Her office was a small white box with a window to the loading dock. A far cry from towing his trailer across the country and putting food, water, and clothing directly into the hands of people in need. He loved the fresh air and helping people get back on their feet.
“An office job isn’t for me.”
“Don’t make a decision right away. Dolores has given four weeks’ notice. So take whatever time you need with your dad. Several people on the board have discussed this and think this is the logical next step for your talents. Some suggested you might be interested in less travel.”
Joshua didn’t think Aunt Penny was on the board, but she definitely wanted him to travel less and be around Pine Bottom more. He breathed out. Seeing America one mile at a time was one of the perks of being a site coordinator.
As he spent more time with his dad, he realized his dad would need more overseeing than Aunt Penny could handle even after all the cancer treatments were done, and they’d achieved a good prognosis. His dad couldn’t cook, and they couldn’t depend on the church members to supply all his meals. But services could be hired, although farming out his father’s care to strangers left him cold. His dad was the only family he had. He deserved better.
Perhaps it was time to consider a more settled job. Joshua looked out the window to his pickup truck. His travel trailer was parked at the fairgrounds. It felt strange to not have the floor rock under his feet or to duck his head in the shower. But he also missed the comfort of his own space. Being able to find the forks with the first drawer he opened or the bathroom without having to orient himself in the middle of the night.
He’d keep it in mind, but he couldn’t see himself chained to a desk and stuck in one location for more than a few weeks at a time.
Chapter Nine
Sidney rubbed her forehead. A headache niggled behind her eyes. How much worse could today get? Her sewing machine jammed every third stitch on these confounded bridesmaids’ dresses. She had to take the bobbin completely apart and rethread the machine each time. Then her steamer overheated and shot boiling water all over the corner of her shop. Most of the spray had missed her—and, thankfully, any customer clothing—because she had jumped back into the corner of her table, earning herself a vicious bruise on her hip to go along with the tender burn spots on her arm.
Last night Colin had called and canceled their plans for tonight by leaving a message in her voice mail. Again. The third night in a row he had some seminar or meeting with the Rough Diamond people. When were they supposed to finish the menu and the seating chart for the hall he insisted they book when he wasn’t here to help?
She snipped the threads, releasing the purple gown from its stranglehold on the machine. After disassembling the bobbin area and vacuuming all the thread bits and fabric fibers, she rethreaded the machine and realized she had one of the tension settings on the thread too tight. Where was her mind today?
She made the adjustment, then lined the fabric back up and stepped on the foot pedal. The machine zoomed along, and Sidney breathed a sigh of relief. Finish this seam and the gown would be done as well as this whole order of dresses. It was the last wedding party she had waiting. One more big project off her plate.
The doorbell jangled, and she heard the familiar whoosh of air as someone entered. “Be right with you,” she called, hoping to zip through the last few stitches. Her machine had other ideas. It squealed, then protested. Then she heard the tell-tale thunk as the needle cracked against the throat plate and snapped. Sidney bit the curse off the end of her tongue. Why did stuff like this always happen right at the end of the project?
She wheeled her chair away from the machine. It’d be better to get away and help the waiting customer. Come back to it later, she reminded herself. It will go more smoothly then. Or she’d throw the machine out the window and sew the four measly inches by hand.
She stood and rubbed her palms on her shorts as she greeted the woman waiting by the cash register. From the way her tank top dangled from her shoulders, Sidney guessed she wanted an item of clothing taken in. The woman held a small plastic bag from one of the high-end shops in Spring Arbor. Usually those shops did their own alterations, but were an hour away, and customers didn’t always want to drive all the way back for a minor repair.
“How can I help you?”
The woman set the bag on the counter and tugged out an impossibly teeny bikini. “I was hoping you could take this in for me.”
Sidney raised her eyebrow. A tissue covered more acreage than this swimsuit including both pieces. “Where are the problems?” She eased the bottoms out flat on the laminated countertop. The suit was a cute floral pattern with metal rings connecting the hips.
“The crotch sags. I’d like to take all of this out.” She traced her finger across the bottom of the suit. The alteration would eliminate the entire crotch piece. “The whole bottom almost fell off during the canoe race.”
“You were there? How did it go?”
“We did all right. Did that Missy-girl really have a motor on her canoe?” The woman jabbed her hands on her hips.
“The officials weren’t able to find it.” Sidney picked up the swimsuit bottoms to examine the seams. She didn’t want to talk about the race. It only brought her frustrations with Colin back to the surface.
The woman huffed. “She should have been disqualified from the rest of the series anyway. You know, my husband found a broken paddle washed up on the waterfront by our place. Do you think it was theirs?”
“Who knows? It doesn’t matter. The race is over and the officials have made their call. A lesson learned for the next race.” Sidney said. “Why don’t you try the swimsuit on? Then I can see what you’re talking about.”
“Okay.” The woman shuffled her purse off her shoulder and on to the counter, then dropped her shorts and stepped out of them. “Bringing a motor to the race is pretty brazen. What will she try next?”
