questions.”

Anna waved it off. “That’s okay. Caleb can ask me anything. He’s my bro.”