The Package Page 6

  “I think that would be nice,” said Erin.

  Lily made a sucking-on-lemons face. “Those old-people places smell funny.” She fanned herself. “They are always so hot.”

  Annie tried to hide her disappointment with a smile. “Well, you girls think about it.”

  As Alice started her lesson, Annie found herself thinking about how much work had already been done on the project to get things lined up. None of that mattered if the girls weren’t interested.

  Alice talked about Gram and her work. When Alice looked in Annie’s direction, she rose from her chair and pulled the fabric from the Betsy Original. The heavy silence as the girls studied the work of art was the best part of the lesson so far.

  Even Mackenzie’s mouth dropped open. “Wow—that’s really awesome!”

  Annie began passing around the photos and magazine clippings she had brought along.

  Alice proceeded with her instruction, and then each of the girls held up the simple pattern she had chosen and started her own work. The chatter died down as the girls pulled embroidery thread through aida cloth.

  “Why do we have to do such small projects?” Lily asked.

  “I like making Christmas ornaments.” Erin didn’t look up from her project. “Uh-oh, I have a knot.”

  Annie set down beside Erin. The entire back of her cross-stitch was knots.

  “I’m not doing an ornament. I’m doing a pincushion for my mom.” Lily held up her project. “Aren’t these violets pretty? It’s going to take me like ten seconds to do this. Why can’t we do something bigger?”

  “We just thought we would give you a sample of each of the needlecrafts, and then if there is something you really take to, you can do a larger project.” Alice tried to cover her impatience with Lily, but Annie picked up on it.

  “Do you think we will ever be as good as your grandma?” It was the first time Annie had seen Mackenzie show interest in needlecraft.

  “She worked for years to perfect her skill. It is certainly something to aspire to.”

  Even as sadness about the girls’ lack of response to the community idea settled in, Annie felt a little morsel of joy. Maybe the day was worth it just to see a baby step forward for Mackenzie.

  Erin leaned close and whispered to Annie. “It’s not very good, is it?”

  “Cross-stitch isn’t for everyone.” Annie tried to sound encouraging.

  Erin’s shoulders slumped. “But I’m not good at anything.”

  Annie wrapped an arm across Erin’s back and squeezed her shoulder. “That is not true. Sometimes it just takes a while to find what you do best.”

  Gwen sat next to Lily. She studied the pattern and then looked at Lily’s project. “I think you have an extra row in your leaf.”

  “No, I don’t,” Lily snapped as she lifted her chin.

  “Oh,” said Gwen, a bit stunned. “I’ll just set the pattern here, and you can look at it when you like.” Gwen scooted away from Lily as though she were a yapping poodle.

  The lesson finished up, and the girls trailed out the door. Taylor was the last to leave. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her baggy black pants.

  “Did you ride your bike again, Taylor?” Alice sorted through the pile of projects she had brought as examples.

  “No, my mom had to take my little sisters to the library. I’m meeting them down there.” She strode toward the door but turned back around. “Just for the record, I like the idea about working with the senior citizens.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Annie said. No one had outright said no. Maybe the girls would change their minds after they have had a week to think about it.

  Taylor ambled out the door after hiking her backpack onto her shoulders.

  After the door closed, Annie buried her face in her hands. “One step forward and two steps back. I didn’t think they would be over the moon with the idea, but I hadn’t counted on that kind of response.”

  Mary Beth placed a skein of yarn on a machine that rolled it into a ball. “One thing I learned from teaching the quilting classes: Sometimes what you see on the outside with teenagers is the exact opposite of what is happening inside.”

  “I can attest to that with Vanessa.” Kate folded a fabric remnant. “I think they are programmed to act indifferent about everything.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t attempt something so big and involved.” Annie gathered up the photographs of Gram’s projects. “We’ll just teach them the basics and quit trying to be so ambitious.”

  “I don’t think we should give up so easily.” Mary Beth’s voice took on a singsong quality.

  “What are you thinking?” Alice strode across the store.

