Stitches in Time (11 page)

I
was in the yarn shop the following Thursday afternoon knitting with the group and only half listening to the conversations going on around me. My mind kept wandering to Chadwick. I had seen him twice more since dinner at his house. We had gone to the movies one evening and out for Italian food and drinks the night before. Things were definitely heating up with us—and this had me both excited and apprehensive.

I looked up to see Haley walk in the door.

“Did you come to knit with us?” Yarrow asked.

Haley plopped down on the sofa and shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “Mom, do you think you could drive me over to the hotel so I could see Nana?”

I felt a table of women's eyes staring at me. My mother had flown into Orlando that morning but I hadn't thought Haley would want to see her immediately.

“You have homework, don't you?” I said.

“Yeah, but I can do it after supper. Nana said I could have dinner with her at the hotel restaurant.”

For somebody who hadn't been around for thirty years, my mother was wasting no time making arrangements with my daughter.

“Oh, that's nice,” I heard Mavis Anne say.

“So can I, Mom?” Haley asked again.

I didn't see any way I could refuse. “Yeah, okay. I'll drive you over.” I got up and placed my knitting on the table. “I'll be back,” was all I said to the group before walking out the door.

I had remained silent driving up Granada Boulevard with Haley. “So do I have to come back and get you?” I now asked.

“No. Nana said she'll drive me back. She just doesn't know the area yet but she said I can show her where we live and she'll drive me back.”

How nice
, I thought, but only said, “Okay. But I want you home by seven. You'll still have to get your homework done.”

When I pulled up to the front door of the hotel to drop Haley off, she looked at me and said, “Oh. Don't you want to come in to see her?”

“No. I really don't. You go and visit with her and I'll see you at home by seven.”

She leaned across the seat to place a kiss on my cheek. “Okay. Love you,” she said before getting out.

I drove back to the yarn shop with thoughts swirling in my head. I didn't even know what my mother looked like now. I hadn't seen her in fourteen years, since Haley was a baby. My mother was now sixty-eight. While certainly far from old, she was no longer the young mother of my youth. I had to admit I was a tiny bit inquisitive. After all, I had her genes. So would I age in the way that she was aging? I pulled into the driveway at Koi House and pushed all thoughts of Iris Brunell out of my head.

Mavis Anne looked up and smiled as I walked into the yarn shop.

“So how is your mother?” she asked.

I sat down and picked up my knitting. “I have no idea,” I told her.

“Oh, didn't you go inside to see her?” Chloe asked.

I began working on a new scarf I was making. “No. I did not.”

There was a moment of silence before Yarrow said, “Chloe, how is Treva doing? That little grandchild of yours will be here in four months.”

“She's having a very good pregnancy. Henry and I drove up to visit them in Jacksonville last weekend. She's really beginning to show now and she looks so cute.”

“Have they found out yet if it's a girl or boy?” Louise asked.

“They're being old-fashioned about it. They don't want to know until the baby is born.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Mavis Anne said. “Not knowing makes the actual birth a bit more exciting.”

“True,” Chloe said. “But it keeps the knitting limited to white, yellow, or mint green.”

“Oh, I don't know about that,” Fay said. “I recently saw on some TV show that today some baby boys are wearing pink. Even Target or someplace is trying to get rid of gender-specific toys for kids. In my day, it used to be that dolls were for girls and trucks were for boys.”

Mavis Anne shook her head. “Well, I have no problem with children playing with different toys, but there's no reason to make everything unisex today. My goodness, I was in a restaurant recently and got thoroughly confused. The bathroom had a sign with both a male and a female. It finally dawned on me that it was to be used by either one.”

Everybody laughed, and Louise said, “Things certainly have changed over the years. I'm just not sure that all of it is good. Why does everything have to be taken to the extreme? So a girl wants to play with trucks and a boy wants to cuddle dolls. Nothing wrong with that at all, but to have a major store getting involved . . . that's where I have a problem.”

“Oh, please,” Yarrow said. “Today everybody gets involved in everything. The media races to be the first with breaking news, whether it's true or not. Things are put on social media with the speed of lightning. Everybody has an opinion about something, and this can be a good thing, except when it's done in a nasty and condescending way.”

