Knit to Be Tied

by Maggie Sefton

  Kelly winced, watching. “Wow, that must hurt.”

  Megan reached behind her head and pried Molly’s tiny fingers away from her hair. “Ohhhh, yeah. Ow! Let go, Molly!” Molly merely gurgled and gave one more yank before releasing her mother’s curls.

  “Here, let me get the door for you two,” Kelly said, walking ahead of her friend.

  “Let’s see who’s here,” Megan said as she stepped inside. “Look, Molly! There’s Mimi!”

  Kelly watched Mimi’s face light up as she spotted Molly and Megan enter the shop. “Look who’s here, Burt!” Mimi cried out. “Megan and Molly!” She dropped the yarn skeins in her hand into a basket and hurried over to greet them.

  Molly broke into a big smile and waved her hands. “Kuh-kuh! Kuh-kuh!” She gurgled.

  “Oh, my word!” Mimi clapped her hands. “She’s talking!”

  “Well, kind of,” Megan said. “So far, it’s mah-mah and da-da. But this week she started with the kuh-kuh. We think it’s cookie.”

  “That makes sense,” Kelly said. “Mimi gives her a cookie every time she comes here.”

  Mimi clapped her hands in front of Molly and made all sorts of cooing noises. Burt appeared from the loom room. “Well, well, if it isn’t my favorite redhead! Hey, Molly!”

  Kelly watched both Mimi and Burt make all sorts of cooing and funny sounds, all designed to elicit smiles and baby noises from Molly. For her part, Molly gurgled and grinned at the adults’ antics. All intended for her amusement. Mimi and Burt were picture-book grandparents, to Kelly’s way of thinking.

  “Do you want some coffee, Megan? Jennifer always leaves a carafe for me in the café in the afternoon.” Kelly said as she walked into the main room and dropped her briefcase bag onto the library table. Megan followed after Kelly and gently lowered the baby carrier behind her to the table.

  “Do you want to come to Mimi? Do you?” Mimi beamed as she clapped her hands again.

  “Let me slip out of this and I’ll pick her up for you,” Megan said, sliding one arm then another from the baby carrier, which was resting on the table.

  “I can get her, Megan,” Burt said, reaching over and releasing the straps around Molly and lifting her from the carrier. “My oh my, what a heavy girl you are, Molly.”

  “Nearly tripled her birth weight early,” Megan said.

  Mimi wagged her head in appreciative grandmotherly fashion. “Molly is doing everything early. She started walking a couple of weeks ago at nine months, and she’s talking.”

  “More like babbling,” Megan observed with a smile.

  “That’s how it starts,” Burt added, holding Molly, who was staring across the room.

  It seemed to Kelly like Molly was looking in the direction of the shelves where Mimi had stacks of colorful yarns arranged.

  “You have a lot to say, don’t you, Molly?” Mimi said, between cooing noises.

  “She sure does,” Burt chimed in. Molly, however, wasn’t paying attention. She began to wiggle and squirm in Burt’s arms. “Uh-oh, it looks like she wants to get down, Megan. Is it okay?” He glanced at Megan.

  “Yep. But we’re gonna have to watch her. She can clear out my bottom kitchen cabinets lightning fast.”

  “Ohhh, let her crawl, Burt. Molly wants to explore. We’ll wash her little hands. I’ve got a container of wipes here on the table.” Mimi leaned over and lifted a round familiar-looking plastic container of wipes.

  Molly kept wiggling and making anxious little noises. “Okay, Molly, here you go.” Burt lowered her gently to the floor in a sitting position.

  Kelly watched as Molly looked around, from left to right, then started crawling—fast. Straight over to the bottom yarn bins, where she proceeded to scoop out every skein of yarn from one bin then reached into the neighboring bin. In a flash, those yarns lay on the floor as well.

  Kelly had to laugh, as did Burt and Mimi, as Megan ran over to the bins and scooped up Molly under one arm. “Told you. We have to watch her like a hawk.”

  Molly protested loudly, sturdy legs kicking, obviously wanting to return to her fiber pursuits. Newly discovered colorful activities.

  “Boy, if she’s this fast now, she’s gonna be a heckuva base runner when she’s older,” Kelly said, still laughing.