  Mary Beth’s eyes sparkled. “These girls barely know each other, and they certainly don’t know us. We need to do something that shows them we have their best interest in mind.”

  “You mean like some sort of get-together?” Alice asked.

  Mary Beth walked across the store and stepped behind the counter. She pulled a purple flyer out from under the counter. “I got the idea when I saw Mackenzie’s eyes light up for the first time when she saw that Betsy Original.”

  The women gravitated toward the counter like moths toward light.

  “Kate and I were just going to go up to Four Corners by ourselves because I have a booth there for the store, but …” She flipped over the flyer.

  Annie read out loud. “Largest needlecraft fair in New England.”

  Kate stood beside Mary Beth. “It’s way bigger than the one we did at Stony Point a while back.”

  “It’s a bit of a drive, but I think the girls would have fun,” Mary Beth said.

  “We can’t get them to commit to something here in town,” said Gwendolyn. “How are we going to talk them into this?”

  “I think it’s worth a try. Regardless, it sounds like a fun day. We could all go even if the teens don’t want to,” Alice said.

  Mary Beth smoothed her hand over the flyer. “What do you say, ladies? Each one of us can call a girl and invite her. We’ll meet here Sunday after church and carpool.”

  “I’ll call Erin and Mackenzie.” Even as they talked, Annie’s spirits lifted. “Let’s just see what happens. The girls would get to know us in a different context, and they might be inspired by what they see.”

  “I’ll call Taylor,” Alice piped up, “and let Peggy know what the plan is.”

  “I guess I get Lily.” Gwen picked up her large handbag. “And I think we should call Stella too. She’ll probably say no, but I don’t want her to feel left out.”

  “I have to go up on Saturday to set up, but Kate will be here at the store.”

  Annie took in a deep breath. “It’s settled then. We’ll encourage the girls to come and meet here at ten thirty on Sunday.”

  8

  On Sunday at 10:25, Annie pulled up outside A Stitch in Time. Eager to get to the store, she’d kept her church clothes on: a blue skirt, denim jacket, and crisp white shirt. The store was closed on Sunday, but a single light revealed that Kate was inside working on something behind the counter.

  Annie tapped on the glass. Kate waved and worked her way toward the door. She slipped outside. “Just wanted to use the time to catch up on some things.”

  Gwendolyn pulled up at the same time that Peggy and Alice came around the corner in Alice’s Mustang.

  The women gathered on the sidewalk, watching the street.

  “So here we all are.” Gwendolyn rocked back and forth on her heels.

  “This will be fun even if it is just us.” Alice’s enthusiasm sounded forced.

  “Think positive thoughts,” Annie added.

  “This will be my first chance to meet these girls.” Peggy opened her purse. “I brought a camera.”

  Alice pulled a camera out of her purse as well. She looked toward Gwendolyn. “Is Stella coming?”

  Gwen shook her head.

  All of the women stood up a little straighter when a car slowed as it went
by. A single passenger, a man, was visible as the car approached.

  “How long should we wait?” Gwendolyn pulled a compact out of her stylish leather purse and redid her lipstick.

  “I think Taylor will come. We should at least wait for her.” Annie hoped she was wrong. She wanted all of the girls to come. Erin had actually sounded like she had wanted to come when Annie invited her over the phone, but if her older sister wasn’t interested, Erin probably wouldn’t show.

  “Let’s give them fifteen minutes,” Kate said.

  Annie tilted her head. The sky was a gorgeous robin’s egg blue with no sign of dark clouds. A perfect day. Annie closed her eyes and enjoyed the cooling spring breeze. She opened her eyes when she heard a car pull to the curb on the other side of the street by the hardware store.

  Lily got out of the passenger side of the car. Annie decided to ignore the look of total boredom that Lily managed to wear most of the time. The girl was here. That’s what mattered.

  Lily crossed the street and stood in line with the other women.

  “I like your skirt,” said Gwen.

