Zoey sent Georgina a text message and seconds later the door to A Stitch at a Time opened, and Georgina pulled her inside. “There have been a few folks tapping on the door to see if I’m here because I made the mistake of parking my car outside instead of behind the stores on Main Street.”
She smiled at the woman with a profusion of curly hair framing her face. “Do you think they’re your regular customers or lookie-loos?”
“They can’t be my regulars because they know when I’m closed.” She looped her arm through Zoey’s. “Come with me and I’ll show you the kit I’ve put together for everyone who has signed up to knit the caps and scarves.”
Zoey saw the glass-topped table filled with skeins of yarns in every conceivable shade of pink, the official color of the fight against cancer. “Did you have all of these shades in your inventory?”
“No. I had to go online and order from different manufacturers. I still have some on order waiting to be shipped. Please sit and select the shade you want. The medium yarn will be for older children and adults and the baby yarn will be for small children.”
“I think I’m going to begin with a kit for a small child because it will go faster than if I had to knit for an adult.” Zoey pointed to a skein that reminded her of a blush wine. “I like this one.”
Georgina smiled. “Good choice. Can you read a pattern?”
“Yes. It’s just that I don’t know how to cast on.” She watched as Georgina checked the dye lots on the skeins to make certain they matched and took out the number she needed for a cap and scarf.
“You’ll use a smaller needle for the kids.” She selected a set of knitting needles from a supply in a wicker basket. “I always tell my knitters and those that crochet to work up a swatch to make certain the gauge is right for the number of stitches. Some folks knit tight and others loosely.”
“I remember my stepmother taking time to wind a skein into a ball before she began knitting.”
Georgina pulled her chair closer to Zoey’s. “A lot of people still do, but I have a spinner that will do that for you. I’m going to show you how to cast on, then once you knit a swatch, I’ll spin up the skeins you’ll need to complete your project.”
Zoey watched as Georgina tied yarn around the needle, making the first stitch, and then looped lengths of yarn over her thumb and forefinger, and then inserted a needle under her thumb and around the forefinger to cast on the second stitch. She repeated the action until there were ten stitches on the needle. She handed it to Zoey. “Now you try it.”
Zoey executed the motion as if she’d tried countless times before. “It’s easier than I thought.”
Zoey thought of Charmaine, who’d boasted that she came from a long line of women who knitted, crocheted and quilted during their free time. Her stepmother would sit down in front of the television once she’d cleaned up the kitchen and knit while watching her favorite programs. She never bought a sweater for Kyle or Harper because she claimed she could make them for her sons.
“Do you believe needlecrafts are a dying art?” she asked Georgina.
“Not around here. When my father had the crafts section at the store, we sold well. But when he decided to expand sporting goods, I saw my chance to take the inventory and open this place.”
“When I came in the other day, I noticed you were busy.”
“There are some days when I barely get a chance to take a break with people coming to sign up for lessons and buy yarn. There’s been an uptick in an interest in quilting, so I’d be glad to say it’s not a dying art.”
Zoey spent the better part of an hour in the shop, working up a gauge before casting on with a set of round needles and completing three rows of a cap for a small child, while Georgina spun the skeins into balls and put them in a large plastic resealable bag along with the patterns. She handed Georgina her credit card for her purchase.
“I’m going to charge you ten percent because now that you’re dating my cousin I consider you family.”
Zoey froze. What was Georgina talking about? She and Sutton hadn’t had their first official date and meanwhile his cousin… Her thoughts broke off and she wondered if he told Georgina they were involved with each other.
“Why would you say that? Sutton and I and neighbors, and we haven’t dated, so that doesn’t translate into you considering me family.”
Georgina made a sucking sound with her tongue and teeth. “Come on now, Zoey. It’s all over town that folks saw Sutton kissing you outside the shop.”
The rush of heat starting in her chest moved up to her face and Zoey felt as if her head had caught fire. She swallowed a curse. Folks in the Falls didn’t need a tabloid newspaper when gossip spread faster than a lighted fuse attached to a stick of dynamite.
“Does he know about the gossip?” she questioned.
“Yup.”
“What did he say?”
“‘Let them talk.’”
Sutton’s reaction was to ignore the gossip. After all, he’d spent half of his adult life in the spotlight, while her being linked to a former superstar athlete would take some getting used to. “It was a friendly kiss.”
Georgina looked at her side-eyed. “I happen to know my cousin well enough to know that he isn’t prone to public displays of affection, so you may think of it as friendly, but it was anything but for Sutton. Do you two have something going on I should know about?”
