Chapter 6      

As Paige parked her car in front of Oodles of Spools, the sun was a golden ball over the horizon. The parking lot in the strip mall was hopping with a Marshalls and Home Goods down the way. Somehow she hadn’t expected this much traffic on a Monday night.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep in mind a couple of pertinent facts.

Going to Sadie’s quilting class was the right thing for her to do—despite the pond frogs jumping in her stomach.

Riley might not have hit it out of the park with her half-sister, but he liked her despite their differences—enough for him to have blushed while saying so—which served as its own character reference. 

When her sister had appeared in her life out of the blue, Paige had feared her whole sordid past was being dredged up again. But something about Sadie, who’d approached her so bravely, had moved her. She’d found the strength to listen to what she had to say, and they’d managed to connect in their shared vulnerability. Then her sister had pulled out that beautiful quilt, which could almost have been made with her in mind. The heartbreaking phrase, “Precious One,” in the corner had seemed to ping Paige’s bones. 

Her original decision to put the past behind her had been the best thing for her. But now…

Her sister had extended a hand to her, and Paige had known it was the right thing to take it. 

She glanced over to the front door and noted Sadie waiting for her just inside. The door opened a crack and then closed, as if in indecision. Then it opened again, and this time her sister—it was easier to refer to her that way, she realized—hustled out and stopped short, throwing a hand up in an apparent wave. 

Sadie was wearing a hot pink sundress with pink pumps and looked like she was hosting a tea party instead of teaching a quilting class. Paige looked down at her navy capri pants and simple white T-shirt. She hadn’t thought to wear anything dressy.

“Just be yourself,” Mark had whispered in her ear after kissing her goodbye by the car. “When you do that, everything always works out.”

She had been glad for the reminder. Part of her was anxious for her sister to like her, and Paige knew Sadie was probably feeling the same way. It was the human thing to feel. But in his sweet, caring way, Mark had told her to expect to feel vulnerable, and so she did. But as she grabbed her purse and left the car, she realized she felt hopeful too. 

Sadie’s heels slapped against the concrete as she ran to meet her halfway, and from the momentum her sister was gaining, Paige could tell Sadie wanted to hug her. So she leaned in, and they hugged in the middle of the hot parking lot.

Her sister’s arms were gentle, and when Sadie nestled her face into her neck like a long-lost friend might after an eternity apart, she gripped her closer and softened into her embrace. Tears started to fall from her eyes, but she didn’t want to break the moment by apologizing for getting that pretty pink dress a little wet. Then she felt a similar wetness on her neck, and she knew Sadie was crying too.

“I’m so happy you came,” her sister whispered.

“Me too,” she said hoarsely, sniffing.

They broke apart and spent the next minute staring at each other. She noted Sadie’s earlobes were unattached like her own, and their jaws curved the same way. Mark’s love had healed Paige of the wounds of her childhood, and now she realized her sister’s love had the power to heal a few other parts that hadn’t seen the light of day. Gratitude circled her heart.

“I’m so glad you invited me to this, Sadie.”

The woman gave a serious sniff and laughed. “Me too. Goodness, we’re already blubbering, but it feels so perfect, doesn’t it? I mean, every time I see you, I catch another glimpse of one of my mannerisms or the way your ears are shaped like mine, and I just want to bawl my eyes out. We’ve lost so much time together, but we’re here now, and it’s going to be wonderful.”

“Even if I don’t like to quilt?” Paige joked, because after going online and researching it, she worried there were too many techniques to master. She wasn’t sure how that would go. Of course Mark had claimed it would help that she was a web designer. Like they were the same thing, God bless him.

“Of course,” Sadie said with a huge smile. “I have to tell you, when you’re ready, all of my siblings would love to meet you. Either one on one like this or together. They…they’re…”

Paige’s heart seemed to cheer. They want to meet me! They want to meet me! Her hands tightened around Sadie’s. “I would love to meet them too,” she said, and then gave into the urge to hug her sister again. “I didn’t know I was going to feel like this right away.”