“Very true,” Louise agreed. “Politeness is a thing of the past. Worrying about offending somebody? Gone! And I feel the major cause is because on social media people can remain anonymous. If you have something to say, say it. But it should be required that you also have to identify yourself.”

“Anything new with your wedding plans?” Maddie asked, moving on to another subject. “Your sister and her family are coming from France, right?”

Chloe nodded. “Yes, Grace will be here with Lucas and Solange. Everything is pretty much on hold until we go shopping in a couple of weeks for our dresses. Henry is checking on the trellis for the fishpond area and he's also looking for a person to marry us.”

“Oh, it won't be a priest or clergyman?” Louise asked.

“No. Both Henry and I are nondenominational in our beliefs and so we agree we'd prefer to have a wedding officiant with the same beliefs.”

“Hmm,” was all Louise said.

“Well, I think couples should be free to choose whichever way they want to be married. Or not. Love is love and that piece of paper doesn't make it more so,” Mavis Anne said, making me love her liberal streak even more. “Years ago society demanded that a couple in love be married and I think couples today have proved it doesn't always have to be that way. Especially for older couples. Being in love and wanting to be together should be the primary concern.”

Mavis Anne Overby was a forward-thinking woman and I admired that trait in her.

“Well, I guess I'm from the old school,” Louise retorted.

“Yes, I guess you are,” Mavis Anne said with finality, causing the rest of us at the table to smile.

By five o'clock the regulars had left the yarn shop, and I gathered up my knitting.

“Guess I should get moving too,” I said. “Do you have any errands for tomorrow?” I asked Mavis Anne.

She shook her head. “No, I'm all set. Thank you. And thank you so much for looking out for me, Isabelle. David and Clive return home on Saturday, and it has been so nice having you and Haley around.”

I smiled. “It's been our pleasure. Okay, well, if you decide you need anything, just let me know. Yarrow, I'll see you in the morning for the deliveries.”

I walked back to Koi House and cut up some cooked chicken for a sandwich. Without Haley home for dinner, I decided to have something easy. After I prepared my sandwich, I opened a bottle of white wine and poured myself a glass. I took a sip and realized that I couldn't recall the last time that I'd had a glass of wine alone. Not since I had been seeing Chadwick. I had a nagging feeling that prior to meeting him my drinking had been getting more and more frequent. But since meeting Chadwick I had no desire to drink on my own just for the sake of drinking. Sharing a glass of wine with him allowed me to fully enjoy the social experience, making it a special event.

After finishing my sandwich, I poured a second glass, which I took into the living room with me, where I turned on the television to catch the local news and weather. Nothing new there. Murders, shootings, car-jackings, robberies, domestic abuse. I recalled the conversation at the yarn shop about things changing. We probably always had these crimes but somehow with increased technology we seemed to be hearing about them 24/7.

“Isabelle,” I heard Chloe call from the back of the house.

“In here,” I hollered, and a moment later she walked into the living room.

“Have you got a second?” she asked.

“Sure. What's up?”

She reached into her knitting bag and brought out a partially finished scarf. “I wanted to show you what I have so far. The scarf I designed for you.”

I looked at the very pretty pattern and fingered the yarn. “Oh, Chloe. I love it. It's a great pattern. And I like the yarn a lot.”

“Good. The yarn is Bamboo Pop. The same one you're using for your top, so I was hoping you'd like it.”

“I do. Very much. Have you named the pattern yet?”

“Not quite. I have a name in mind and I'll let you know as soon as I decide. Haley's not back yet?”

I glanced at the clock, which read six thirty-five. “Not yet. She's due home shortly.”

“Okay. Well, I'll be at Henry's tonight, so you have a good evening and I'll see you tomorrow.”

About ten minutes later I heard a car pull up in the driveway. I wanted to go to the window to get a glimpse of my mother, but I'd forgotten to close the blinds; with the lights on she would see me peeking out, so I stayed put.

A few moments later I looked up to see Haley walk in the front door—followed by my mother. I honestly didn't think she'd come in the house. I jumped up to face both of them. In a split second I took in the sight of my mother and was surprised at what I saw. The last time I had seen her she bordered on pudgy, had a drab and unbecoming hairstyle, and wore clothes that looked like they had come straight out of the hippie sixties.

