She jumped out of bed and batted at her cheeks. Focus on something else. Anything was preferable to being stuck on this confusing merry-go-round of emotions she was riding. She hated every minute of it. Well, not every minute . . .
She opened her mouth to utter a curse, but out of habit she checked herself. “Dagnabbit,” she muttered. The ridiculous word yanked her out of her mental rut. The best way to stop the ride was to be busy, and she had plenty to do. She headed downstairs to prepare her grandmother’s breakfast.
When she walked into the kitchen, Mimi was already at the table, sipping her coffee, a small plate with two pieces of toast sitting next to the newspaper she was reading. She glanced up, peering at Riley over her purple reading glasses. Mimi seemed to have different colored glasses for each day.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“I’m sorry I overslept.” Riley hurried to the pantry. “I’ll have your oatmeal ready in a few minutes.”
Mimi scoffed. “I’m tired of that slop.”
“Really? I thought you loved oatmeal.”
“My cardiologist does. I’m not a fan.” She gestured to her toast, which Riley now noticed was slathered with butter. “This and my coffee are good enough. Why don’t you get your breakfast and join me?”
“I thought I’d pick up something on the way to the yarn shop.”
Her grandmother pointed to the seat across from her. “The shop can wait.”
Detecting the seriousness in Mimi’s tone, Riley nodded, and a few minutes later she was pouring milk over a bowl of cornflakes as her grandmother pushed her newspaper aside. “I want to talk about last night.”
Riley stared at her cereal. “I’m sorry I acted so childish.”
“Not that,” Mimi said. “Although, for the record, you weren’t being childish. You have the right to get upset sometimes, sugar. You don’t always have to be so strong.”
Riley met her compassionate gaze. “There’s getting upset, and then there’s acting like an idiot.”
“You didn’t act like an . . .” Mimi shook her head. “Let’s agree that’s water under the bridge. What I really wanted to talk about was your plans for my house.”
“Oh.” Riley dug into the cereal, glad for the change in topic. “What did you and Hayden decide?” she asked before taking a bite of the flakes.
“Nothing, really, other than taking care of the roof. Everything else around here is fine.”
“Did Hayden say that?”
“Well, no—”
“Because it’s not true.” Riley set down her spoon, not caring that her breakfast would be soggy in a few seconds. She couldn’t believe how deeply her grandmother was digging in her heels. “Let me do this for you, Mimi. I want to make your house as beautiful as it used to be when—” She almost said when she lived there, but she caught herself.
“I know you do.” Mimi’s voice grew soft. “But I’m concerned you might also be doing this out of obligation or guilt.”
“I’m not,” Riley said quickly.
“Are you sure about that?” She set her glasses on the table. “You don’t have to feel bad for pursuing your dreams in New York. I encouraged you to do exactly that, remember?”
Riley nodded. Her grandmother had always been her biggest cheerleader, and even though she’d cried all the way from Maple Falls until Riley walked through security at the airport, she never once made Riley feel bad for leaving. “Happy tears,” she’d said before giving Riley a tight, final hug. “They’re happy tears, sugar. I want you to take New York by storm. Just like I would. If I wasn’t terrified of planes, that is.” That had made Riley laugh and given her the freedom to leave.
“I do remember, Mimi.”
“I realize I’ve probably put a burden on you all these years, asking you to come back here for visits. That was selfish of me.”
Now that did bring up some guilt. “Mimi, you’re never selfish.”
“Oh, I am. It was no skin off my nose to come visit you in the big city. Who knew flying could be so much fun? And I enjoyed my visits, actually. Wouldn’t want to live there, but I can see why it appeals to you.” She bent back the corner of the newspaper. “But there’s something else I’ve put on your shoulders, and I should have realized before now that it was wrong.”
Riley stilled. She’d never heard her grandmother speak like this, and she was starting to worry, although that was nothing new when it came to Mimi. “Mimi, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, honey. It’s just that I was never able to give up on one of my dreams . . . until now.”