  “Ohhhh, let her play, Megan,” Mimi pleaded. “She’s not hurting anything. They’re yarn skeins.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, Mimi. She’ll pull every single yarn skein out. They’ll be all mixed up.”

  “Ohhh, pooh,” Mimi said with a dismissive wave of her hand. In full grandmother mode now. “They’re easy to sort out. Let her play.”

  “Yes, go ahead, Megan,” Burt said with an indulgent smile. “My grandkids are all in elementary now. It’s great to be around a baby again.”

  Megan wagged her head. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said, returning a wiggling Molly back to the floor.

  Kelly watched in amusement as Molly took off like a shot, straight to the yarn bins, and proceeded to clear out the remaining lower bins. Then, she stood up on those sturdy little legs and cleared out the four bins above.

  • • •

  “Hey, folks,” Pete said, and he and Jennifer stepped inside Megan and Marty’s foyer, Cassie right behind them. “I hope you’ve got some of those cheesy bites you made last time, Megan.”

  “We saved some for you guys,” Megan said as she walked into her kitchen and pointed to a small tray on the counter. “Cassie, I fixed a separate plate for you with some things to munch on while we’re all at dinner.”

  “Thanks, Megan,” Cassie said with a big smile as she walked into the great room, where Kelly and Steve and the rest of the gang relaxed, bottles of craft brews in hand. “Where’s Molly?”

  Marty popped from around the corner of Molly’s small bedroom. “Hey, Molly, look who’s here. Cassie!” He hiked Molly up onto his shoulders and held on to her legs as he strode over to join the group.

  “Careful, Marty!” Lisa warned, hand reaching up.

  “He’s not going to drop her,” Greg reassured her.

  “I don’t know,” Kelly said, peering at Marty as he bounced into the room. “When he does stuff like this, I remember how clumsy he was when we first met him.”

  “You mean, when we first met Spot, the Wonder Dog?” Steve joked as he leaned back on the sofa.

  Molly, meanwhile, was laughing happily as her father danced around with her, both little fists clasping Marty’s red hair.

  “Okay, Molly, time to let go,” Marty said, and Molly gave several yanks.

  “Ooooooo, I remember baby hair yanks from babysitting my cousins’ kids when I was in high school,” Jennifer said.

  “But it’s so much fun,” Marty said, grimacing once again.

  Cassie walked over then and clapped both hands in front of Molly and Marty. “Hey, Molly! I’ve got a special treat for you! Wanta see it? Wanta see it?”

  Molly’s attention immediately shifted to Cassie’s smiling face. She released her death grip on Marty’s hair and reached both arms out for Cassie.

  “That’s a girl,” Cassie said, taking Molly into her arms.

  “She’s got the magic touch,” Kelly said, watching Cassie do a little bounce step while she held Molly.

  “Thank goodness,” Megan said, coming back into the room, a Fat Tire ale in her hand. “We tried using some of the nursing students at first, then some older babysitters that had recommendations.” Megan rolled her eyes. “None of them worked out that well. They all said Molly cried a whole lot while we were gone.”

  “And that made you guys feel awful, I’m sure,” Lisa said, leaning against boyfriend Greg, who was perched on the arm of a huge cushioned chair beside the sofa.

  “Oh, yeah,” Marty agreed, squatting down on a hassock beside a comfy chair.

 
“Well, I’m sure glad Kelly told us about that babysitting class early this summer,” Jennifer said as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “Cassie loved it, and she learned a lot. Even CPR techniques on babies and children. She was already hoping to start babysitting this summer, so it was perfect timing.”

  “Look what I’ve got,” Cassie said, reaching into her jeans pocket and bringing out a small gray elephant. “An elephant! See his trunk.”

  She held the flexible little toy closer to Molly, who immediately reached for it and brought it straight to her mouth.

  “That’s her ID check,” Marty said, chuckling.

  “Don’t worry, I washed it off carefully before I brought it over,” Cassie reassured him.

  “Did you pay for that with your babysitting money?” Pete asked with a grin. “That was thoughtful of you.”

  “It sure was, sweetie. You didn’t need to do that,” Megan said.

  “Better start saving that money for college, kid,” Greg teased. “The university keeps raising tuition, even for Colorado residents.”

