Chapter 18
J oseph knocked on John’s office door. “Are you ready for our meeting?”
“Good grief. What’s happened to you?”
He looked down at his jacket, jeans, and work boots. “Nothing. Why?”
“You look like a raccoon that hasn't slept in weeks. Is Adele okay?”
Joseph walked into the office and sat opposite John's desk. “She started stuttering again. She's terrified it won't go away.”
“She was doing so well. Do you know what triggered it?”
“Me.”
John's eyebrows rose. “Would you care to elaborate, or do you want me to figure it out on my own?”
Joseph hadn't talked to anyone about what had happened. The only person he wanted to talk to was Shona, and she’d only replied to one of his messages.
John’s steady gaze didn't leave his face. “Adele was happy at Richard and Paris’ wedding, so whatever happened was after that. Judging by the circles under your eyes, you've had at least three nights without any decent sleep. That leaves us with a timeline from Sunday through to Wednesday.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Clearly not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
John pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve had a difficult day. Spit out what’s happened or I’ll reschedule our meeting for another day. And just for the record, I don’t care about your money, either. But I do care about you.”
“Shona found out about the trust.” He waited for John to say, “I told you so.” When that didn't happen, he matched John’s frown. “She isn't interested in my money, either. And after our discussion on Sunday, she doesn’t want anything to do with me. I apologized for not telling her about the trust and for thinking she might only be interested in me because of my money, but it made no difference. She thinks I’m keeping secrets from her, which I’m not, at least not the kind of secrets she thinks I’m keeping.”
John’s frown deepened. “My brain hurts after that explanation. And don't tell me what secrets she thinks you're keeping. It will only confuse me. What are you doing to help Adele through the mess you've created?”
“I told her Shona and I had a disagreement, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be Shona’s friend.”
“Did it help?”
“A little.”
“And that’s why Shona’s teaching her how to quilt?”
Joseph nodded. He’d called the church to let them know Adele wouldn’t be coming to the after-school program today. “The only message Shona’s replied to is the one I sent about Adele. She heard her stutter before she left our house on Sunday. I wanted her to know the strategies we use when Adele feels anxious.”
“That was sensible.”
It was the most sensible thing he’d done all week. He gave John a folder. “I've created a spreadsheet summarizing the value of everything I own, the donations the trust has made over the last three years, and the programs the trust is funding over the next twelve months. I’ve also included a list of the jobs I’ve had since I left college. If Shona comes in on Friday, can you give it to her?”
“No.”
“You can’t say no. You’re a pastor.”
“I’m a pastor who cares about his community. Handing Shona a blue folder with your personal details inside won’t change how she feels about you.”
Joseph leaned forward. “I don’t know what else to do. I’m giving her all the information she needs to trust me. She thinks I’m an ogre, but I’m not.”
“I doubt she thinks that.”
“You’d be surprised,” Joseph muttered.
John picked up a framed photo. “This is my beautiful, stubborn, and opinionated wife. When we first met, we disagreed about everything. She’s a cross the ‘t’ and dot the ‘i’ sort of person. I throw everything together and see what happens. Regardless of our differences, or maybe because of them, we organized the first Santa Express train ride around Flathead Lake. And, in the process, we fell in love.”
“Are you saying I should organize a Christmas event with Shona?”
“What I'm saying is the differences in your personalities could become your strengths as a couple. But only if you have lots of patience and keep an open mind. Shona doesn't trust you, so show her she can.”
Joseph took a deep breath. “I might need your help.”
John smiled. “As long as it doesn’t involve the blue folder, I’ll help you as much as possible.” He handed the folder to Joseph. “We’d better talk about The Christmas Wish Program, or my wife will move my secret stash of chocolate fudge.”
“Last time I checked, you had more than one secret stash.”
John held his finger against his lips. “Shh. Shelley might hear you.” And with a covert glance toward his office door, he pulled out a hidden compartment under his desk. “If we’re talking about fudge, we might as well enjoy some.”
He handed Joseph a small bag and opened another for himself. “I have some good news about the family we sent to Disneyland. They arrived back in Sapphire Bay yesterday.”
Joseph opened the card John handed to him.
“They made that for the trust to say thank you.”
Inside was a collage of photos showing all the things they’d done. The vacation hadn’t changed their mom’s prognosis, but it had given them something more valuable. A week away from home, filled with memories that would last a lifetime.
He looked at John. “I have an idea.”
“Should I be worried?”
“I know how to show Shona I can be trusted, but I’ll need your help.”
John popped another piece of fudge into his mouth. “You talk, I’ll listen.”
So he did. As quickly and succinctly as he could, Joseph explained his idea to John. It wasn’t something they could do in one night but, as long as they were careful, it could be done.
Shona showed Gloria Goldfinch-Smythe around her store. “As you can see, we have a wide variety of quilts on display and for sale.”
“And the quilters are from around Flathead Lake?”
“Most of them are. I have a couple of quilters who live in Bozeman and Billings.”
“It must be satisfying seeing quilts made with so much skill.”
Shona nodded. “My customers appreciate seeing something different that they know will last many years.”
The photographer who’d come with Gloria took two more photos. “Can you move a little closer to each other?”
Shona stepped closer to Gloria. They must have walked around the store four times to get the perfect shots for the magazine. And that was on top of the hour she'd spent talking to Gloria about why she’d become a quilter and what she wanted to achieve.
The front door opened, and Mabel came bustling into the store. “Sorry, I’m late. Allan insisted we finish this month’s inventory together.” She held out her hand toward Gloria. “I'm Mabel Terry. My daughters own The Lakeside Inn, and my husband and I manage the general store.”
“I'm delighted to meet you,” Gloria said sincerely. “The bouquet quilt that won this year’s competition is truly remarkable. Would you like to say anything about the quilt that we could include in our article?”