“We’re just friends.”
Georgina’s eyebrows lifted. “Me and Langston Cooper were friends before it turned into relationship.”
Zoey’s jaw dropped and when she tried to speak, no words came out. “You and Langston?” she finally asked. The editor in chief of The Sentinel had left Wickham Falls and become an award-winning war correspondent before coming back to take over ownership of the then-failing biweekly. There was no doubt she was truly out of the loop when it came to goings-on in her town.
“I suppose you haven’t heard, but yes,” Georgina said proudly. “I had a bad relationship some years ago and I told myself I never wanted to get involved again, but Langston proved me wrong. He’s the opposite of every man I’ve known, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m totally in love with him.”
“You’re like a character in my romance novels.”
“I’m a romance novel and fairy-tale heroine, Zoey. And you can be one if you give Sutton half a chance to make you happy.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t make me happy but…”
“But what?” Georgina asked when her words trailed off.
Zoey wondered if she could confide in Georgina and not have her go back and tell Sutton. “I need to tell you something, but I don’t want it to go beyond this shop.” A flush suffused Georgina’s face and Zoey realized she’d embarrassed her.
“I don’t repeat gossip, Zoey, and believe me when I tell you that I hear a lot of it around here. I only mentioned Sutton to you because he happens to be my cousin.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“You didn’t,” Georgina said quickly. “Come on, girl, give me the deets.”
“I’ve only slept with one boy and that was when I was in high school. But it’s so different now. I can’t believe it’s taken me ten years to feel desire so strong that I fantasize making love with a man.”
Georgina’s toffee-brown eyes were brimming with tenderness. “What you feel is normal for a woman your age. Some of us go through long periods where we’re celibate but by choice.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“Yes, Zoey. I didn’t date any of the boys in high school because they talked openly that I was a good catch because my father owned Powell’s and after my brother died they knew I was next in line to inherit everything.”
“So, it was all about money.”
“Bingo,” Georgina drawled. “I dated a few guys, but it ended as quickly as it’d begun because I was still living at home. Then I got involved with a man from Beckley and it reached a point where we talked about marriage and children until our relationship imploded.”
“What happened?”
“He asked me to lend him money to cover his gambling debts.”
With wide eyes, Zoey said, “You’re kidding?”
“I wish. His father owned a successful used car business, so I figured he was someone who was solvent. But I was wrong. He was embezzling from the business and his bookie was pressuring him to repay his debts. That’s when I walked away and never looked back. I swore never again until Langston and I were seated at the same table during a fundraiser earlier this spring. He’s intelligent, mature, erudite, and he doesn’t need my money.”
“He sounds like the total package.”
Georgina nodded, grinning. “Believe me, he is.”
“Money isn’t an issue with me and Sutton because I don’t want his and I have enough to take care of me and my brother.”
“What happened to make you split up with your boyfriend?”
“After my parents died and I became the legal guardian for my brothers, he claimed he was too young to take on the responsibility of raising two school-age kids. I ran into him the other day and he was with his wife and son.”
“Did you speak to him?”
“No. We see each other in passing but we never speak. He said enough ten years ago when he broke up with me when I needed him most. I didn’t hold it against him when he said he wasn’t ready for kids at eighteen, but when he said he didn’t want to raise someone else’s kids that’s when I knew it was over between us.”
“What a loser,” Georgina said under her breath. “There are a few men in the Falls who marry women with children and vice versa. There are so many blended families in town that you wouldn’t be able to count them on both hands and feet.”
“I’m glad we didn’t marry because I doubt whether we would’ve stay together. I don’t need a fair-weather partner who will bolt when the relationship turns stormy.”
“That would never happen with Sutton, Zoey. I’ve never been one to play matchmaker, but you won’t find a nicer guy than Sutton. And I’m not saying that because he’s my cousin. You can’t imagine how many women have asked me to hook them up with him when word got out that he was divorced. I told them he would not appreciate me setting him up with someone, but that didn’t stop them from asking me over and over. And once they found out that he’d moved back to the Falls, they acted like what my grandmother would call brazen hussies. They came to Powell’s in droves and swarmed around him like locusts.”
This disclosure piqued Zoey’s interest. “What did he do?”