The woman walking in my door appeared taller, was slim, had an air of confidence, and wore black yoga-style pants with a leopard print tunic top. But it was her hair that drew my attention the most. Very short and in a pixie style, it had a wide strip of blue coming across her side bangs. My daughter's pink hair was finally beginning to fade and my mother showed up with blue hair? Oh. My. God. Was that a tattoo on her ankle?

“Isabelle,” I heard her say and found myself being caught up in an unexpected embrace. “You look as beautiful as ever.”

She held me at arm's length and nodded while I remained speechless.

“It's so nice to see you,” she said, obviously waiting for me to say something.

“Hi, Mom,” was all I seemed able to manage.

Apparently catching my frostiness, my mother backed away and nodded again. “So Haley and I had a nice dinner together and it gave us a chance to catch up.”

“That's nice,” I mumbled.

“Mom, can I go to Nana's new house tomorrow after school? The movers arrive in the morning and I can help her unpack.”

“Ah . . . yeah . . . I guess that would be okay.”

“She'd be a huge help to me, so thank you, Isabelle. I appreciate it.”

I noticed her glancing around the living room, but I remained silent.

“You have a gorgeous place here,” she said.

I wasn't sure if that was a hint to see the rest of the house, but all I said was, “It's not
my
house. We're just renting.”

“Right. Okay. Well, I'll say good night then. It was good to see you, Isabelle.” She looked as if she was trying to decide whether to hug me again and thought better of it. “And Haley, sweetie, you just call me when you get home from school and I'll come by and get you.”

My mother and my daughter exchanged a hug and a kiss, and Iris Brunell walked out the door. Just like she had thirty years before.

“S
o does it bother you that Haley wanted to spend the night at your mother's house?” Chadwick asked.

I curled up closer to him on the sofa and shook my head.

“No. Not really. I understand that Haley would like a relationship with her grandmother. That's fine.” I took a sip of wine.

“But?” he asked.

I felt a smile cross my face. This man was getting to know me pretty well.

“But . . . well, Haley is about the same age I was when my mother left. She sure didn't have maternal instincts back then.”

But I knew this wasn't quite true.

“So you were never close?”

I shrugged. “I guess we were when I was younger.” I took the final sip of wine and placed the glass on the table. “My father taught a lot of evening classes, so my mom and I were alone a lot. Yeah, I remember we used to color together and play board games. But those last couple years before she left . . . we were drifting apart.”

“Isn't that natural, though, when a girl hits the teen years?”

I thought of Haley and the little ways she was attempting to show her independence. “Hmm, maybe. Anyway”—I flung a hand in the air—“she's here now and it is what it is. I just don't have to be happy about it.”

Chadwick nodded and reached for my hand. “I wanted to ask you something. I need to go back to Atlanta next month for a day or so on business. I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?”

“Oh,” I said, sitting up straighter to turn and face him. All of a sudden, whatever we had seemed to be moving along faster.

“My parents have a large house and we could stay there. You would have your own room,” he explained as if this might be the deciding factor.

“Oh,” I said again. “Yeah, that might be fun.” But meeting his parents? I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

“Okay. Well, give it some thought. We'd only be gone overnight. That would be enough time for me to take care of things. Another glass of wine?” he asked.

I'd had three. Or was it four? “Sure, what the heck,” I said, passing him my glass.

He returned, placed the glasses on the table, and leaned over to kiss me. This guy certainly did know how to kiss.

“Hmm, nice,” he said, slowly moving his hand down my back.

We were interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

“Sorry,” he said. “I have to get this. We had a problem with a rental this afternoon.”

I listened as he discussed something about an elevator being out of service.

Fifteen minutes later he joined me on the sofa.

“I'm sorry about that. Sometimes the job never ends.”

“Everything okay?”

“Well, we had a couple check into one of the vacation condos and apparently the elevator was being repaired. Needless to say, they weren't happy. But my excellent assistant, Betty, managed to get them placed into another building. I don't know what I'd do without her.”