“I’d rather not speculate on that.” But now her mind was leaping through possibilities. What else would Missy try? Because there wasn’t any doubt Missy would try something.
While no other customers were in the shop, the full length windows to the street didn’t exactly allow for privacy. “We do have a dressing room behind you.” This day hadn’t found its upward swing yet.
The woman waved her hand and grabbed the suit. She wiggled it on over thong underwear that made the swimsuit look like granny panties, but Sidney could see one of the problems immediately. The suit was probably a size two and the woman nearly skin and bones. She had the large gap between her thighs most people had only after digital editing, and her hips stretched her translucent skin.
The other problem was the suit was designed to be worn above the hips, and the woman placed the sides at the level of a low-rise bikini. Even her thong would sag if worn so low on the hips. Sidney retrieved her pin cushion and examined the suit. The crotch flapped like a loincloth between the woman’s toothpick legs.
“I can take this piece out, but the rest of the leg hole might cut into your legs.” Sidney pursed her lips.
The woman crushed the bottom edges of her tank top to her waist and bent forward to see. “Sounds good. What do you think about the back? It looks like something my mom would wear.” She spun to showcase her derriere in the full length mirror.
Sidney tapped her shoulder and gently turned her around. The fabric stretched across her bum exactly how Sidney would have preferred her suit to fit. Every suit she tried on dug into her flesh and gave her an extra set of buns.
The woman traced a line halfway across her rear cheek. “I would prefer that it fit here.”
“I’m going to mark the line with a pin. Careful, I don’t want to stick you.” Sidney eased the pin into the fabric, hoping she didn’t catch the woman’s undergarments. “All set. You can take it off, and we’ll get it labeled.”
The woman spread her knees apart and grabbed the sagging fabric in her fist. “Do you want to pin this too?”
/> Not for all the gold in Alaska. “I don’t want to prick you. I’ll eyeball it, and we’ll make adjustments if we need to. Do you need the top adjusted also?”
“Oh, no. I don’t need it for my trip to France.” She shimmied the bikini bottoms down her thighs. As she bent to pick them up and toss them on the counter, the doorbell rang again.
Perfect. Half-naked customer and another walks in. Why couldn’t this woman have used the changing room?
The new customer coughed. “Maybe I should come back later.”
Sidney jerked at the voice. It couldn’t be. Joshua. Couldn’t the floor open up and swallow her? She didn’t pray for much, but a chasm under her feet jumped to the top of her list. Anything to end the wrong turns filling this day.
The woman didn’t seem to see anything amiss about standing in her underwear in front of a perfect stranger. She stepped into her shorts and slipped them up to her waist. Safety pins cinched the sides into a figure-hugging fit.
Sidney thanked God for one small favor—that the woman’s derriere pointed away from Joshua. He’d only been favored with a profile view. Sidney snuck a peek at him as she reached for the tag and pinned it to the suit. He studied her bulletin board of upcycling ideas as though she would require him to recite it. He slid a sidelong glance toward her, then jerked back to the board. He scratched his ear as if her stare made it itch.
Sidney finished filling out the tag for the garment. She didn’t need a lot of specifications because who would forget this experience, but she made her usual notes. Sidney tore the bottom of the ticket off and handed it to the woman. “It should be ready in a week. If there’s anything else you’d like altered, please feel free to bring it in.”
“Will do.” The woman took the slip of paper and sashayed past Joshua. She halted next to him and touched his elbow. “Have a nice day,” she practically purred.
If Sidney wasn’t mistaken, Joshua blushed. It was cute. Colin would have twisted the greeting around with a hint of flirtation. They’d have talked for an hour. Sidney might have gained a loyal customer, but she’d wonder about Colin’s charm. Was it sincere? Or was it his salesman training?
He treated her the same way. Like she was the most important person to him in that moment. Or he used to. She wondered if ‘at the moment’ was all their relationship had become.
The doorbell chimed, signaling the woman’s departure. Sidney took a moment to stash the bikini back in its bag and loop the bag over a hanger. She slung the hanger at the end of her to-do rack. Clutching the cool metal of the rack, she rested her forehead against the back of her hand.
Could she take any more today? From the dresses to the customers, nothing had gone smoothly. Should she risk alienating Joshua and his family as well? Who knew what could happen? A wrong move here would have Penny waiting on her welcome mat when she dragged herself home. Sidney closed her eyes and tried to breath out the tension, but she only spared the relaxation technique a couple seconds. Not nearly long enough for it to do any good. Any more delay and Joshua wouldn’t have any doubt something was wrong with her.
When she returned to the counter, Joshua had ended his perusal of the bulletin board. He saw her approach and moved toward the counter. Hefting a paper bag onto the surface, he offered a sheepish grin.
“Sorry,” Sidney gestured to where the woman had been standing. “Some of my customers are unique.”
Joshua blushed again. He kept his eyes averted from the spot where she had stood. “So I noticed. It must keep your day interesting.”
Wasn’t that the curse? That you live in interesting times. “I can’t deny today has fulfilled those words.” She chuckled.
Joshua blinked and shook his head as if trying to erase the image of the bikini woman. “I brought some of my dad’s pants. He’s been losing weight.” He unfurled the folded edge of the bag revealing blue denim.