“I did,” Sadie said, hugging her hard. “Before I even met you, I just knew I was going to love you. How could I not? You’re my sister.”

The way she said “sister”—so confident and full of ownership—sent a tidal wave of warm water through Paige’s heart. Her eyes leaked out the excess, and she found herself confessing, “I wasn’t as sure as you. I mean, I don’t really love my own mother or her family.”

She was grateful Haley would never hear the words “bastard child” or be slapped for asking for more milk because she’d already drunk more than her share.

Sadie eased back. “I’m not sure I could love our daddy, after everything he’s done, so I understand. It’s like I’m conflicted. I pray about forgiving him and loving him like I would any child of God, but I just can’t feel that way yet. And I pray he changes and…”

“Becomes the parent he was supposed to be, the loving and kind one.” Paige nodded. “I had to let that go, but it took me a long time. I’ve mostly managed to forgive my mother, and Mark says I do love her, but he always sees the best in me. She thinks I ruined her life, but now that I have Haley, it’s impossible for me to imagine how any mother could hate her child like mine seems to hate me.”

Sadie rubbed her arm in comfort. “I’m not a mother, but I understand that feeling in my own way. I can’t completely understand how a daddy could abandon his kids. The Christian part of me wants to say he must have been hurt somehow, somewhere, but really, that’s about character.”

Character, Paige thought. Yes, that was exactly right. It was either something you did or didn’t have, and she’d always strived to be unlike her mother in that essential way.

“Sadie!” someone called suddenly. “Is everything all right?”

They both looked over. An older woman with tightly permed white hair had the door propped open with an ample hip.

“Goodness,” Sadie exclaimed. “In all of the excitement, I plumb forgot about the class. Everyone is waiting inside.” Turning back, she raised her voice and said, “Coming, Leanne. I got caught up.”

Paige noted a few other women were watching them through the glass windows of the store. “If it’s all right with you, I’d prefer to just say we’re long-lost relations on your father’s side for now.” 

She and Mark had talked about this. Neither she nor Sadie needed any extra pressure from other people. Besides, she didn’t willingly share the details of her birth with anyone. When asked, she simply said her father had left when she was young.

“Oh! I was planning on telling them we were new friends connected through a family member. But I like your idea better. It has more of the truth to it, and I really am terrible at keeping anything under wraps. My face gives everything away. Are you ready to go inside?”

“Yes,” Paige said, feeling oddly better after the emotional release. “Haley and Jess have the odd notion that I’m going to come home with a princess quilt. They don’t seem to understand you can’t make a quilt during a ninety-minute class. Certainly not a beginner like me.”

“You might surprise yourself,” Sadie said, linking their arms together and leading her to the store.

“I love the name, by the way. Oodles. It’s kinda funny.”

The woman named Leanne was watching them approach as though she were presiding over an exclusive bridge club. Paige had a feeling this woman wasn’t at all convinced she belonged in their class. She made an attempt to smile at her as the air-conditioned store enveloped her. The scent of pecan pie tickled her nose, and she caught sight of a brown candle flickering. 

Spools of fabric filled the store, organized by color and type, the display so magical she felt she’d wandered into a fairy land. The tulle was closest to Paige, making her think of the tutus Haley and Jess loved to put on when they were playing princess. The yarn display, again a shower of color, stood against the wall closest to the door.

“Everyone,” Sadie announced, putting her arm around Paige’s waist. “I want you to give a warm welcome to our new class member. This is Paige, and we’ve just gotten connected. She’s a relation on my daddy’s side, but we never knew each other until recently.”

“Oh, now I understand why you’re all dressed up, Sadie,” Leanne commented. “I was wondering what y’all were doing, crying in the parking lot. That seemed rather odd.”

“We were…” Paige said, trailing off at the realization that Sadie must have gussied herself up for her. Somehow she’d never imagined another woman wanting to impress her like that.

Sadie gave her a look and a sweet squeeze. “Happy to see each other, I guess.”