“Has she been with you for a while?”

“Yeah, almost twenty-five years, since I opened my business down here. Unfortunately, she's been hinting about retiring at the end of the year. She'll be tough to replace.” He took a sip of wine. “You wouldn't be interested in being my assistant, would you?”

I laughed, pretty sure he was joking. I had no experience at all in whatever it was Betty's job entailed.

“I know nothing about the real estate or rental business.”

“You can always learn,” he said, making me realize he hadn't been joking. “Something else for you to think about.”

His phone rang again.

“I'm so sorry. This seldom happens, but we had a lot of people checking in for the weekend. Excuse me again,” he said, and reached for his cell.

I stifled a yawn. “That's fine,” I assured him. Getting up so early to do the coffee shop deliveries was catching up with me. Maybe having a nine-to-five office job wasn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

The aroma of coffee woke me. I snuggled more into my pillow and realized I wasn't at home. When I opened my eyes, it took me a moment to orient myself and remember I was at Chadwick's house, with sunlight streaming through the windows. Oh, my God! Had I fallen asleep on him the night before?

I rubbed my eyes, got up, and followed the coffee fragrance to the kitchen. Chadwick was filling a mug. He looked up and smiled.

“Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?”

“I can't believe I fell asleep. I'm so sorry.”

He passed me the mug and pulled another one from the cabinet. “It's fine. I was on the phone for a while, and when I hung up I didn't have the heart to wake you. You were snoring away.”

“Snoring? Oh, God, I'm so embarrassed. Did I have drool on my chin too?”

He pulled me into an embrace and laughed. “It was a nice light snoring and no drool. Have some coffee,” he said and kissed my forehead.

“Bathroom first,” I told him.

“Okay. There's a new toothbrush and toothpaste in the vanity drawer on the right.”

What? Did he keep a stash for female overnight guests?

I returned from the bathroom to find him beating eggs in a bowl.

“And breakfast too?” I said. “Do you treat all your female guests so well?”

I saw a smile cross his face. “I'd have to say that you're the first female who has spent the night here.”

Surely he was joking. A handsome, eligible bachelor like him?

“Do you like French toast?” he asked.

“Love it,” I said, taking a sip of coffee. “Oh, this is good. Yarrow better be careful.”

“Thanks. Glad you enjoy it.”

“Did everything work out okay with the rental properties last night?”

He dipped some sourdough bread into the batter and nodded. “Yeah. Finally. That doesn't happen too often. But this time of year is our busiest season, so there are bound to be problems now and then.”

“You don't just sell property but have rentals also?”

“Right. Just vacation rentals. We do property management. I have a staff who does the cleaning, but Betty handles all the rental agreements and problems. She knows I like to be kept abreast of what's going on, so that was the reason for the phone calls.”

“She sounds pretty conscientious.”

He placed the egg-soaked bread onto a grill. “She is. I'm going to be lost without her when she does retire.”

“Can I do anything to help? I feel useless sitting here.”

“You're not useless, but sure. In the cabinet over there, you can grab some plates. In the drawer below are placemats and silverware. I'll fill the juice glasses. It's such a pretty morning; we can eat on the patio.”

“You're spoiling me,” I said after we finished eating. “That was delicious.”

Chadwick laughed. “Glad you enjoyed it. More coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

He reached for the French press on the table and refilled my mug.

“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.

“Well, David and Clive return from Italy today, so Mavis Anne asked if I could take her place at the yarn shop helping Chloe.” I glanced at my watch and saw it was just after eight.

“What time do you open?”

“Ten, but I'll have to go home and shower and change first.”

I spent another thirty minutes lingering over coffee and then stood up.

“I really have to get going,” I said. “Thank you so much for a wonderful evening and breakfast this morning.”

He walked me to the door and pulled me into an embrace. “It was all my pleasure,” he said, before kissing me.

It only took a second for desire to return and I could feel his desire matching mine.

“Okay,” he said, pulling away and kissing my forehead before letting out a deep breath. “Okay. Maybe next time you spend the night, you won't be all alone on my sofa.”

No doubt about it
, I thought as I drove the short distance home.
Chadwick Price is definitely as attracted to me as I am to him.