By the time we reach the car, Ella has already loaded the bag in the trunk with Rose's help. The girls are now waiting for us before getting in. Ella is obviously excited, while Rose is stealing glances at Laura and fidgeting. Even if I can't read her as an open book yet, I know enough to recognize the longing and a hint of jealousy in her countenance, which makes sense. Rose has never met her grandparents and grew up with Tina being her only family, thus seeing Ella happily hopping around her grandma makes her feel like she is missing something.
While Laura might not know Rose beyond whatever comments Ella might have made from time to time, she is very sensitive to mood shifts around her, not to mention that she adores children, so a glance is all that she needs to understand the situation.
"Hello dear, you must be Rose. Ella has talks about you all the time.".
"H-hello Mrs. Roman. I am Rose.". Her stammering is adorable and makes me want to hug her, but Laura is faster than me! She envelopes Rose in her arms and says to her gently,
"Call me grandma. Ella loves you like a sister, so in a way you are my granddaughter as well.".
A hug and a phrase are all that it takes for Rose to burst in tears in her embrace, while her arms tighten around Laura's body. Laura gently and expertly soothes her while Ella hovers around them smiling, happy for her grandma's acceptance of her sister. Me, on the other hand, I feel a mix of tenderness and mirth. I can't help but wonder what Laura would think if she knew that Rose is in fact her step-daughter.
After Rose has calmed down, we hop in the car and we start the drive home. Laura is sitting in the back at Ella's request, and is now sandwiched between the girls, each one of which is hugging an arm as they chat happily. I follow the scene from the rearview mirror and can't help but smile at it. I make use of a red light to send a quick message to Mike to let him know that the coast is clear, and then I keep driving until we reach home. Ella literally drags her grandma in the house with Rose hot on their heels, while I unload the bag from the trunk before heading inside.
The rest of the day passes without issues, with the girls happily hovering around grandma. As for me, I gave them some space so as to give them the chance to talk undisturbed… yeah, right, as if. I am actually holed up in my study supposedly doing something work-related, while in fact I am watching them and following their conversation through the hidden cameras installed in the house on my 'sneaked in' tablet. Anxious much? Very! If the girls let slip about our "games" by mistake, it would fuck up all my plans and possibly/probably/surely land me in jail. I'd rather not risk it, better if I monitor the conversation so I can dash in and interrupt it if it moves toward risky topics.