Chapter 12
S hona slipped off her shoes and walked across her home’s cool, wooden floor. The grand opening of The Cozy Quilt Shop was a huge success. She’d sold more quilts than she thought she would. The fabrics, thread, and embellishments were popular, and most of her customers had joined her online newsletter.
What was even better was the number of other items she’d sold. Jackie was over the moon. Her gorgeous baby clothes were as popular as Shona thought they would be. The items she’d displayed were snapped up by parents and grandparents, with orders placed for more.
It couldn’t have been a better day. But, now the store was closed, she felt like a deflated balloon. For the last few weeks, every spare minute of her life was consumed with thoughts of the store. She knew she’d still have to be one step ahead of her customers, but it wasn’t the same as anticipating the opening of the store.
Nate appeared in the living room doorway. “I’ve left my backpack in my room. Is it okay if I have a shower before we meet Joseph and Adele?”
“That’s fine. Let me know when you’ve finished. I’ll have one, too.”
“I can have my shower after you if that’s easier?”
Shona shook her head. “You go first. I have to check on something in my office.”
Nate smiled and walked down the hallway.
As she moved through the house, she lifted her arms above her head and pulled her spine straight. Her back was sore, even after months of rehabilitation and a fitness routine she never missed. She’d bent, pulled, lifted, and carried so much furniture and stock over the last few weeks that it was finally taking its toll.
She’d take some pain relief after she had a shower. That way, she could enjoy having dinner at the pizzeria instead of curling into a tired ball at home.
Her favorite room in the house was beckoning her, wanting her to see the changes that had taken place in this room, too.
Looking around her office was like seeing everything for the first time. The quilts she’d carefully stored had been taken into town and either sold or left on display until the next customers arrived.
The unopened baskets of new ribbon and boxes of thread were gone, along with most of the quilting books she’d collected over the years. It was amazing how much bigger the room appeared, even with her large sewing table under the window.
Walking across the room, she stopped in front of the dream board she‘d made with Nate so many weeks ago. There were pictures of quilts and photos of the cottage on Anchor Lane that she wanted to rent. They’d cut pages from old magazines and added them to the board. The images were full of color, joy, and a deep sense of community. It was everything she’d wanted her store to become, a dream she didn’t think would ever happen.
And now it had. Tears stung her eyes as she pinned the last piece on the board. Joseph had taken a photo of Shona and Nate this morning. They were standing in front of the cottage before they’d opened the store. Nate was holding a quilt, and she had the front door key in her hand. They looked excited, happy, and a little worried about the line of people standing on the other side of the gate.
As soon as Joseph had taken the photo, she’d turned the ‘Closed’ sign to ‘Open’ and welcomed their first customers.
The Cozy Quilt Shop was no longer a dream. She had a purpose, a reason to build an even better future in Sapphire Bay. She was blessed with a son she adored, and humbled that a little girl with pigtails and her handsome, gentle father wanted to share her life.
With a contended sigh, she picked up the quilt she was making as a wedding gift for Paris and Richard. Whatever the future held, it couldn’t get much better than this.
Joseph handed Shona a glass of champagne. “Congratulations on opening your store.” Her smile of thanks made him glad they’d come back to his house for dinner. It had been a long day for everyone—and even longer for her.
“I have to pinch myself when I think of how much we had to do to open the store so quickly.”
“It looked incredible. You should be proud of what you’ve achieved.”
“I am, but I’m more proud of all the support I’ve been given.”
Joseph held out his hand as Adele walked into their living room, rubbing her eyes. She must be tired to have changed into her unicorn pajamas. “Are you ready for bed?”
“Not yet but soon.” She sat beside him and snuggled into his side. “The hamburgers you made were yummy.”
“They were. Thank you for all the help you gave us at Shona’s store.”
“I didn’t do too much before I went home with Mrs. Terry.”
He kissed the top of Adele’s head. “You helped me bring the bags of candy out of the kitchen and made sure Nate had enough wrapping paper for the quilts.”
“And you drew some amazing pictures,” Shona added.
“They’re for the story I’m writing.” Adele’s mouth opened in a huge yawn. “Katie said the sooner we draw the pictures for our book, the sooner we can publish it.”
“What are you calling your story?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Adele closed her eyes against Joseph’s chest. “You smell nice.”
He smiled at the sleepy little girl in his arms. “Let’s get you tucked up in bed. Did you say goodnight to Nate?”
Adele nodded. “He’s playing games on my Xbox. Goodnight, Shona. I hope you had a good day at your store.”
“I did. Thank you for your help today.” She rose from the sofa and picked up her glass of champagne. “We should go home, too. It’s getting late.”
