Chapter 14
S hona leaned a roll of tulle against the outside of Andrea’s house before ringing the doorbell. Earlier in the day, someone from Sweet Treats dropped off the cookies they were using as table favors for Paris and Richard's wedding. Tonight, she and Andrea were wrapping them in circles of tulle so they’d be ready for Saturday.
“Is anyone home?” she yelled from the doorway.
“Come through to the kitchen,” Andrea yelled back.
Charlie, Andrea’s ten-year-old son, appeared in the hallway. “Mom wants me to help you.”
“That would be great. Thanks, Charlie.” She handed him the box of ribbon. “What have you been doing today?”
“Not much. I went to school and did some stuff, but it wasn't interesting.”
“That’s no good. When do you go on your school camp?” Each time she visited, Charlie talked non-stop about the camp.
“It’s been canceled. It was raining last week, and the road into the camp was washed away. You can't take any buses up there until it's fixed.”
“I'm sorry to hear that. I know how much you were looking forward to it.”
Andrea looked up from the kitchen table. “Are you talking about the school camp?”
Charlie nodded.
“Everyone’s disappointed. But the teachers said you’ll go as soon as the road’s open.”
“But it's not the same as going now,” Charlie insisted. “What's in the box, Shona?”
“Lots of pink ribbons.”
“Oh.”
She smiled and held out her keys. “If you look on the front seat of my truck, you'll find two paper bags. I bought you and Andy some fudge from Sweet Treats.”
An instant smile appeared on his face. “That's awesome. Thanks.” Charlie left the box on the table and raced out of the kitchen.
Shona laughed. “If there's one thing guaranteed to make Charlie happy, it's Brooke’s fudge. Where’s Andy?”
“He's in his bedroom, finishing an assignment.” Andrea held up a circular paper template. “I tried different sizes. This one’s big enough to hold the cookies.”
“Let’s give it a go.” Shona unwound some tulle off the roll and looked around for the scissors.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” Andrea handed them to her, along with the template. “I have some pins if you need them.”
“I should be okay.”
While Shona cut out a circle, Andrea looked in the box. “I like the ribbon. It looks lovely with the purple tulle.”
“I tried to match everything with your bridesmaids’ dresses. Have you had your final fitting?”
“We did that last night. The alterations Mabel made after our last fitting were perfect. Paris’ dress is fabulous.”
Shona wasn’t surprised. “She must be relieved.”
“Relieved is probably the wrong word. She's stressing about every last detail. We went over the menu for the reception twice this afternoon. Thankfully, she still liked the changes she made last month.”
“Another menu change is probably the last thing on her mind. Paris called me this morning. The DJ they’d hired for her wedding has a family emergency. He can’t come to the reception.”
Andrea’s eyes widened. “What’s she going to do?”
“I suggested she call Pastor John. They have lots of weddings at the church and someone must have recommended a good DJ. Luckily, Pastor John gave her the name of someone he knows. Paris and Richard have driven to Polson to see if the new DJ can do what they want.”
“I hope it works out.”
“So do I. Otherwise, we might be organizing the music ourselves. Paris might have something to say if we only play Adele, Bruce Springsteen, and ABBA all night.”
Andrea laughed. “But what a night it would be.” She placed three cookies in the center of a tulle circle.
Shona helped her gather the fabric around the cookies and attach the ribbon. “It looks great. What do you think?”
“It's lovely.” Carefully, Andrea placed the table favor in a box. “One down, forty-nine to go.”
“It’s going to be a long night.”
“Which is why we need coffee.” Andrea hopped up from her chair and took two cups out of a cupboard. “We'll probably need more than one of these while we're working. And talking about working, Mabel told me she looked after Adele last night.”
For most of the day, Shona had been waiting for one of her friends to call her and ask about Joseph. When that didn't happen, she wondered if Mabel had taken everyone's advice and become more discreet.
Obviously not. “Joseph and I had dinner together.”
“I gathered that much, especially when Mabel said Adele is excited about spending more time with you. Does this mean what I think it does?”
Shona handed her a tulle circle. “If you think it means we’re dating, then you’re half right.”
“Why only half?”
“We're taking things slowly. I haven't dated anyone for over twenty years. It terrifies me.”
“It terrifies a lot of people, even when they haven't lost their husband in a car accident.”
“I guess so. Did you worry about what would happen when you started dating David?”
“All the time. I’m a single mom with two boys. Before I considered whether David and I were a good match, I had to think about Charlie and Andy. They needed to feel as comfortable around David as I did. Otherwise, it wouldn't have worked. David had a lot to think about, too. Especially when he didn't know if he would permanently live in Sapphire Bay.”
“But it all worked out in the end.”
“It did, but it wasn't always plain sailing. When you're younger, you tend to overlook the things that annoy you about another person. Now that we’re older, it's the little things that matter.”
Shona smiled. “I was thinking the same thing the other day. So far, I haven't found anything I'd change about Joseph.”
“He seems like a good person, and he's handsome. What does Adele think of your friendship with her dad?”