  Lily did a little curtsy. Annie detected just the faintest brightening in her features. “Thank you; I made it myself.” Lily quickly returned to the scowl she wore like an accessory and cleared her throat. “I hope this is fun. I could have stayed home and helped my mom make sugar cookies.”

  A car parked across the street. Mackenzie got out of the passenger side, and a moment later Erin emerged from the back of the car.

  Kate leaned toward Annie and whispered, “People surprise me all the time.”

  “Me too.” Annie’s heart fluttered. “It’s good to be surprised.”

  A moment later another car arrived and parked half a block down the street. The rear door opened and Taylor appeared. A baby toy fell out onto the sidewalk. Taylor bent down to pick it up and tossed it back in the car. When she leaned into the passenger side window to say something to her mother, a pair of tiny arms and a blond head appeared to give her a hug.

  Annie could discern at least three other children in the car.

  Taylor wore black pants and a teal shirt that brought out the green in her eyes. Around her neck was a crocheted scarf in shades of green.

  “You made that?” Annie touched the soft eyelash yarn.

  Taylor’s easy smile was infectious. “Yeah, I went a little crazy and stayed up half the night. It was kinda fun.”

  Alice clapped her hands together. “Well, ladies, shall we hit the road?”

  “My van can hold seven,” said Kate. “I think we can all fit in two cars.”

  Gwen offered to be the other chauffeur. The women and teens piled into the two vehicles. Though Four Corners was more than a hundred miles away, the time went quickly. Gwen played an instrumental CD that no one objected to. Annie got out a project to start on, an infant hat to match the jacket. She hadn’t given up hope yet.

  She noticed that Mackenzie had brought along the cross-stitch ornament to work on. Erin stared out the window, lost in thought.

  Traffic picked up the closer they got to Four Corners. The RV park on the edge of town was full and featured a sign: “Welcome, Needlecrafters.”

  “Mary Beth said most of the activity was in a park not far from downtown.” Gwendolyn found a parking space with a sign that said it was designated for people attending the needlecraft fair.

  They piled out of the car. Across the street was a park filled with tents and booths. One end of the park was for food. Hot dogs, crab cakes, and cotton candy were all advertised with big signs to lure people in. A large number of people were shuffling in and out of the high school next to the park, indicating that there must be more to see inside.

  Kate waved at them from across the street where she had found a parking space. The group gathered on the sidewalk, programmed cell numbers into their phones, and split into two groups. Alice and Annie would go with Lily and Taylor, and Gwen and Peggy would see the sights with the two sisters.

  “Mary Beth’s booth is at the northeast end.” Kate pointed in that general direction. “I need to go give her a hand.”

  “Maybe we can all meet there at, say, three o’clock.” Alice adjusted her handbag strap on her shoulder.

  The two groups parted. Lily and Taylor walked ahead of the women. But they stayed close enough that Annie could pick up most of their conversation.

  “My mom took me to one of these things up in Portland, only it had all kinds of art, painters, and jewelry makers.” Lily crossed her arms. Her pink leather purse hung on her forearm.

  “You sure do a lot of things with your mom.” Taylor slowed her pace and glanced back at Annie and Alice.

  “Well, it’s just she and I. Daddy works really long hours at the law firm.”

  “You don’t have any brothers and sisters?”

  “Mom tried for years to have a baby the normal way, and then she got me.”

  “You mean you’re adopted?”

  “Yeah,” Lily said.

  “Me too,” said Taylor.

  Lily slowed the pace of her walking. “Are all your brothers and sisters adopted?”

  “Two of them are.”

  “It must get really noisy and messy at your house with all those younger kids.”

  Taylor shrugged. “It’s not too bad. You should come over for a visit.”

  Lily stopped and turned to face Taylor. “Really?”

  “Sure. You can come over anytime.”

  Warmth pooled in Annie’s heart as she watched the two girls draw closer together while they strolled. They paused at a booth where a woman was spinning wool into yarn, and another was dyeing a skein of yarn into a beautiful shade of blue.