It had never occurred to Riley that Mimi had her own unfulfilled dreams. Riley always thought she was perfectly settled and happy with her life in Maple Falls, especially the last two decades or so. If she wasn’t, then she wouldn’t be so insistent on keeping the store open, since it tied her to the town. Then again, when had Riley stepped out of her own self-absorbed world and paid attention to her grandmother’s life? Talk about being selfish.
“What dream?”
“The one where you’re running Knots and Tangles.” Mimi sighed. “I’ve made it pretty clear that I want to keep the business in the family. But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past few days. I think maybe this broken leg happened for a higher reason, not just because I was being reckless. I’d prayed that when you came back, you would want to stay.” When Riley started to speak, she held up her hand. “But I was wrong to think that way. This isn’t your home. I can see that now.”
“It used to be.” Riley’s voice sounded thick. “This was the only real home I ever knew, Mimi. I’m so grateful to you for that.”
Tears slipped down Mimi’s wrinkled cheeks. “Bother,” she said, picking up a paper napkin and dabbing the corners of her eyes. “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry.”
“It’s okay to be upset, remember? A wise woman told me that once. About ten minutes ago.”
Mimi chuckled. “I am wise, that’s true. But I mean it, Riley. I won’t pressure you anymore about coming back here or about the shop. I want you to live your life without feeling saddled with a dream that isn’t yours. The time has come for me to sell my yarn store.”
Riley sat back, absorbing her grandmother’s words. She couldn’t believe how fast the tables had turned. She never expected her grandmother to willfully give up Knots and Tangles.
Somehow Riley didn’t feel the satisfaction she’d anticipated. Getting Mimi to let go of her shop was the biggest challenge on her to-do list, and she had been gearing up for a battle. It never entered her mind that her grandmother would surrender so easily.
“And since I know you so well, Riley Jean, I don’t want you to worry about me or the store,” Mimi continued. “I’ll take care of getting it cleaned up and put on the market. I’ll get Harper to help me when the time comes. That being said, I want you to stay away from the shop for the rest of your visit.”
Shock coursed through Riley. “Why?”
“You need a vacation. I know for a fact you’ve been spending too much time holed up in that apartment.”
“I’ve been working, Mimi.” Riley felt a bit defensive. “The apartment is also my studio.”
“Which proves my point. You’re always either at work or working. That’s no way to live. This is beautiful country here. You can go hiking or go jogging again. I remember you used to like that insanity.”
Riley hadn’t gone on a jog since last week, and her muscles only just stopped hurting two days ago. “I’m more suited for brisk walking now,” she mumbled.
“Exercise is exercise.” Mimi sipped her coffee. “You know, you could also work on your art, just for fun. I remember when you used to do that, and I haven’t seen you drawing or painting since you arrived.”
Riley decided not to tell her about the sketch of Hayden she’d worked on a little more last night before bed. She considered taking Mimi’s suggestions, then changed her mind. The last thing she needed to do was rest right now, even though her grandmother
was right, and she did need a vacation. Riley couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken more than a couple days off from her work. And while hiking and jogging and creating sounded appealing, she couldn’t block out her thoughts.
“I appreciate your vacation offer,” she said. “But I’d like to finish what I started in the shop. I don’t like leaving things half done.”
Mimi frowned. “Well, I know it will be done right if you do it. Okay, but promise me you’ll take time for yourself while you’re here.”
“I will. In between working on the shop and the house.”
“You are so stubborn.” Her grandmother slapped her hands on the armrests of her wheelchair. “I have no idea where you get that from. Fine. Do what you want, as long as it’s what you want, and not what you think you should do.” Mimi frowned. “I’m not sure that made sense.”
But it made perfect sense to Riley. And while her cornflakes were now little limp blobs floating in milk, for the first time since she returned, she didn’t feel completely at sea. “I love you, Mimi.”
