Page 46 of If She Remembered

Before Diana could ask more questions, Melissa returned with Michelle in her arms.The little girl had blonde curls similar to her mother's and wide blue eyes that immediately fixed on Diana with the kind of frank curiosity that only small children could manage.

"Michelle, this is Diana," Melissa said gently."She's the nice lady who found Mommy's phone and brought it back to us."

Michelle studied Diana solemnly for a moment, then buried her face in Melissa's shoulder with typical toddler shyness.

"She's beautiful," Diana said, and for once her compliment was entirely genuine.Whatever her feelings about Kate Wise and this family, the child herself was innocent and lovely.

"Thank you," Melissa said, settling back into her chair with Michelle on her lap."She'll warm up in a few minutes.She always does."

As if to prove her mother's point, Michelle peeked out from her hiding spot to look at Diana again, this time offering a tentative smile.

"Hi Michelle," Diana said softly, matching the child's tentative energy."I like your pink shirt."

Michelle looked down at her shirt as if she had forgotten what she was wearing, then looked back at Diana with increased interest.

"She loves pink," Terry said."Everything has to be pink these days.Pink clothes, pink cups, pink toys."

"Pink is a very good color choice," Diana agreed seriously, speaking directly to Michelle.

The conversation continued for another hour, with Diana carefully gathering information about the family's routines while maintaining her persona as a lonely newcomer seeking friendship.She learned that Michelle attended daycare three days a week, that Melissa did her grocery shopping on Tuesday mornings, and that the family often spent Saturday afternoons at the park near their house.

Most importantly, she learned that Kate Wise was deeply involved in their daily lives, often babysitting Michelle and joining them for family dinners.The information would be invaluable as Diana refined her plans for getting closer to her ultimate target.

When she finally announced that she should probably head home, both Melissa and Terry seemed genuinely sorry to see her go.

"This has been so nice," Melissa said as she walked Diana to the front door."I'm so glad we got to meet properly instead of just bumping into each other in parking lots."

"I've really enjoyed it too," Diana replied."You and Terry are exactly the kind of people I was hoping to meet when I moved here."

Melissa pulled out her phone, which Diana noted with satisfaction was the same device she had held in her hands just days earlier."Let me get your number so we can set up that coffee date we talked about."

Diana provided her phone number, making sure Melissa entered it correctly into her contacts."I'm free most afternoons this week if you want to try that new place on Grove Avenue."

"Perfect.I'll text you tomorrow, and we can figure out a day that works."

They exchanged a brief hug on the front porch, and Diana made her way to her car with the satisfaction of a job well done.She had successfully inserted herself into the Goldman family's social circle, established her cover story, and gathered valuable intelligence about their routines and Kate Wise's involvement in their lives.

As she drove away from the house, Diana allowed herself a small smile.The plan was proceeding better than she had dared to hope.Soon, she would be positioned perfectly to begin the final phase of her carefully orchestrated revenge against Allen and his miracle mate, Kate Wise.

And God, that revenge was going to be so sweet.