“When Joseph told her we're dating, she wanted to know where we're going next. She was more disappointed that she wouldn't always be coming with us than she was about seeing more of me.”
“That’s good. Andy didn't trust David one bit. Charlie welcomed him into his life with open arms.” She frowned at the table favor she was making. “We'll have to change how we’re doing this. I need another pair of hands to hold that tulle while I’m attaching the ribbon.”
“Why don’t we both cut the circles, then we can help each other?”
“Okay. And if that’s too slow, I’ll ask the boys to help.” Andrea picked up a pen. “While I'm making another template, tell me about the store. How’s everything going?”
“Fantastic. I had a meeting with a craft collective from Kalispell. They make all kinds of quilts that would look great in my store.” As she described the fabrics and patterns, she wondered if she’d ever be tired of seeing the different quilts people made.
She hoped not. No one who made a quilt did it for financial gain. The time involved in creating each one was worth far more than the money they sold for. The reward came from knowing you were designing and sewing something that would be cherished for generations.
And, that one day, someone would admire the quilt and think about the person who’d made it.
Joseph walked into The Cozy Quilt Shop and looked for Shona. Aimee, one of her part-time assistants, was the only person he saw.
She smiled and pointed to the kitchen. “Shona’s doing some paperwork.”
“Thanks.” As he moved through the store, he noticed the changes that had already been made. There were more quilts on the walls, and the large sewing table had been moved to the back of the store. That gave Shona much more display space around the fireplace and the front window.
He smiled at the people sitting at the table, making quilts. There was as much talking going on as sewing, but that was the whole point. Shona wanted to create a happy space where everyone felt comfortable being creative and trying something new.
When he arrived at the kitchen, he stood silently in the doorway, watching Shona. She was sitting at the counter, intently studying a document on her laptop. Two folders were open beside her, with other sheets of paper stacked beside them.
A warmth filled his chest. He’d never expected to meet anyone like her. Even when she was stressed and feeling overwhelmed, there was a gentleness in her eyes that touched something deep inside him.
She was the light to his darkness, the beacon of hope that made him believe in happy ever afters. Kindness, respect, honesty, and faith were qualities that were hard to find in another person. But, for Shona, they were the glue that held her together through all the ups and downs of life. And he didn’t know what he’d do without her.
“Can I interrupt you for a few minutes?”
She looked up and smiled. “Hi, Joseph. I’d love to be interrupted, especially by my favorite person.”
“Aimee said you’re doing some paperwork. How’s it going?”
“Not great. I think I’ve spent too much time around Pastor John. I'm developing an aversion to my weekly accounts.”
He gave her a hug. “What’s causing the most issues?”
“It takes so long time to update everything. I called Shelley to see if I can have a meeting with her. There must be an easier way of doing this.”
He glanced at the laptop. She was using an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of her revenue and expenses. “Have you created pre-set formulas for each column?”
“I did them for each category of expense.”
He pointed to three of the rows. “You can add pre-set formulas to each of these rows, too. If you do that, the program will automatically update the columns they feed into.”
Shona's eyes widened. “It sounds as though you've used a lot of spreadsheets.”
He could have kicked himself. Before he’d moved to Sapphire Bay, his entire career was spent working with complex financial formulas and spreadsheets that would make her eyes water. He could have created what she needed in less than half an hour, but that would have led to a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer.
“I did a crash course when I helped my dad with his business. Shelley will know much more than I do about spreadsheets.”
“If she can’t help me, would you look at what I’m doing?”
“Sure.” He held up the brown paper bag. Hopefully, the smell of freshly baked muffins was a good way to change the subject. “I was driving past the café and thought you and Aimee might enjoy something to eat. Andrea was taking the muffins out of the oven when I arrived.”
“Now I know why I like you so much. Do you have time to have a cup of coffee with us?”
He shook his head. “I’d love to, but I need to get back to work. Can you still meet me at the retirement village this afternoon?”
“I wouldn't miss it for the world. Adele’s so excited about singing for the residents.” She looked in the bag at the chocolate chip muffins. “They look delicious. I have something to ask you, too. I told Paris we're seeing each other, and she invited you and Adele to her wedding. Would you like to come with me?”
Joseph had deliberately avoided any weddings since his wife left him. Seeing happy couples celebrate what they thought would be a lifelong commitment to each other depressed him. But Shona was excited about the wedding, and Paris was her friend. He couldn't say no.
“What time are they getting married?”
“It’s not until two o'clock in The Connect Church. The reception starts at three-thirty.”
“It looks as though we're going to a wedding. I have to go back to work, but I'll see you soon.”
Shona pulled him close and kissed him. “Thank you for the muffins.”
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re welcome. I also have three extra-large portions of tiramisu in my truck. I thought you’d enjoy eating something sweet after dinner.”
With a contented sigh, Shona brushed her lips against his. “Tiramisu is my favorite dessert. You can have as many kisses as you like for being so thoughtful.”
And with that enticement keeping him close, he stayed in the store far longer than he should have.