“I love you, too, sugar.” She put her glasses back on and started reading the paper again, as if they hadn’t just finished one of the most important conversations they’d ever had. But that was her grandmother. She didn’t dwell on things for long.
Riley stood and picked up her bowl. As she walked to the sink to dump out the soggy cornflakes and fix something else, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” rang out from Mimi’s cell phone. When her grandmother didn’t answer it after several seconds, Riley frowned and turned. She was still perusing her newspaper, but Riley caught her glance at the phone before focusing back on the paper.
“Aren’t you going to get that?”
“No.” Mimi continued reading. “It’s just a solicitor.”
The phone stopped singing, and Riley reached for the bag of bread in a basket near the toaster. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” started up again, and once more her grandmother ignored it.
“Same number?” Riley asked, slipping two pieces of bread into the toaster slots and pressing down the lever.
“Yes,” she replied, her tone tight.
Riley watched her and saw the strain at the corners of her mouth as she sipped her coffee. “You could put your number on the do-not-call list if they’re bothering you.”
Mimi didn’t say anything as she glanced at the phone, then turned it over so the screen lay flat on the table. As soon as the ringing stopped, she picked up the phone and dropped it on her lap.
“Time to get dressed for work,” she said.
“I think you should stay home today.”
But Mimi was already wheeling out of the kitchen faster than Riley had seen her move before. She frowned. That was weird, even for Mimi.
The toast popped up, and Riley blinked. She turned to the toaster and started preparing the bread, adding a small pat of butter to each slice. After she finished eating, she would tell her grandmother what she tried to before she hurried out of the kitchen—that she shouldn’t go to work today, considering tomorrow would be a long day since they had to go to Hot Springs to see her doctor. Riley didn’t like the idea of closing the store, but then she remembered that Mimi hadn’t had normal business hours in a long time.
One day wasn’t going to make any difference.
* * *
A short time later, Riley arrived at Knots and Tangles, having convinced Mimi to stay home and rest up for tomorrow’s trip to the doctor. She parked in the lot behind the store, then unlocked the back door and walked through the store to the front door. Ready for another workday, she flipped the Closed sign to Open.
But instead of starting straight to work, she stepped outside on the sidewalk, remembering what Hayden had said about the decline of the buildings. Now that she was paying attention, she could see he was right. She took in the old architecture, seeing it with an artist’s eye for the first time. It would be a huge undertaking, not to mention expensive, to restore some of these buildings. She doubted the town or the businesses had that kind of money. A less ambitious plan would be to freshen up the storefronts, including Mimi’s. But what did that matter if she was going to sell the shop anyway?
Riley frowned. Now that her grandmother had accepted that Riley wouldn’t take over the shop and had agreed to sell the store, what would she do? Travel with Myrtle, maybe. The Bosom Buddies would have to find another place to hold their gatherings too. Riley wondered where they would end up. At someone’s house? Or the church?
She walked to the curb and stepped onto the street, which had been empty since she walked out of the store. In the middle of the road, she turned and studied Mimi’s storefront. What would happen to this place once her grandmother sold it? Would it continue to be a yarn store or become something else? The idea of Knots and Tangles turning into a different business, or worse, shuttering altogether like so many other stores on this street, bothered her. How ridiculous. She didn’t have an emotional attachment to anything here. But she couldn’t deny her unease.
She glanced over her shoulder at Price’s Hardware. They were open too. A sandwich board stood out in front of the big picture window, announcing a sale on garden tools. At least Hayden didn’t have to worry about anything happening to the hardware store. They seemed to have decent business, and even she knew how much his father enjoyed working there from the few times she’d gone into the store. There was no way Mr. Price would sell his business. You thought the same thing about Mimi.
“Excuse me, are you open yet?”
Riley turned to see a pretty blond woman, whom she guessed to be in her midforties, standing on the sidewalk, her smile bright and cheerful.
“Yes, we are,” Riley said, opening the door for her. “Come on in. Excuse the mess. We’re doing a bit of reorganizing.”
