From Here to Paternity

Shelley.
    “There you are, Mrs. Nowack. And this must be your friend Mrs. Jeffry!“
    “Mrs. Smith, I haven’t seen you since just after we arrived. Yes, this is my friend Jane. And you must call me Shelley.“
    “Oh, good. And I’m Joanna. And my husband’s Bill, as you know. Well, well. How are you enjoying your stay? May I join you?“
    “Please do,“ Shelley said.
    It would be impossible not to warm to this woman. She was the quintessential grandmother type. Plump, with faintly purple, beauty-shop hair, Joanna Smith even had a big soft bag with her from which she pulled a garish, half-done granny square and proceeded to crochet while they talked. “I hope Tenny’s taking good care of you,“ she said, peering over half glasses that were looped around her neck on a cheap, gilt-painted plastic necklace.
    “Wonderful. Yes.“
    “I knew she would. Tenny is a dear, dear girl. I don’t know what we’d do without her. She’s my sister’s girl, you know. Her father came out here from Tennessee and missed his home. That’s why they named her Tennessee, you see. I thought it was an awful thing to do to a child when she was born, but it suits her.“
    “It is a pretty name,“ Jane said. “I think it used to be very common to name people for places. My grandmother’s best friend was named Philadelphia.“
    “Is your sister involved with the resort, too?“ Shelley asked.
    “Oh, no. My poor sister, bless her soul, died when Tenny was just four. She and her husband both. My parents took Tenny in as their own. She was more like a little sister to me. I was only seventeen at the time. Then when I married, I brought Tenny along with me. My folks were in failing health by then, and bringing up a little girl was too much for them. Bill and I never had children—I try to believe that was God’s will—and so we raised Tenny.“
    Jane was doing some mental arithmetic. Tenny looked only about forty, but she could be as much as fifty years old. Which would make Joanna Smith in her early sixties. The same age as Jane’s mother. But the difference was amazing. Cecily Grant was trim, fit, and stylish. This woman looked much older. Or perhaps only from a different era. That was it. She wasn’t so much old as old-fashioned.
    “Is that part of an afghan you’re working on?“ Jane asked.
    “Yes. I’ll have to keep it in our own apartments, though. Back in the early days, when it was just hunters who came here, I made things like this for the cabins. But when we rebuilt it as a resort and Tenny took over all the decorating, she told me I had no taste.“
    “No! I can’t imagine Tenny saying a thing like that!“ Shelley exclaimed.
    Joanna waved her hand deprecatingly. “Oh, but she’s quite right, my dear. Tenny has lovely taste. I wouldn’t dream of interfering in her decorating. Bill and I are just old frumps. Back when these were just hunters’ cabins, we were fine. Bill could talk hunting all day with the guests, and I’d cook plain-cooking dinners for them. Big old roasts and buckets of stew and fried chicken. But when we expanded and made it a resort—well, we were out of our element. Bill was a wonder with the finances, but me and him don’t know a thing about skiing or any of that kind of thing. As far as I’m concerned, all this snow is just something you have to put up with. Can’t imagine grown people wanting to play in it. And my sort of cooking isn’t what appeals to the kind of people who come here.“ She laughed. “It doesn’t even appeal to me anymore. I’ve gotten used to Tenny’s chefs and eating in the dining room. Not sure I even know how to cook anymore. When we retire, I’ll have to learn all over again.“
    “Are you looking forward to retiring?“ Jane asked, just to keep the conversation going. “My father keeps talking about retiring, but I think he’s scared to death somebody will take him seriously.“
    “Not us. We’re ready. At least Bill is. A place like this is an awful lot of work and worry,“ she said, blissfully unaware that this wasn’t the kind of thing a seller should be saying to a potential buyer’s wife. “Every time some pipe bursts in the middle of the night or half the maids come down with the flu at the same time or some group that’s booked a big block changes their mind, Bill has to take care of it. Tenny’s a big help, but it always comes back to Bill one way or another.“
    Bill had finished talking to the concession attendant and