“Sutton is the same one you see whenever he’s interviewed. He was polite and charming. He’d signed autographs for anyone that wanted one, and whenever a woman lingered too long he’d excuse himself telling her he had to wait on other customers. After a while, once they realized he wasn’t receptive to their flirting they stopped coming in. He may be the Beast on the baseball diamond, but he’s soft as a marshmallow off the field. His generosity is phenomenal, and he has donated and raised millions for his scholarship foundation dedicated to the at-risk kids he mentors.”
Zoey wasn’t ready to admit to Georgina that Sutton had volunteered to mentor her brother. “I’ve discovered firsthand how generous he can be.”
“Yes, my cousin is one of the good guys, but for the life of me I’ll never understand why he married that gold-digging wannabe supermodel.”
“Wasn’t she a successful supermodel?”
“Yeah, right. It all depends on who you talk to. Angell was in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit group shot, and if you listen to her brag about it, you’d think she was on the cover. She had what I consider a rather uneventful modeling career. She had been selected to participate in several Fashion Weeks around the world, but that was when she was in college. After the divorce, Sutton’s star rose and hers fell because as Beauty and the Beast they’d become a brand. Agencies wouldn’t book her without her husband, and that really ticked her off. But she had to know that a lot of models age out in their late twenties or thirties.”
“Most of them except my favorite, Naomi Campbell,” Zoey added. “The woman still owns the runway. I had…” Her words trailed off when her cell chimed a programmed ringtone. “Excuse me, but I have to take this call.” She retrieved her phone from her bag and tapped a key. “Hello.”
“Good morning, Zoey.”
She recognized the voice of the agency’s scheduler. “Good morning, Kelly. Do you have an assignment for me?”
“Yes, but it’s temporary. Alison Harrison has a family emergency and she will be out for the rest of the week. I’d like to know if you’re willing to cover her shift.”
“Of course. What are her hours?”
“Seven to two. Her client is Caroline Raab. She’s a retired sixty-two-year-old widowed schoolteacher who is recovering from a stroke that has left her with some memory loss. Alison says she’s really sweet.”
Zoey wanted to do the happy dance. Sweet she could really do after working with Mrs. Chambers. “Does she live alone?”
“No. Her college-student grandson lives with her.”
“Text me her address.”
“I’m sending it now. And, thank you, Zoey.”
“Thank you.”
Zoey ended the call and tapped the message app. Mrs. Raab lived in Beckley. She still did not have a permanent assignment, but she didn’t mind working as a fill-in temp. She dropped the phone into her bag and walked over to the counter where Georgina had set the shopping bag stamped with the shop’s logo.
“I have the rest of the day to get a jump on my project because I have to go back to work tomorrow. And thank you for the family discount.”
Georgina combed her fingers through her hair, holding it off her forehead. “Don’t make a liar out of me, Zoey.”
A slight frown appeared between Zoey’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re real and I see why Sutton likes you.”
“Thank you, but I think you’re getting ahead of yourself, Georgina.”
“I don’t think so, Zoey Allen. Even my aunt Michelle heard the rumors about her son kissing the Allen girl and she says she wants to meet you. So, don’t be surprised if Sutton asks you to come to Sunday dinner to meet the family.”
Zoey couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could a chaste kiss blow up into something that had Georgina’s family believing she and Sutton were ready to walk down the aisle together? Well, nothing was further from the truth.
Did she like him?
Yes.
Did she want to sleep with him?
Of course.
But was she ready to marry him or any other man?
No.
Zoey had carefully mapped out her life from the instant she accepted responsibility for her younger siblings, and marriage was not a part of that equation until she became a nurse, and that was still six years away. There were two years before Harper graduated high school and four years for her to earn a BSN and then pass the nursing boards. At thirty-six she would be open to falling in love, becoming a wife and mother.
She forced a smile she did not feel. “I’m really not ready to meet Sutton’s mother.” She and Sutton were friends and their friendship had not reached the level where she needed and wanted to be introduced to Sutton’s mother. “I’ll stop in again when I finish my project.”
Reaching out, Georgina hugged her. “Thanks again for joining the campaign.”
Zoey felt Sutton’s cousin’s warmth and enthusiasm when she returned the hug. “Anytime.”
She left the shop, stored her knitting purchase in the cargo area of the minivan and decided rather than return home she would drive to the boutique in Charleston where Charmaine had selected her dress for prom. Sutton had promised to take her to an upscale restaurant and Zoey wanted a new outfit to celebrate their first official date.