“I'd like to say what a privilege it is to have The Cozy Quilt Shop in Sapphire Bay. Visitor numbers have increased since Shona opened her doors. People from far and wide are coming here to enjoy what she has created.”
“Marvelous. And what did you think of the flower bouquet quilt when you saw it?”
Mabel looked at the quilt hanging on the wall opposite them. “It's one of the prettiest I've ever seen. My parents loved their rose garden, and I know they would have adored the quilt.”
To Mabel’s delight, the photographer snapped a photo of her standing beside Gloria and Shona.
Gloria closed her notebook with a snap. “I think that covers everything I need to know, and we have more than enough photos to include in the article. The only thing left for me to do is present Shona with a trophy and a check for winning the supreme award in the tenth International Quilting Magazine’s competition.”
Standing with her best side facing the camera, Gloria handed Shona a gold-plated trophy and an oversized envelope. “Congratulations on your outstanding win.”
“Thank you. It’s an honor to accept the award.”
Mabel pulled out her cell phone. “Can I take an extra photo for our community Facebook page? Everyone’s thrilled Shona won such a prestigious competition.”
Gloria seemed to perk up at the mention of the competition being called prestigious. “Of course that’s okay. If you'd like to add a link to the latest issue of our magazine, I can send it to you now.”
Shona didn't dare look at Aimee. Her part-time assistant had spent the entire time Gloria was here moving between the front counter and the storeroom. The farther she could be from the photographer’s prying lens, the happier she was.
Once Mabel had the link, Gloria and the photographer said goodbye and left the store.
Shona leaned against the counter. “That took longer than I thought.”
“She seemed like a nice woman.” Mabel held her cell phone in front of the trophy and took another photo. “It must be exciting working for a large magazine.”
“Not nearly as exciting as being the administrator for the community Facebook page,” Aimee said from behind them. “You do an amazing job, Mabel.”
“Thank you, Aimee. I try my best. At times it's quite stressful knowing how much the community relies on the information I share.”
The front door opened again, and three giggling schoolgirls walked into the store.
Adele followed them more quietly. When she saw Shona, she threw her arms around Shona’s waist. “I've missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Are you ready to learn how to quilt?”
Adele smiled and nodded.
Mabel took a folded apron out of her handbag. “Go ahead and teach your class,” she told Shona. “Aimee can show me what I need to do.”
With the store being looked after, and all her students waiting to start, Shona handed the girls some paper templates, fabric samples, and four pairs of scissors. “Are you ready to make a quilted pincushion?”
An enthusiastic round of nods made her smile. As Shona’s grandma used to say, “Dream big but start small.” And you couldn’t get much smaller than a pincushion.
Joseph wasn't sure what kind of reception he’d get when he picked Adele up from her first quilting lesson. It helped that he wasn't the only parent picking up their child and that Mabel was there to smooth over any awkward silences.
Shona treated him like any other parent, but it was almost worse than not speaking to him.
Adele was excited when she saw him. “Look what I made. It’s for pins.” She added three sewing pins to the quilted ball to show him what she meant. “You can use it for all kinds of things.” She reached for Shona’s hand and pulled her closer. “Tell Dad.”
“About the magazine article?”
Adele nodded.
When her stuttering was at its worst, Adele spoke as little as possible. Nodding and hand gestures became normal for her. It had taken a long time to break the habit, even after her stutter began to disappear. Over the last four days, the chatterbox he was used to hearing had almost disappeared. Knowing he’d made her so anxious that it had affected her speech, broke his heart.
Before Shona could tell him about the magazine article, Mabel said goodbye, and then Annie, the last parent, and her daughter left the store.
Shona looked around the empty store and then back at him.
“It’s okay. We won’t stay for much longer.”
She took a deep breath and smiled at Adele. “The lady from the magazine interviewed me today. It went better than I thought. Mabel took some photos of the girls’ pincushions and emailed them to the magazine as well as posting them on the community Facebook page.”
Adele took his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to him.
“What do you want me to do?” He glanced at Shona, hoping she realized why he was asking Adele an obvious question.
Adele’s big blue eyes moved between his face and the phone, pleading with him to look at the Facebook post.
“Tell me what you’d like me to do, pumpkin.”
Adele changed tactics and looked at Shona. When she didn’t respond, she took a deep breath and, as she exhaled, said, “Look at the photos on Facebook.”
Joseph opened the app. Instead of having to search for the photos of the pincushions, they popped onto his screen immediately. “They look amazing.”
Adele beamed with pleasure.
She handed Adele a folder. “Here’s the pattern for the pincushion. There’s enough fabric in the folder for another one. Next week we’re making cushion covers.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you next week.” Shona hugged her, then looked at Joseph. “I have something for you.”
Somehow, he doubted it was her heart. When she handed him an envelope, he frowned.
“It’s a check for the five thousand dollars I won in the competition. I want to pay it off the loan your trust gave me.”
That was one way to stab him in the heart a thousand times. Or, to be more precise, five thousand. “You don’t have to do that. You might need the money for an unexpected expense, or to buy something for yourself.”
“I’d sooner use it to pay back the loan.”
Shona didn’t have to use sign language to tell him she wanted him to leave. Her eyes were every bit as expressive as Adele’s except, this time, they were full of hurt. “I’ll send you a receipt in the morning,” he said. “Thanks for teaching Adele how to quilt. We’ll see you next week.”
And before he said or did something stupid, he wrapped his arm around his daughter’s shoulders and walked out of the store. Hopefully, by next week, he could show Shona why he hadn’t told anyone in Sapphire Bay how much he’d donated to the church.
And, if he was lucky, she might give him a second chance.