The woman surveyed the store. “There’s so much yarn here! Oh, I’m in heaven!” She started to walk around, checking out the bins of yarn, stopping to pick up a skein. She turned it around in her hand, scrutinizing the label. “You have some vintage products,” she said. She turned to Riley, who was brushing a bit of stray dust off the Man Chair near the front windows. “I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Lorri, and I own a yarn shop too. Mine is in Malvern.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Riley.” She walked over and shook Lorri’s hand. “This is actually my grandmother’s store.”
“It’s really neat.” Lorri’s eyes sparkled. “I love visiting yarn stores when I’m out and about. It’s nice to see what other places carry. I always find something different that I don’t have in my store.”
It was nice to see a new customer who was passionate about yarn the way Mimi and the Bosom Buddies were.
Not wanting to keep Lorri from shopping, she said, “If you have any questions about anything here, let me know. I’m still learning the inventory, but I’ll help if I can.”
“Wonderful. I’m off to browse!”
Riley walked to the checkout counter to organize the paperwork her grandmother had shoved on the shelves, while Lorri took her time going through the store. Over the past few days of working here, Riley had found some interesting yarn and set it aside for herself. Not to knit or crochet with, but to take back to New York to incorporate into future art pieces.
Her thoughts went back to Mimi selling the store. Her grandmother had told her not to feel guilty, and Riley tried not to. Mimi not having the energy or interest to keep running it was more than enough reason for her to sell. But as Riley glanced at Lorri a time or two while she shopped, taking the time to touch the yarn, look at the labels, and compare colors, she missed the days when she used to do the same thing while she worked here, searching for just the right color and texture to experiment with. That had been the fun part of being in Knots and Tangles, the part that spoke to her creative soul, and she was just now realizing it.
When Lorri was finished shopping, she brought several hanks of beautiful vintage yarn to the counter, yarn Riley didn’t know they had. The woman must have dug th
rough a lot of piles to find those. What other treasures were hiding in this store?
As Riley rang up her purchases, Lorri said, “Let me give you my card. If you’re ever near Malvern, come see me at my shop.” The card she placed on the counter was white with a pink state of Arkansas and the shop’s logo printed over it. “I also dye my own yarn,” she continued. “If you’re interested in seeing some of it, you can visit the shop’s website too. The URL is on the back.”
“I’ll definitely do that.” Riley placed the yarn in a plain paper bag with handles. “Is dyeing yarn difficult?”
“Not at all. I love it. I’m a knitter at heart, but when I started dyeing the yarn, it brought out another part of my creative side.” She handed Riley a credit card. “I’ll be happy to show you my setup sometime if you’d like.”
Riley almost accepted the offer, excited to see another yarn store and for the briefest moment thinking it might give her ideas for Mimi’s shop. But the shop won’t be here much longer.
“I’m just here visiting,” she said, her heart sinking a bit. “But thank you for the offer.” She returned Lorri’s credit card, put the receipt in the bag, and handed it to her. “And thanks for stopping by.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sure I’ll be back.” She grinned. “Have a great day!”
Despite her mixed emotions, Riley couldn’t help but smile as Lorri swept out of the store. The woman was like a breath of fresh air, and her enthusiasm was almost contagious.
She looked around, seeing empty white walls above the shelving units. Her imagination suddenly took flight. She didn’t want Knots and Tangles to close or become another business. To keep that from happening, she would have to showcase the store’s potential. It wouldn’t be too hard to decorate the place in addition to organizing it. If she had time, she could also make a custom piece using yarns from the shop—and she knew exactly where she could hang it.
For now, there was nothing she could do about the outside of the building. She didn’t have the time or money to fix it up. But she could renovate the inside and make it a beautiful, creative space. Inspired, she grabbed one of the papers from the stack of discarded paperwork she had just sorted. She flipped it over to the blank side and started to sketch.
Hooked on You Page 12