“That’s so nice,” a grandmotherly woman next to Leanne said. “I’m Ada, and I’ve been quilting for nearly fifty years. My man passed last year, and Sadie invited me to come and quilt with her group since my nights get lonely. Welcome, Paige.”

“Ada does more volunteering than God intended,” Leanne informed her, “but we love her all the same. Welcome to our group. I’m Leanne.”

Paige already had her name down, thankfully. She made sure to take a mental snapshot of Ada’s face so she would remember too.

“I’m Whitney,” said a young blond woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. “I joined the class a few months ago when I found out I was pregnant. I want to make a quilt for our baby.”

“It’s your first?” Paige asked, feeling a soft smile spread on her lips. 

Oh, how she wished… She and Mark had been trying to have a second baby for five years, but she hadn’t gotten pregnant yet. Mark wasn’t concerned. He said their family would be perfect no matter what happened. Paige mostly agreed, but she really wanted to have another child or two. Growing up, she hadn’t wanted anyone else to share in her hell, but Haley’s situation was different. There was so much love and joy in their family, she thought it would be sad if there weren’t more children to enjoy it.

“Yes,” Whitney said, putting her hand on her tummy. “Do you have children?”

“A daughter,” Paige said. “She’s in second grade already.”

“They grow up in a blink, don’t they?” the woman next to Whitney said. “I’m Mae, by the way. Welcome to the class, Paige. I expect your little girl will want you to make her a quilt.”

Of all the women, Mae exuded a special warmth. Perhaps it was her similarity to a plain-clothes Mrs. Claus, what with her radiant smile and soft white hair.

“A princess one,” Paige said, laughing. “I have a feeling she’s going to have to wait a while.”

“Not at all,” Mae said. “You sit by me sometime when you’re more comfortable, and I’ll show you a few of my tricks. I cut corners, you see.” Her wink was downright charming.

“Your quilts stay together and are beautiful, Mae,” Sadie said. “I don’t see that as cutting corners. You’re just efficient.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” the last woman in the group said. 

Her dark red hair could only come from a bottle, and she had an edge for someone who looked to be in her forties. 

“I’m Imogene. Nice to meet you, Paige. Welcome. I’m newly divorced—my worthless husband of twenty-two years hooked up with a skank ho right out of college. My kids are grown, and my oldest thought I might release some of my pent-up anger through quilting.”

“How’s that been working for you, Imogene?” Leanne asked with a flat drawl.

“Every time I stick a pin into a square for piecing I just imagine it’s his dick.”

Sadie gasped along with Paige. “Ladies. That’s—”

“Awesome,” Whitney said. “I hope his dick falls off for cheating on you. I hate cheaters.”

Leanne looked to be smiling despite herself. “Amen!” she said loudly.

Imogene held up her hands at Sadie’s look. “Okay, no man bashing. Sorry, Sadie. Paige, I brought the snacks tonight. I can’t cook much, but I can manage to make a box cake and frost it. Hope you like carrot.”

Cake and women with strong opinions. This was already sounding fun. “Thank you, Imogene. I’m particularly fond of the cream cheese frosting.”

“Me too,” the woman said, slapping her curvy hip. “I like to think the carrots make it the healthiest cake you can eat.”

“Thank heavens you like cake,” Leanne interjected. “We had a girl a few months back who brought kale chips when it was her turn. Imagine that! She was always complaining about all of the sugar we were eating.”

“At least she didn’t last too long,” Ada said. “She wasn’t much for quilting, turned out.”

“I hope I’m going to like it,” Paige decided to admit. “I mean, I’ve always thought quilts were beautiful. My great-grandmother used to wrap me in one when I was little. I don’t remember the pattern much—only that every patch was from an old flannel nightgown.”

“Those are the best,” Ada said. “I kept my girls’ nightgowns for just that purpose.”

Sadie glanced over at her, and Paige forced a smile. She’d love her great-grandparents, but her great-grandmother had died of a heart attack when she was younger than Haley. Her great-grandfather had taken it into his head that headstrong Skylar was to blame, and he’d up and kicked them out. The flannel quilt had been left behind in the madness of their departure, and she’d thought of it many times since, wishing she’d insisted on stuffing it into the one suitcase they’d left with.