  Annie crossed her arms. “Now, that’s what I call starting from scratch.”

  The woman at the spinning wheel smiled up at them. “Would you like to spin?”

  “I want to try,” Taylor sidled into the booth.

  Alice took pictures while the spinner instructed Taylor.

  “Lily, do you want to give it a shot?” Taylor asked.

  The petite blond girl pressed her lips together. “I have never done something like that before.”

  “See, I knew we would find something that you didn’t already know how to do.” Alice’s teasing was lighthearted.

  When Lily finished her turn, Alice said, “I want to try too. Here, Annie, you take my picture.”

  Annie tried to balance her heavy purse and take the picture. After a moment, she set the purse by her feet.

  Alice held up the yarn she had spun, and Annie snapped the photo. One of the women showed Alice a scarf knitted from the yarn, and Alice flung it around her neck and posed dramatically. The girls laughed, and Annie took a few more pictures. She stepped closer to the booth to avoid the cluster of people coming toward her.

  She angled the camera so that Taylor and Lily could see the photos, which caused more laughter. A man bumped into her and apologized. Annie’s attention remained focused on the girls.

  Annie handed the camera back to Alice and bent down to pick up her purse. She turned a half circle. No purse. Panic tightened her nerves. She scanned the grassy area behind her.

  “What is it?” Alice leaned toward her.

  Taylor and Lily had wandered ahead to the next booth.

  “My purse, I—” she spotted it leaning against one of the poles that supported the booth. Annie scooped up the purse and opened it. Her wallet and keys were still inside, but the purse had been clasped when she set it down. Now it was open.

  Feeling a rising anxiety, Annie studied the crowd milling past the booths.

  Alice placed a hand on Annie’s shoulder. “Everything all right?”

  “Nothing seems to be missing, but I …” Annie placed a palm on her chest where her heart hammered away.

  “Did you have the stock certificate in there?”

  Annie shook her head. “No, I took it out.” But not before she had shown it to half the people in town. Anyone could have seen
her taking it out of her purse. Her breath caught in her throat. “You don’t think someone was looking for it?”

  “Do you need to sit down?”

  “I’m not sure.” Again, she examined the ever-changing faces of the crowd. It could have been anyone. Whoever it was, he or she must have followed them from Stony Point. They must have been watching her when she was in Stony Point, during the numerous times she had taken the certificate out to show it to people.

  “Maybe we just need to get away from this crowd. I noticed a little ice cream shop downtown when we drove in. You can catch your breath,” Alice suggested, placing a supportive hand on her friend’s shoulder.

  Annie clasped her purse shut. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  Alice and Annie caught up with the girls. They worked their way to the edge of the fair and then crossed the street. Though people wandered on the sidewalk, the crowd thinned quite a bit compared to the booths at the fair. Annie still felt stirred up as they stepped into the ice cream shop.

  The shop was decorated to look like a turn-of-a-century ice cream parlor. Lace curtains and framed magazine covers from the era added a nice touch. The sales clerk wore a Gibson-girl dress and black high-button shoes. Annie doubted, however, that the nose ring was period dress. Only a few of the tables were occupied.

  The girls got their ice cream cones and found a place at a table. Annie licked her orange sherbet cone. A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold treat. She glanced around at the patrons in the parlor.

  Alice took a first lick of her peppermint ice cream cone. Her eyes searched Annie’s.

  “I don’t mean to spoil our good time, but I think I need to go for a walk to calm my nerves,” Annie said.

  “I understand. I’ll hang out with the girls.”

  Annie stepped outside into the sunshine. Some of the downtown shops were closed, but many had signs that welcomed needlecrafters. She walked past a hardware store and a café filled with diners. Annie rubbed her arm. Was someone following her in an attempt to get the stock certificates?

  The smell of the ocean tingled in Annie’s nose as she turned a corner. She walked past a darkened doctor’s office. Annie stopped short when she came to the next shop. The lettering on the window said, “Ocean Side Partners LLC.”