Her conversation with Georgina provided her a glimpse into a segment of Sutton’s marriage he hadn’t revealed. But, then she remembered him saying there were things about his ex-wife he still loved. And he wondered if it was her beauty. Georgina had downplayed her cousin’s ex-wife’s modeling career, but photos of the woman did not lie. She was extremely photogenic and beautiful.
She turned on the radio, tuning it to a station with old-school jams, and sang along with familiar tunes from a decade ago. It was as if she’d turned back the clock when songs that had been popular when she was in high school filled the interior of the van. Those were the happy times when her only concern was maintaining her grades so she could get into college.
It had taken her a while to accept the curve life had thrown at her and made her aware she was no longer a teenage girl planning her schedules around the Fall Festival and homecoming, but a young woman who had come to acknowledge that she was stronger than she could’ve ever imagined.
* * *
Zoey slipped a note under the door to Harper’s bedroom, wishing him luck on his first day as a junior. She had to leave the house an hour earlier because she had to drive to Beckley to clock in by seven. She heard Harper leave the house at five to run with Sutton and return a few minutes ago. The sound of running water coming from behind the bathroom door indicated he was in the shower.
She left the house and waved to Sutton, who sat on the top step of his porch drinking from a mug of coffee. He was still wearing his jogging clothes. “Good morning.”
He raised the mug. “Good morning, working girl.”
“Have a good day.”
Sutton nodded. “Back at you.”
Zoey slipped behind the wheel of the minivan, started it up and backed out the driveway. She’d made an appointment for Saturday to bring the van to Austen & Sons Auto for a tune-up. After going over her accounts, she figured out she could afford to finance a certified midsize used car with a substantial deposit to lower the monthly payments.
Traffic was heavier than normal with the start of school, and Zoey groaned when the app on her phone indicated a fender bender near the next exit. She sat idling for nearly ten minutes before cars began moving. Following the GPS, she reached her destination fifteen minutes before she was scheduled to start.
Mrs. Raab lived in a modest unattached one-story ranch house with a two-car garage. She parked her van on the street and walked up to the front door. It opened before she rang the bell and she met the light blue eyes of a young man with a scowl distorting his handsome features. He was totally grunge with ripped jeans, a flannel shirt tied at his waist and a leather choker.
“You’re late!”
Reaching into her tote, Zoey removed her ID badge and showed it to him. “No, I’m not. In fact, I’m early because I was told my hours are seven to two.”
“The other girl always came at six thirty.”
Zoey struggled to control her rising temper. “I’m not the other girl. Now, will you please step aside so I can introduce myself to your grandmother?”
Taking a backward step, he opened the door and she walked in. “My grandmother is in her library.”
Zoey walked through the parlor, living and dining rooms to an area that was set up as a reading room. A frail-looking white-haired woman sat in a cushioned rocker listening to classical music coming from a radio on a bookcase packed tightly with books.
“Has she had breakfast?”
“No. It’s your job to feed her.”
“William! What did I tell you about being rude?” The words were garbled, as if her tongue was too large for her mouth.
He dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry, Grandma. I’m leaving now. I’ll be back after my last class.”
Caroline Raab held out her thin arms. “Come and give your grandma a kiss before you go.”
Zoey noticed the young man’s hesitation before he hugged and kissed his grandmother and suspected he really did not want to deal with the woman under whose roof he resided. The exquisite furnishings in the house had been carefully selected to turn the home into a designer showplace.
After the scheduler had texted her Mrs. Raab’s address, she had sent her an email with her client’s dietary restrictions and exercise regimen. She was able to bathe, dress and eat by herself, while her grandson was responsible for taking her to her rehab appointments three evenings a week to meet with a speech therapist.
She hunkered down in front of the woman. “Good morning, Mrs. Raab. My name is Zoey and I will be filling in for Alison until she returns.”
Caroline rested a hand on Zoey’s head. “You are very pretty.”
Zoey covered the woman’s hand with hers. “Thank you so much. What would you like for breakfast?”
“Oatmeal with fruit.”
She stood straight. “Do you want to eat here or in the kitchen?”
“I like it here with my books.”
“Would you like me to read to you after you finish breakfast?”
Caroline attempted to smile, and it was the first time Zoey noticed that the left side of her face was paralyzed. “Yes.”
The stroke had affected her ability to speak clearly and given her some memory loss and partial paralysis. Zoey hoped with ongoing rehabilitation she would be able to correct her speech and regain some feeling in her face.
Mrs. Raab was the complete opposite of her former client and although it was a temporary assignment Zoey knew she would enjoy it.