  “Oh, I am saving,” Cassie said, swaying side to side with a little bounce in between. “Eric’s saving for a car already. He doesn’t get paid for chores around his folks’ ranch, but Uncle Curt pays him to do chores around his ranch. Eric’s got a bank account and everything.”

  Kelly glanced over at Pete and Jennifer. “I think that’s a subtle hint, guys. Better take her to the bank before school starts.”

  “Sounds like a good plan, Cassie,” Pete told his niece. “Let’s find an afternoon this next week when we can go over to the bank together and start a savings account for you.”

  Cassie beamed. “Thanks, Uncle Pete. I’ve been keeping it in a jewelry box. That’ll be great.” She glanced around the room, where Kelly and friends were relaxing. “Are you guys gonna try to get dinner before the game or afterwards?”

  Steve checked his watch. “We were going to grab something at the concession stand before we have to take the field and start to warm-up. Then we thought we’d stop in Old Town for pizza afterwards. Is that too late for you?” He glanced to Pete and Jennifer. “How late is she allowed to stay up babysitting on a Saturday night?”

  “Jen and I talked about it and decided eleven o’clock would be her deadline. Until she’s older, that is.” He grinned at Cassie.

  “Okay, there we have it,” Steve said, shifting forward in the chair. “We have our marching orders. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “You know, you guys should start leaving now,” Cassie said, nodding toward the door. “Molly’s playing with the elephant, and we’re going over to the corner with the toy box. But first, we can go into her room and grab her favorite teddy bear.”

  “Smart strategy,” Greg said, smiling, then stood up. “Let’s do as Cassie says and go while the going’s good.”

  “Sounds good,” Pete said with a grin, escorting Jennifer toward the front door. “Cassie, we’ll see you later. I’d give you a kiss but I don’t want to draw attention to the Group Exit.”

  “You got it, Uncle Pete,” Cassie said with a grin, then bounced and danced toward the enormous toy box in the corner of Megan and Marty’s great room. Molly was still gnawing on the elephant.

  Megan put her Fat Tire bottle on the counter. “I hope that thing isn’t made of something toxic,” she said softly as Marty beckoned her toward the door.

  “Don’t worry, Megan,” Cassie’s voice called from the corner. “I looked up the manufacturer online and checked reviews.”

  “Come on, honey,” Marty called to Megan, who had hurried over to give Molly a quick kiss on the cheek. Molly gurgled and bopped her mother on the head with the gray elephant.

  Kelly laughed quietly as she and Steve placed their empty bottles on the counter and they started toward the door. “This generation is gonna be so wired. I love it.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Steve said with a grin. “See you later, Cassie,” Steve said with a wave as he and Kelly walked out the door. Greg and Lisa were already outside getting into their car, as were Pete and Jennifer. Megan and Marty were walking toward their driveway.

  Another beautiful summer night in Fort Connor, Kelly thought as she and Steve walked to his truck. Tonight should bring another fat and full moon. She could see it now pale in the still-bright August sky. Steve had been right. He’d told her the gang would still be able to get together once Megan and Marty became parents. They would simply use a babysitter, like their other acquaintances did. And what a perfect babysitting solution they had found in Cassie.

  Four

  “Well, hi there,” Kelly said to Lisa as she walked into Lambspun’s main room.

  Monday afternoon had been busier than usual, so a fiber and knitting break was in order. Kelly plopped her knitting bag onto the library table. She could hear the sounds of voices coming from the adjoining workroom and figured Mimi or someone was teaching a class.

  “You must be caught up with your accounts and are taking a break like I am,” Lisa said as she looked up from the rose red yarn she was working. Kelly couldn’t tell what it was going to be yet, because there were only a few rows of stitches on Lisa’s needles.

  “Right you are,” Kelly said as she settled into a chair across the table from Lisa. “My Denver client has been moving and shaking again. He’s remodeling a sports store in one of the larger shopping centers in Northglenn. It’s one of the largest in the Denver suburbs, so there’re always a lot of customers. But apparently, there have been some customer complaints that a few of the more extreme winter sports didn’t have enough equipment carried in that store. So it looks like inventory numbers will be increasing along with the remodeling.”