“So your great-grandmother quilted?” Mae asked.

“I believe so, but I never saw her do it,” Paige admitted. “By the time I came along, she had arthritis so bad she could barely peel and cut a potato.” Of course, her mother had never helped much around the house, preferring to run off at night with a string of men she kept around. No wonder her great-grandfather had held a grudge.

Leanne nodded. “I feel her pain. I like to think quilting keeps my joints loose. Well, I suppose we’d better get back to it. Half the class is gone by now probably.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Leanne,” Ada told her, using a firm hand to steer her toward the circle of folding chairs. “We have plenty of time. Whenever a new member joins the group, it’s important to make them feel welcome. Otherwise, we could all quilt at home.”

“Amen,” Imogene said.

“Oh, don’t starch up your girdle any more than usual, Ada,” Leanne replied. “You won’t be able to walk out of here later, what with it being so stiff.”

“Like I would wear a girdle in this heat,” Ada said. “At my age, I’ve earned the privilege of letting everything God gave me hang out.”

“Gravity’s a bitch,” Leanne said, pointing to her own sagging breasts. “These used to be perky. Just you younger ones wait.”

“Leanne,” Sadie said in a stern voice.

“Sadie doesn’t like me to say ‘bitch,’ but sometimes it’s the only word to get the job done.”

“Shall we sit and resume?” Sadie asked. “Paige, we have some water and sweet tea set out by the cake. Just over there.” She pointed to the folding table in front of the upholstery fabric. “I see everyone has already helped themselves.” 

“You were out there forever,” Leanne drawled.

“Enough, Leanne. Paige, the bathroom is to the back right of the store,” Ada said. “That’s usually my first question when I go somewhere.”

“When you reach a certain age,” Leanne said, “that’s the only question besides when your Social Security check is coming that matters.”

Paige had to purse her lips not to laugh at these two women and their tall tales of aging. She felt more confident about her decision to join this group. She hadn’t been so sure about the whole thing on her way over.

“You can sit between me and Mae,” Sadie told her. “We’re all working on baby quilts right now for the hospital. Except Whitney, who is working on her own baby quilt. You’re welcome to make one for your family, of course.”

Haley had been somewhat pacified by the beautiful baby quilt Sadie had given her. Even though it was much too small, she slept with it most nights.

“No, I’m happy to make a few quilts for the hospital,” she said. “That way I can figure out what to do for Haley’s big princess quilt.”

“That’s a sound plan,” Sadie said. “Since you’re a newbie, what I’d like to suggest is that you think about the colors that make you the happiest. Usually that’s the easiest place to start. Then we can talk about a pattern.”

“Most new quilters get a little intimidated by the millions of patterns out there,” Mae told her. “Best keep it simple in the beginning, honey, and Sadie is a pro at guiding you while helping you make something fun and pretty all your own. You can work on your confidence and your quilting techniques as you go along. The two go hand in hand.”

“Like bread and jam,” Ada said, reaching into a cloth bag and pulling out the beginnings of a patchwork quilt.

Each woman seemed to have a special bag beside her chair. She’d missed that memo.

“I didn’t know about tools,” Paige leaned in to tell Sadie as soon as they were seated. “And I don’t have a bag.”

“Don’t worry none,” Sadie said. “I have extra tools for new students. I figure everyone needs to find out if they love quilting before they invest in the tools. You’ll need a medium rotary cutter, a cutting mat, a special ruler I’ll show you later, and a few other things.”

“I don’t have a sewing machine either,” she whispered. “And I don’t really know how to use one either. I mean, I haven’t done any sewing since Home-Ec in high school.”

“The sewing machine part is a piece of cake,” Leanne said. “A few of us still like to hand stitch, but it’s only because we have more time on our hands than you young people.”

“You look too young for a Home-Ec class,” Ada said. “Where did you go to high school?”

