Chapter 22 Danni
DANNI
When I opened the front door, I expected to see Harmony’s smiling face on my porch. What I didn’t expect was Sarah standing right beside her, bundled in a cinnamon-colored coat and smiling as well.
“I hope you don't mind—Madam Healer gave me the morning off, and Sarah has the day off from the bakery and she really wants to learn to knit too,” Harmony said brightly, her cheeks pink from the crisp morning air.
“Oh! Of course, I don't mind—come in! The more the merrier,” I said, stepping back to let them in.
I couldn’t help the little flutter in my chest as I ushered them inside. I was still getting used to the idea of having friends again—women who wanted to spend time with me and just hang out.
They stepped inside, stamping their boots on the hand-braided rug in the entryway.
I took their coats, brushing away a few stray leaves, and hung them on the hooks in the narrow front hall closet.
The familiar scent of lavender—Grandma’s favorite—still lingered inside.
For a moment, I imagined her beside me, smiling approvingly.
Then I froze.
I turned back to them, panic fluttering low in my belly as a realization hit me.
“I'm so sorry,” I blurted. “I know I promised you a knitting lesson, but I just realized I don't have anything to teach you with. I mean, I don't have any knitting needles or yarn!” If only I had some of the supplies from my crafting room back home!
Sarah was already in the living room, looking around curiously.
“What about that stuff?” she asked, pointing at one of the previously empty built-in bookshelves that lined the walls.
I blinked. There, neatly arranged, were several skeins of yarn—soft, chunky wool in warm jewel tones. There were also three different sets of knitting needles—bamboo, aluminum, and smooth ivory-colored plastic.
My breath caught in my throat.
“Oh!” I walked over to them, reaching out as if the yarn might vanish if I touched it. I vaguely remembered buying this stuff. About a year after Craig was diagnosed…back when I was still trying to be normal. Before everything had gone to hell and I’d given up knitting entirely to care for him.
The memory hit hard—me standing in a craft store, choosing cheerful colors and textured yarn, thinking maybe I could knit Craig a blanket to keep him warm during his treatments. That project, like so many others, had been swallowed whole by his illness.
“The cottage must have brought it to me,” I murmured.
“What?” Harmony asked, stepping up beside me.
I turned to face them.
“Oh, this cottage—it was my Grandma's, like I told you. And it seems to be taking care of me. I was just wishing I had some of the knitting supplies from my craft room back home and they suddenly appeared. The same way my clothes did earlier.” I paused. “Does that sound crazy?”
Sarah and Harmony exchanged a knowing glance, then laughed.
“Not crazy at all,” Harmony said. “Our friend Willow lives in one of Goody Albright's guest houses and it gives her absolutely anything she wants—she just has to ask for it.”
“My house gives me most of what I want too. Is that how it is for your cottage?” Sarah asked.
I shook my head slowly.
“Not quite. It seems to be able to bring things from my house in the, uh, Human World…”—God, it still felt weird to say that—“And it gives me food—there’s always fresh baked bread, tea, soup…
a few other staples. But it can’t grant wishes on command.
Like, this morning I asked for eggs, and it didn’t give me any.
I think it only gives me what I liked when I was a child. ”
Sarah nodded.
“That makes sense. Especially if the cottage is tied to your Grandma and your memories of her when you were little.”
I smiled, brushing my fingers along the soft yarn.
“I'm not complaining—it's wonderful to have my needs met like this. Back home, I'm about to default on my mortgage. I was sure I was going to have to sleep in my car before I found my way here.”
Sarah gave me a sympathetic look.
“It was the same for me. My mom died and then I lost the house and then I lost my job too. I was desperate when I got my invitation to Hidden Hollow.”
Harmony nodded.
“Yeah, I was stuck at a company I hated, and I knew if I left, I'd be drowning in student debt. I'm so happy Hidden Hollow called me home.”
“Is that what you call it? Being 'called home?'” I asked, intrigued.
“Sure,” Harmony said. “It's true, isn't it? I mean, once I came through the door here, I found not just my forever home, but my Heartmate too.”
“I did as well,” Sarah added softly.
“Speaking of Heartmates,” Harmony said, a teasing glint in her eye, “how's that monster under your bed? I mean, you're still here so I guess he didn't eat you up last night.” She winked. “Or did he?”
My cheeks got hot at the memory of Shadow’s fingers buried inside me, his deep voice whispering praise about how good I was to take him so deep and how beautiful I looked when I was coming.
“He, uh, his name is Shadow,” I said, pressing a hand to my hot cheek.
“Oh my God—something happened with him, didn't it?” Harmony asked, grinning.
“Something spicy from the look on her face.” Sarah laughed.