  “I just love it when you talk accounting,” Lisa teased. “Inventory sounds so sexy.”

  “I guess it depends on what’s in the inventory,” Kelly played along. “If it was a lingerie store like some of those we see in the malls, then the inventory could be described as sexy.”

  Kelly pulled out the scarf she was knitting for Mimi’s charity project. Royal blue yarn dangled from the needles. Another row and Kelly could start to bind off. Almost finished. She picked up the stitches where she’d left off. “How’s your friend Nancy doing? Have you spoken to her? I have to admit I’ve thought about her and the situation with her pregnancy.”

  Lisa’s expression sobered. “Yes, I saw her at the university yesterday. And she said she finally got her things out of the other apartment and was moving back home with her dad.”

  “How did he react when she told him about the coming baby?” Kelly glanced up briefly from her stitches. The familiar rhythm was settling in now. Sliding the needle under the stitch. Wrapping the yarn. Sliding the stitch off one needle onto the other. Slip, wrap, slide. Slip, wrap, slide. Another yarn row forming on her needles.

  “She was going to tell him last night. I was hoping to see her today after I’d finished my classes, but she wasn’t around. Maybe tomorrow.”

  The tinkling doorbell sounded around the corner from the foyer. In a minute Nancy Marsted walked into the main room. Propitious timing, Kelly thought, as she watched Nancy give her a quick smile then hurry over to the other side of the table next to Lisa.

  “Hey there, Nancy,” Lisa said with a welcoming smile. “I’ve been thinking about you. Are you all settled in at your dad’s house?”

  Nancy nodded, medium brown hair falling across her forehead. She brushed it back. “Yes, I brought all my stuff over last night and moved in.”

  “Did you have a chance to talk with him?” Lisa asked in a quieter voice.

  Nancy glanced briefly at Kelly, and Kelly stopped knitting, ready to get up and move into the workroom with the current class.

  “Kelly was worried that you looked so upset the other day, so I shared your news with her. Kelly is very discreet and she also gives good advice. So we can speak freely.”

>   A little surprised by Lisa’s compliment, Kelly spoke up. “I hope you’re feeling okay, Nancy. Are you seeing a doctor yet? I remember how Megan was those first few months when she was pregnant with Molly.”

  “Not yet,” Nancy said, looking down a trifle bashfully.

  “Don’t worry. I know about all the good doctors here in Fort Connor,” Lisa said with an authoritative nod.

  “And our friend Megan is a great reference, too. She is mega-detail-oriented and she’s got recommendations for everything,” Kelly added.

  “Now, how did your talk with your father go?”

  “Oh, my dad was really understanding, like always,” Nancy said earnestly. “In fact, he’s kind of excited about the baby. He’s been lonely ever since my mom died three years ago. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

  “Oh?” Lisa put her needles down in her lap. “What’s bothering you?”

  “My dad said he was going to have a talk with Neil . . . my boyfriend.” Nancy glanced down briefly. “And I have a bad feeling about that. Neil is still refusing to talk to me. I tried to talk with him after a class yesterday, and he just ignored me and walked away.” This time Nancy stared at her hands in her lap, her fingers clasped tightly together.

  “Nancy, your father is an experienced counselor. I know him,” Lisa said and leaned forward toward Nancy. “I’ve seen him work with others. He’s in charge of counseling newcomers to an Alcoholics Anonymous group in town. He’s used to handling all sorts of situations. I don’t think you should worry. In fact, he may be able to meet with your boyfriend and get through to him.”

  Yeah, and let Neil know he’s a jerk, Kelly thought to herself. But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to interrupt the quiet counseling Lisa was engaged in with Nancy. Kelly could tell how anxious Nancy was when she noticed her bitten fingernails. The first time Kelly met Nancy a few days ago, she’d noticed how nicely manicured Nancy’s nails were. No more. Nancy’s understandable stress had taken a toll on her hands.

  “I hope so. But . . . but my dad is always optimistic about things. Even years ago when he was still drinking, I remember he would always encourage me and convince me I could solve any problem.” A little smile flirted with the corners of Nancy’s mouth. “He’d say, ‘You can do it, Sunshine. You can do anything you set your mind to.’”