Mr.Pelton and His Five Children

Dress Shopping

"No, not that one. Or that one. This one's too puffy for my liking. Why in the world would I want to wear an orange dress? Tiff, you have horrible taste." Annabel groaned as they looked at dress options and inspirations.

"Oh hush, I know what I'm doing."

They looked through more fabric and dresses.

"Tiffany! Look at this colour. Isn't it just wonderful?" Annabel held a piece of  very light green fabric out.

"Yes! This is the one." Tiffany gushed over it and they took it to the seamstress in the back. She had already taken both girls measurements and promised to get the dresses done before Friday, in time for the party.

"George, be a dear and help me pick out a colour your father would like on me." The door dinged and in walked two other customers.

Tiffany and Annabel shared a look.

"You really don't know how much I appreciate you coming along with me." Rebeca Von Eckerman said.

"Oh I do, you keep saying it. And it's not like you forced me to come in here or anything."

Annabel's heart skipped a beat at hearing George's voice. She missed her son more than words could say.

Tiffany grabbed her hand and hurriedly came out from the back and went to a section of fabrics, pretending to look through them.

"He's here." She hissed to Annabel.

"I know."

Tiffany quickly glanced at Annabel and did a double take when she noticed the tears in her eyes. A single one rolled down her face.

"Oh, Annabel." She whispered and brushed the tear away.

George walked around a rack of fabrics, bored and unamused that he was forced to help Rebeca dress shop for a party this Friday. He saw two women looking through the fabrics. One of them he noticed was Tiffany Wilton, a very pretty, well put together lady and the other, the other... it felt like his heart dropped all the way down to his stomach and his breathing hitched.

There's no possible way.

He took a shaky step forward, and another.

"M-mama?"

Annabel turned around, a shaky smile on her lips.

"Hello Georgie."

He rushed forward and she met him with open arms.

He wrapped his arms around her and breathed her scent in. Tears rolled down his face as he hugged her tight.

"It's really you?" He pulled back and he studied her face, his eyes jumping back and forth from looking at one eye, to the other.

"It is." She let out an airy laugh and brought her hands up to his face, brushing the tears away.

"Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you come visit?"

"Do you really think your papa would like it if I just showed up to visit? I'm just a nanny. It's not acce-"

"You're not just a nanny! You're our mama. We've been miserable without you. Even papa. He barely gets any sleep. Please come back. He regrets shouting at you. He won't mind it if you come back. So please. We need you."

"George," she sighed and stepped to the side. "this is Tiffany Wilton. I work for the Wilton's now."

It hurt her to know that they haven't been doing well. She wanted to go back and help them, but even if George said that Richard regrets everything he said and didn't mean it, it's not coming out of Richards mouth. She doesn't know that he actually does regret what he said and that he actually didn't mean any of it.

George wiped the excess tears and held his hand out and gave her hand a polite shake.

"Pleasure to meet you Ms.Wilton. Please excuse the tears, I haven't seen my mama in-"

"I know. I'm really happy you two have finally reunited. Annabel always looks like she's slightly in a depressed mood, I've never seen her look happier."

"Then please let her come back to us. All your siblings are over ten, mine aren't. They need their mama." He pleaded with her.

"That's not up for me to decide. It's up to her." She nodded towards Annabel.

"Mama." George looked at her with pleading eyes and held her hands. "Say you'll come home."

"That's up for your papa to decide."

"Well papa can't live without you anyways. So that will be easy to take care of."

"Don't be ridiculous George."

"I'm not! You should see him. He always walks into your room and just paces, sometimes we even find him reading a book there. The squirrel you left behind, he took it and placed it on his vanity and your hair ribbon that you dropped from that race with Maggie, it's always in his pocket where he never takes his hand out. Maggie walked in on him in his room one evening and he was just staring at it in his hands. Mama, papa is in love with you, he can't marry Rebeca."

"Oh hush George, you don't know what you're talking about. Your papa cannot possib-"

"George? Who are you talking to?" Rebeca walked around the corner and scrunched her nose at who it was. "Annabel."

"Ms.Eckerman."

"I haven't seen you in a while. Honestly, I thought you'd run off and drown yourself with the way Richard screamed at you. Yes, he told me. But I see you work for the Wilton's now, a lovely family."

"Yes well,"

"Ms.Wilton," Rebeca interrupted Annabel. "Will I be seeing you at the party this Friday?"

"Yes, and Annabel as well."

George's eyes lit up. He wasn't going to go, but now he must. He'll tell Maggie so she could come as well.

"As your nan-"

"As my guest." Tiffany cut Rebeca off. She hooked her arms with Annabel. "I'll see you then George."

"Of course. Save a dance for me." He called out to her as they left the store.

"The first one!" She called over her shoulders. 

"I see now why you said Rebeca wasn't a nice person." Tiffany spoke up. They lapsed into silence when her face quirked up to a mischievous grin.

"So Richard Pelton is in love with you." Tiffany teased Annabel as they walked down the street.

"He's not."

"Put he positively is."

"He is not."

"I'll double your salary if he comes knocking on our door this evening to "pay papa a visit" when he's really coming to see you the second George speaks up about bumping into you today and where you work."

"He won't, and you already randomly double my salary. Which I don't even know why you do."

"Because you tolerate my mothers and siblings bad mouth. Now, let's get you all prettied up for a certain Mr.Pelton. Not that I need to do much, you're already pretty."

"Even if he does come. I will not go to see him, no matter what you say."