Sadie looked eager to hear her answer. “In a small town outside of Knoxville,” she said. After their hasty departure from Texas, she and her mother had moved in with her grandparents, who’d relocated due to the scandal. While they’d ended up kicking them out after a few months due to her mother’s wild stunts, they’d remained in the same town. Her grandparents would give them money from time to time since her mother couldn’t hold down a job. She’d heard them say more than once that the only reason they hadn’t cut all ties to her mom was because of Christian charity. Of course, her mother hadn’t wanted a job or any responsibilities—her only ambition was to jump from man to man. Her grandparents had pitied Paige, but pity wasn’t the same thing as love. 

And that pity had, more often than not, been soured by flat-out unkindness. There were times they’d called her a devil’s seed and told her she was predisposed to follow in her mother’s path, something that had terrified her until she’d grown older and realized there wasn’t some bad-seed gene in her DNA. She could make her own choices to be a good person. Her mother’s choices might affect her, but they didn’t predispose her to self-destruction.

“You’ll catch on real quick, honey,” Imogene said. “When I started six months ago, I didn’t know how to sew a button. Now I can piece a pattern together and sew it right up. Lickety split.”

Somehow Paige didn’t think it was that easy, but she smiled back at the women who were sending encouraging smiles her way. She was moved by how quickly they’d integrated her into their group.

“We have a sewing machine here for students to use,” Sadie said. “Let me show you the squares we have available for students. Most of the long-time quilters love to hunt for the right fabric. Some even cut up squares from old clothing like those flannel nightgowns you mentioned. Ada made the most beautiful quilts out of Perry’s clothes and gave them to her children this past Christmas.”

Ada gave a quick nod. “My sister hemmed and hawed about it being maudlin. She thought it would be more fitting to give his clothes to the Salvation Army. Like she knows better. I mean, I volunteer there four times a week. It’s a great place to buy clothes for fabric, Paige.”

“Your sister is a busybody,” Leanne said, shaking her head as she pulled a quilt in progress out of her bag, “and you were right to go with your heart. Those quilts are going to be passed down for generations. You mark my words.”

Whitney took out what looked like a bunch of colorful squares held together by stickpins. “Whitney, look at how much you accomplished since last week,” Sadie said, rising and crossing to the young woman. 

“I spent most of the weekend working on it. I’m so glad you had me practice on a few other quilts first though. I needed to get the basics.” 

“Whitney is an artist,” Sadie said, turning toward Paige to include her in the conversation, “and she had a vision of what she wanted her baby’s quilt to look like. She drew it for me, and together we created a simple design.”

“Of course, I might change my mind next week when we find out whether we’re having a boy or girl,” Whitney said. “Sadie can tell you. It’s taken me a while to settle on something. I want it to be perfect.”

“That’s right,” Mae said. “You have your ultrasound next week. I can’t wait to hear what y’all are having. Paige, Sadie is really good at bringing someone’s vision down to their skill level.”

Paige felt the first whisper of panic. She didn’t have a vision.

“It’s only natural to want to come in here and make a quilt like you’ve seen at an art bazaar,” Ada added. “Best to keep an open mind in the beginning.”

Paige had never noticed quilts before at art shows. She and Mark didn’t really go to art shows. When Riley watched Haley, they liked to go out to dinner and a movie or hang out with their other friends.

“Or on Pinterest,” Leanne said, ripping some cloth up at the seam like she was pulling weeds out of the garden. 

Paige could never imagine ripping anything up so confidently. How did she avoid tearing the fabric? Oh, this was going to be so much harder than she’d thought… Then she reminded herself she was here for Sadie and a good cause. It didn’t matter if she became a master quilter overnight.

“I end up looking at pin after pin on Pinterest,” Leanne said, “instead of quilting on my own some nights.” 

“That’s because your Horace doesn’t keep you guessing anymore,” Ada teased. 

The woman barked out a laugh. “My goodness, Ada, we’ve been married for almost forty years. If he kept me guessing at my age, I’d probably have a heart attack. Paige, I picked up quilting when he retired. I had to get out of the house, and it gave me the chance to create a sewing room. He has his new reading room, and I have my getaway. Keeps a marriage going, let me tell you.”