“He isn’t eating much?”
“It’s rougher than I expected. He doesn’t eat. I figured his appetite would come and go, but... he only nibbled a bit of the chicken you brought over. He has no appetite whatsoever.” Joshua tugged the jeans out of the bag and laid them out on the counter. “They fall off him. I offered to buy new ones, but he didn’t want to go to the store. He insisted I bring them to you.”
“It’s sweet of him to think of me, but if he’s worried I don’t have enough work, you can assure him it isn’t the case.” She spared a glance at the incoming rack. The metal bar sagged under the weight.
“He said he doesn’t want to buy new ones when these are in good shape. I think he’s too tired to shop.” Joshua pulled the rest of the pants out of the bag. “I brought three pair.”
“How much does he need taken in?” Sidney lifted the pants and examined the waist band. They would be an easy fix. No double-stitching along the back seam, so blending the new seam into the old would be a piece of cake.
Joshua bit his lip and shook his head. He gestured to his waist as if trying to demonstrate how big the pants were, then raised his hands in defeat. “I have no idea. He’s lost over twenty pounds. Does that help?”
Sidney refolded the pants. “It does. I can make them close enough to his size, so they don’t fall off.” Jamming sewing machines and crazy customers didn’t compare to watching your dad wither from cancer. She had to get her head straight and focus on the important things. Joshua needed a pick-me-up more than she did. She wallowed in self-pity while he had more weighty concerns. Her job right now was to make his life easier.
She couldn’t imagine Colin bringing his dad’s pants to be altered. He spoke to his family on holidays and birthdays, and communication was limited to a brief phone call or a generic greeting card. She hoped once they had established their home, they could bridge the gap and develop closer relations with his parents. Her family’s support meant so much to her.
It wasn’t exactly a flattering way to think about the future father of her children. She shouldn’t be comparing him to a confirmed bachelor who had no interest in establishing a home. Her choice was made. She wouldn’t ditch Colin when something better came along. Urgh, she winced. She was doing it again. Joshua was a perfectly nice guy and someone she should consider introducing her girlfriends to. She had chosen Colin.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. He reached for the bag. “When should I pick them up?”
“I’ll bring them over tomorrow night with a meal. Maybe I’ll even figure out something to tempt him to eat.” She picked up the pants and put them next to the sewing machine she used exclusively for denim. “If he has any requests, let me know.”
“We’d appreciate anything created in your kitchen.” Joshua grinned, and the weariness left his face.
The strength and compassion revealed made Sidney’s stomach do a little flip, and she lost her train of thought. Colin’s smiles never made her nerves short circuit. Or she couldn’t remember if they did. It had been so long since they’d spent any quality time together.
“By the way, how’s your training for the last race going?”
“I haven’t been able to get out on the lake all week. Colin’s been working, so I’m stuck with the rowing machine.”
“I wouldn’t mind going for a tour around the lake again. Maybe not at the breakneck speed of last time though.” He winked, and she thought maybe her day had finally taken a better direction.
Chapter Ten
His dad’s first treatment had gone better than expected. He’d been exhausted the first day and slept most of the next, but then he’d bounced back. The rest of the week, he’d barely missed a step. Joshua had been lulled into thinking the next treatments would be much easier than expected. If his dad continued to sail through the treatments, Joshua’s assistance wouldn’t be needed at all.
Today’s treatment had been entirely different. Joshua was concerned about taking his dad home from the cancer center. His skin had a weird bluish hue, and his eyes sat at the bottom of two finger-sized pits. The way he�
��d clutched Joshua’s arm and wobbled as they’d walked from the driveway to the house had Joshua tempted to steer the man back to the truck and straight to the hospital.
They shuffled into the living room, and his dad settled in the recliner too exhausted to flip the lever for the foot rest. Joshua had helped him prop his feet up and brought a glass of ice water with a straw. His dad found the remotes and flipped through the channels.
“You hungry?” Joshua asked, hovering. His dad had pushed his hospital lunch around, not eating more than a few bites. Some good food would help restore the man’s color. He made a half-hearted nod.
The nurse had warned his appetite might not be up to its usual heartiness and meals he normally liked would taste different. Joshua’s cooking skills were minimal. What could he supply to tempt his dad’s palate?
A quick tour of the cupboards and two peeks into the refrigerator revealed nothing that sparked his own appetite. He dug through the drawer by the phone for take-out menus. “Chinese, Mexican, or pizza?”
“Order whatever you want,” his dad replied. “My stomach’s off.”
“Do you want some ginger ale or crackers?” Joshua reached for the cupboard where the soda crackers were kept.
His dad waved his hand and focused on the television. Joshua assumed that meant no. He made a mental note to make sure those were on the grocery list the next time he trekked to the store. The doctor had said he could write a prescription for anti-nausea medications if needed. His dad seemed to be coping well enough. He hadn’t upchucked or anything. As long as he ate something tomorrow if not tonight, Joshua assumed he’d be doing all right.
In For a Pound Page 8