“We…got to know each other,” I admitted. I was embarrassed, but not ashamed. They weren’t mocking me—just teasing a little.
Harmony and Sarah nudged each other and giggled.
“How exactly did you get to know each other?” Sarah asked with a smirk. “And please don't be embarrassed. The first time I invited my Heartmate, Rath, over to my house to talk, I accidentally brewed a lust potion and drank it and came on to him way too strong.”
“You never told me that story!” Harmony exclaimed. “How strong are we talking?”
“I climbed in his lap and stuck my boob in his mouth,” Sarah said dryly. “And I'd only met him the day before.”
We all burst out laughing. I relaxed and told them about the memory tea working and about how Shadow had protected me as a child—and how he’d remembered me all these years, even though I’d forgotten him.
“I guess he's been watching me all this time, wishing he could come back into my life but he's stuck here in the cottage—actually, he's stuck in the bedroom,” I said.
“Hmm, is there any way to get him out of there?” Sarah asked.
I shook my head.
“I don't know, but I wish I could find a way.” I felt myself blushing again. “I, um, really like him. A lot.”
Harmony smiled.
“I can see that you do. Hopefully you'll find a way.”
“I hope so too.” I cleared my throat. “All right, well we need to get on with this knitting lesson.” I spoke briskly, eager for a change of subject. What had happened between Shadow and me was still fresh and new…not something I wanted to share the intimate details of.
I handed out yarn and needles and the three of us settled on the plump denim couch, with me in the middle.
“Okay,” I said, holding up my needles, “We’re going to start with the long-tail cast-on. It gives a nice, stretchy edge.”
We worked slowly, and I guided them through how to make a slip knot, how to measure a tail of yarn about three times the width of their project, and how to hold the yarn the right way.
There were a few tangles, a lot of laughter, and even more dropped stitches, but within an hour, both Harmony and Sarah had made progress on their first scarves—Harmony’s in royal blue, Sarah’s in lavender.
They were naturals, especially Sarah who picked knitting up very quickly.
“I want to learn more,” she said as Harmony stretched and said it was time to get going.
“Me too—when can we come back?” Harmony asked.
“Well, anytime is good for me,” I said. “It's not like I have a job.”
“You should open a knitting shop,” Sarah told me. “Your living room is big enough—you could have classes every night if you wanted to.”
“You know, that's always been a dream of mine,” I confessed. “But the overhead…” I shook my head.
To open a real knitting shop, I’d need so much more—needles in every size and type—circular, straight, double-pointed. Yarn of every fiber and weight—wool, cotton, alpaca, acrylic blends. Stitch markers, darning needles, project bags, a ball winder, books and patterns…the list went on and on.
I’d also need a little counter for payments—some kind of register to hold money, since they didn’t seem to have credit cards here in Hidden Hollow. Maybe even a small coffee and tea nook to hold a Keurig machine and a tea pot with lots of mugs and plenty of cookies for the cozy vibes.
It sounded impossible. How could I get all those things when I had no money at all?
“No,” I said, shaking my head reluctantly. “I’d need too many things I don’t have and don’t have any way to get in order to start my own shop.”
“What about the Wishing Tree?” Harmony asked.
“The what?” I frowned.
“The Wishing Tree—I’ve heard it grants wishes on the night before All Hallows Eve. It’s supposedly right outside the town limits. You walk outside the magic bubble and wish to see it, and there it is. Then you tell it what you want and it’s supposed to grant your wish.”
Sarah frowned.
“I don’t know if that’s safe—there’s a reason we all stay inside the magic bubble. Some dark Creatures live out there, beyond the town’s boarders.”
Harmony shrugged.
“Well, it was just a thought.”
They stood to go, gently folding their yarn and tucking it into baskets I hadn’t noticed before but which now sat neatly on a shelf. They were both leaving their projects here, intending to work on them more during our next lesson.
I walked them to the door and they pulled on their coats. But before they left, Harmony turned to me.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, digging in her pocket. She pulled out three large gold coins and placed them in my palm.
Sarah did the same.
“Is this enough? I hope so, but if not we can bring more next time,” she said.
“What are these?” I asked, staring down at the glittering coins—they were really heavy, and I wondered if they were real gold.
“Payment for the lesson,” Harmony said. “Sarah and I aren’t moochers.”
“Oh no—I can't take your money!” I protested, trying to give the money back. But neither of them would take it.
“No—your time is valuable,” Sarah insisted. “Plus, you gave us yarn and needles. You should be paid.”
I tried to protest again, but they were adamant. Finally, I closed my fingers around the coins and waved them out the door. As it shut, I felt a small surge of joy. I might not be rich, but I was no longer penniless.
Maybe it was time to do some shopping.