Sadie was laughing softly. “Come on, Paige. Let me show you the squares.”

Paige felt her nerves intensify as she followed her. She knew it was only natural when a person started something new, but there was still a part of her that wanted to know what to do right off the mark. The same part that wanted to impress her sister.

“I don’t normally start off showing new students how to cut their own squares unless they’re like Whitney and have something specific in mind. She looked at tons of fabric all over Nashville, let me tell you.”

“I’m not that ambitious,” Paige murmured.

Sadie had led her to a cluster of shelves in the back of the store. “Beginners typically find it easier to deal with pre-cut larger squares. These are five-inch,” she said, pointing to a stack of squares, “but we have some that are a little smaller or larger. A nine-patch quilt is very simple and traditional. Less to piece together and easier to sew.”

It couldn’t be too hard, right? It was just a machine, a needle, and a thread. 

“You can also make a quilt out of strips of cloth, what we call a strip quilt. Also a lovely option. When I mentioned it to Rye—who’s one of our brother’s best friends—he said I couldn’t make him one of those since he’s a family man now.”

Sadie laughed, but Paige was still reeling from the stripper reference. Did that mean their brother was crude too? Somehow, just from spending time with Sadie, she doubted it.

“You’d have to know Rye. Anyway, you select the strips and piece them together. Again, less to piece since you’re starting with a baby quilt. Those only run somewhere around thirty-five to forty-five inches, although it depends on your vision.”

That vision thing again. She felt her hands form fists by her side.

“We can also make a nice border around your squares if you want,” Sadie said. “This first one is about having fun, keeping it simple, and making something you’ll be proud of. I’m pretty much here to help you with anything.” She took down a stack of squares and then an equally large pile of strips.

“We’ve already ironed the squares and strips, FYI, so if you’d be mindful as you comb through them, I’d appreciate it. Of course, you’re going to have to iron your seams once you sew them together, but it’s easier to piece the squares if they aren’t wrinkled.”

“That makes sense,” Paige said, taking in the myriad of squares. It was a veritable treasure trove.

“As you can see, there’s a mixture of solid colors and patterns. You might want to mix and match—use some of the single color squares in, say, pink and yellow, with some of these polka dot squares. Do a ruffle border. Keeps things interesting. The colors are complementary, and it creates a different effect.” She paused. “You look overwhelmed, Paige.”

“I’m okay,” she said, breathing shallowly as she eyed the squares. There were so many of them… “It’s all new, you know?”

“You’ll be fine,” Sadie said, patting her arm. “But promise to tell me if you don’t take a shine to quilting. It won’t hurt my feelings. I mean, none of my sisters quilt. That’s probably why I cried a little when they all volunteered to take my class so they could meet you.”

Oh, if that didn’t pull her heartstrings… “That’s…really sweet of them.”

Sadie nodded. “Why don’t I leave you to look at squares for a bit while I check on everyone else? Oh, and I need to mention this before I forget. We’ve already pre-washed the fabric for these swatches. Personally I always do that because you don’t want to spend all that time quilting only to discover some of your squares have shrunk in the dryer.” She made a face.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Paige said. Goodness, there was so much to remember. She should have brought a notebook. Next time.

“That’s why you’re taking a class,” Sadie said, smiling. “It’s always easier to learn something when someone shows you, I’ve found.”

“Who taught you?” she asked.

“My sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Polski, used to quilt while we were taking tests,” she told her. “I took an interest, and she ended up showing me during recess and after school a few times a week. She was a dear woman. She gave me her all of her quilting materials—fabrics, old pattern books, you name it—when she learned she had stage 4 liver cancer. She died a few years ago, but I feel her around me sometimes when I’m quilting. She was a member of our church, which was how we kept in touch as I grew older.”

“She sounds like a lovely woman,” Paige said. Then, because it was important to be honest, she blurted out, “Sadie, I don’t have a vision. For the quilt.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “That’s part of the fun. Sometimes I toddle around for days, trying to come up with what I want to say in a quilt. Just let your imagination go. Or put your hand on your heart and listen for the first word that comes to mind.”

