Ellinor shot him a smile and replied cheerfully. âHi, old Mr. Bagley. Iâm Ellinor I just turned twenty this yearâ
Old Mr. Bagley squinted his old eyes and gazed at her intently. âTwenty, huh? And who are your folks?â
âI come from a plain Jane family You probably donât know my parents, but theyâre alive and kicking.
They live in Greenhaven Ellinor answered If pushed further, she would say she belonged to the Mendoza family She didnât consider them her kin, but she didnât want to spill the beans about her real family situation here and raise eyebrows Old Mr. Bagley gave a nod, âDid my wife scare you earlier? You look a bit like our longâlost daughter and granddaughter, so she got a bit too excitedâ
Ellinor smiled back, âNo worries, she didnât scare me I totally get where old Mrs. Bagley is coming from.
Itâs an honor to resemble your daughter and granddaughterâ
Old Mr. Bagley took in Ellinorâs poised demeanor and her attire.
She wasnât decked out like other young gals, flaunting skin even in the dead of winter.
She wore a simple white shirt with straight pants. She looked lowâkey and not overly dolled up for the party, but she had a vibrant energy, the kind of getâupâandâgo that was rare among young folks these days.
Old Mr. Bagley found himself warming to Ellinor at their first encounter. He gave a serious nod before asking her.
âMs Mendoza, you mentioned your parents live in Greenhaven. How about your grandparents? Are they there too?â
Ellinor shook her head. âI donât have any grandparents. I never met them.â
There was a hint of tenderness in old Mr. Bagleyâs eyes as he looked at Ellinor, âIn that case, would you be willing to.â
âEllinor, you made it! Didnât expect to see you at my grandpaâs birthday bash!â Patricia interrupted, greeting Ellinor with a grin.
She did this on purpose because she knew what old Mr. Bagley was about to say and she wouldnât stand for it.
Old Mr. Bagley was about to ask Ellinor if sheâd be willing to become his granddaughter.
Because old Mrs. Bagleyâs dementia had been worsening over the years, she had been mumbling the names of their longâlost daughter Marlinie and granddaughter Pearl all day long, having forgotten almost everything else.
So, over the years, Old Mr. Bagley had been eyeing girls who bore some resemblance to their missing daughter or granddaughter, hoping to find someone who could keep old Mrs. Bagley company and ease her condition.
But old Mr. Bagley had high standards. He wasnât satisfied with any of the girls who came knocking, nor with the ones introduced by friends and family. The issue remained unsolved.
Patricia firmly believed that if she tried hard enough to mimic the habits and character of the Bagleysâ
missing daughter and granddaughter and made herself look as much like Marlinie Bagleyâs old photos as possible, she could win their hearts.
But the reality was different. The Bagleys never gave her a second look.