If it were anyone else, he would have been happy for them to leave. But he rarely spent time alone with Shona—even if Nate was in the next room playing video games.
“You’re welcome to stay for longer. As soon as Adele’s head hits the pillow she’ll be asleep.”
Shona looked uncertainly at Adele and then at him. “If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble, I’ll stay for a little while longer.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, he held Adele’s hand. “Come on, pumpkin. Let’s get you into bed.”
It didn’t take long for Adele to brush her teeth and climb into bed. “Do you like Shona, Dad?”
His hands stilled as he pulled her blanket higher. “I do. How about you?”
“She’s really nice. Nate said Shona was sad after his dad died. Do you think she’s happy now?”
“Most days, she probably feels happy. It’s hard when someone you love dies. It leaves a little hole in your heart, and you don’t know if it will ever get better.”
“Did you have a hole in your heart after Mom left?”
“Your mom didn’t die, pumpkin. She moved to Australia.” Although, to Adele, it could have felt like she’d died with the lack of communication from Hillary.
“But did you have a hole? Charlie said his mom was really sad when she divorced his dad. But when his dad came back to visit, she wasn’t so sad anymore.”
“Maybe they talked about what was worrying them.”
“Charlie’s dad had a new girlfriend. Charlie said she’s a lot younger than his mom. Is Shona going to be your girlfriend?”
He was glad Adele had asked that question away from Shona. “I like her a lot, but I don’t want a girlfriend.” The lie stuck in his throat like runny honey.
“Why not? Mom married Duncan, and he looks a lot older than her. If you asked Shona to be your girlfriend, I wouldn’t mind.”
Joseph’s eyebrows rose. “You wouldn’t?”
“Nope.” Adele snuggled under the blankets and yawned. “Shona said she’d teach me how to make quilts. I’d like that.”
Gently, Joseph pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “What kind of quilt would you make?”
“I’d make a flower quilt. Like Shona’s.” Adele’s voice trailed off into silence.
He tucked the blankets around her and sighed. His daughter was the most important person in his life. If he wanted to spend more time with Shona, how would that affect Adele? And what would Nate think?
Leaning forward, he kissed Adele’s cheek. “Goodnight, pumpkin,” he whispered. “Sweet dreams.”
On his way out of the room, he looked at the book on her bedside table. Adele had found a copy of The Princess Diaries at the Saturday market. She’d read it cover-to-cover at least a dozen times.
His daughter dreamed about kings and queens who lived happily ever after, and handsome princes who always rescued their beautiful princesses. But life seldom worked out that way. It took more than a pretty face and a vault full of gold to bring you lasting happiness.
He’d found that out the hard way and it wasn’t something he wanted to go through again.
Unless his princess liked kissing frogs.
While Joseph was putting Adele to bed, Shona wandered into the next room to see what Nate was doing. “Are you winning?”
Nate kept his eyes fixed on the television. “It’s time trials, Mom. You only win against yourself.”
She glanced at the game he was playing. “Isn’t that one of the Need for Speed racing games? You used to play it when you were little.”
Nate leaned closer to the screen. “It’s the Rivals edition.” With a defeated sigh, he threw himself against the back of the sofa. “I crashed and burned.”
Shona laughed. “At least you get another chance.”
“It won’t help. I’m a little rusty.”
“Aren’t we all,” Joseph said from the doorway.
Shona’s smile widened when she saw the rueful grin on his face. “It comes with old age.”
“I’ve only just turned fifty. That’s still spring chicken territory.”
The teasing note in his voice made her heart pound. It was insanely unfair that Joseph was handsome, intelligent, and had a good sense of humor.
“Besides,” he continued. “ Need for Speed: Rivals is great. You can have up to six racers tackling the same challenges at the same time. When it was launched, it was one of the best Xbox games on the market.”
Nate’s eyes widened. “You play?”
“Only when Adele isn’t home. She beats me every time.”
When Shona’s son held the second remote controller toward Joseph, he shook his head. “Last time I played, I was at the back of the starting grid.”
“Same here,” Nate said as he reset the game.
“It sounds like you’re a match made in heaven,” Shona told them.
Joseph laughed. “Or a disaster waiting to happen.”
Nate pushed the start button. “If you’re trying to psych me out, it won’t work. You have ten seconds to decide if you’re racing against me.”
Taking the controller, Joseph sat beside him. “Best of three. Whoever wins has to buy the other person a bag of fudge from Sweet Treats.”
Nate sat on the edge of his seat. “Deal. Are you ready?”
Joseph tightened his grip on the controller, and Shona smiled. If he were as competitive as she thought he was, the races would be interesting.