Paige didn’t have to put a hand on her heart. Suddenly she heard the word, and it was so loud, she pressed her hand to her mouth, fighting emotion.

“Sadie, I have my word.”

Her sister put her arm around her shoulder, as if sensing her emotion. “That’s great. What is it?”

“Safe,” she whispered. “I want the baby who receives this quilt to feel safe.”

She never had felt that way as a child, she realized again sadly. Until she got away from her mom to go to college, she’d been on pins and needles her whole life.

“That’s a beautiful intention,” Sadie said, her eyes filling with tears. “I know you’ll put it into the quilt. Every quilter I know talks about sewing love and other intentions into their work. In some cases, I’ve even written down a short prayer on a piece of thin cloth and sewn it between the batting and the backing. But don’t tell anyone. That’s one of my secrets.”

Paige had never heard of anything sweeter. She didn’t pray much on her own, although she went to church with Mark from time to time for Haley. But she really loved the idea of writing down a prayer and putting it into a quilt. Of everything she’d heard tonight, that made her warm to quilting the most. Mark had always said prayer was like the wishes you wanted for yourself and those you love, which felt like a rather profound way to describe it.

“All right, let your heart show you what patches or strips confer the beauty of safety to a newborn baby,” Sadie said. “You can even take a whole bunch home and play with them. You know, arrange them into different patterns. I like to do that sometimes. It’s like Play-Doh for adults, making different shapes and then starting over again.”

Paige had never played with Play-Doh. She’d never even colored as a child because her mother had said coloring was for sissies. People are mean, Paige, and life will kick you in the teeth if you let it. You have to learn to be mean right back. She hadn’t really believed her mother, but no one at home had given her Play-Doh or coloring books, no matter how much she’d asked. In fact, one time her mother had found a coloring book a friend had given her and thrown it away. 

Mark said it was why she’d chosen website design. There were no tangible materials for anyone to take from her. That realization had kinda broken her heart. 

“Thank you, Sadie,” she said, hoping her sister understood she was grateful for more than this little tutorial.

“You’re going to come up with something beautiful, Paige, again and again. I just know it. I’ll be right back.”

Her sister turned to leave, and Paige knew she couldn’t wait a moment longer to share what she’d been thinking this last half hour. “Sadie?”

“Yes, Paige?” her sister said, spinning around, her dress flaring out at the edges. She seemed to sense something in her tone because her smile dimmed.

“I’d like to meet the rest of your…I mean…ah…our siblings. Maybe y’all could come over this Saturday? I’d like it to be just us five at first, but I’d feel better if Mark was with me. Riley can watch Haley.”

“Oh, of course,” Sadie said, her lip starting to tremble. “We can host you too. You don’t need to go to any trouble. I mean, there are more of us and—”

“It’s no trouble,” Paige said, trying to keep it together. “I’d…like to do something.”

“We’d love that! We’d just… Since you mentioned him, I feel I should share that I’m still not sure Riley and I hit it off. I mean…there were times when I felt this pull and then others…we have totally different views on important things like…but he texted me afterward. Oh, crap. I shouldn’t go into details. He’s your friend, and I’m sorry.”

Paige gave her an assuring smile. “You’ll both find your way. I’m staying out of it.”

She blew out a breath. “Whew! That’s good to hear. I mean, I don’t want this to be weird. We have enough going on without any complications. I mean he—” She slapped a hand over her mouth.

“It’s okay, Sadie,” Paige told her, fighting the urge to grin. Her sister was clearly conflicted. Again, not her business. 

Sadie was blushing too, just like Riley had, which only made the situation more endearing.

“I’m going to make some quilt magic to get my mind off this little talk,” Sadie said, laughing and leaving the storage shelves.

Paige had no trouble seeing the magic around her. Sadie was the magic.

Who else could have made her fall in love with her long-lost sister in the scope of a couple of days, join a quilting class, and agree to meet her long-lost family?