“In the kitchen.” Caroline heard Jason’s boots thud on the entryway floor as he removed them. “What brings you here?” she asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Day off.” His nylon coat swished as he shrugged out of it, then hung it over the back of a kitchen chair.
“How’s Angela feeling?”
“Good—tired but not sick. The doctor says everything’s how it should be at this stage. What are you up to?” Jason stood by her and hugged her shoulders with one arm.
“Just going over a recipe. Want a cup of coffee?” Caroline reached for a mug.
“Sure.” Jason pulled the recipe card closer. “Trout almandine. Kind of a fancy entrée for one.”
Caroline inhaled deeply, dreading Jason’s response to her being involved with a man other than his father. Not that she and Rodney were anything more than friends, but still, she’d gone over this conversation in her mind many times. Every scenario she imagined didn’t turn out well. “Actually, I’m cooking dinner for a friend.”
Jason sipped his coffee, then opened the cupboard where she kept cookies. “Yum, mint ones.”
Caroline received a peck on the cheek for stocking his favorite cookies. She followed him to the kitchen table.
“So who’s your friend? A church or quilt lady?”
“Actually…” Caroline cleared her throat. “I met my friend at church, but, um…”
Jason removed a cookie from the package. “What?” he asked, then popped the cookie in his mouth.
“Well…” Caroline braced for a bad reaction. “It’s not a lady. It’s a gentleman. Do you remember Clara Harris from church?”
“The church pie lady.”
“Yes.” Caroline’s grin at Clara’s title grew as she thought of the nickname Rodney had bestowed upon her. “It’s her son, Rodney.”
Jason finished his coffee and pushed the empty mug from one hand to the other. “So, you’re dating?” he asked, focusing all his attention on the sliding mug.
“No, we’re not dating. Rodney commissioned me to repair a quilt.” Caroline caught Jason’s eye roll at the mention of her business. She paused for a moment, waiting for the pang of hurt to subside.
“Do you fix dinner for all your customers?”
Even though Jason kept his voice conversational, his eyes communicated defiance, and it angered Caroline. “No, I don’t make dinner for all my customers. I’m making dinner for Rodney because he’s helping me update my website.” Defensiveness made her voice shake as she stared him down. “He’s impressed with my business.”
Jason snickered.
Caroline cut him off. “Jason, other than glancing at my long arm machine and going off on a tangent about wasting money, you’ve never even looked at my work.”
The ticking of the kitchen clock kept time with Caroline’s pounding pulse as she waited for the argument to begin. To her surprise, Jason sighed, and her tension-pinched shoulders relaxed.
“Mom, I know you’re a good seamstress. I remember all the church play costumes, not to mention clothes you made for me over the years, but why do you have to start your own business? You know how Dad felt about commission jobs. If you think you need a job and want to make your living sewing, can’t you work for a tailor where you’d get a steady paycheck?”
She did remember how Ted felt about careers that earned a commission, not a reliable income to pay the bills. That opinion might be right. She couldn’t argue with a valid point like a steady paycheck, especially having experienced a slow time just after the holidays. She’d been excited to get Rodney’s business, as well as the quilt for the candy store, but what would she do after that? Would the new website and blog bring in business? Maybe she should apply for the part-time cashier position she’d seen an ad for in the weekly paper. But would she like that kind of work? Shouldn’t she enjoy what she did for a living? In the midst of her self-doubt, she remembered the supplement to her income.
“I’m teaching two quilting classes at Mark’s store.”
She blurted out her news louder than she’d planned and gave Jason a start. His eyes grew wide.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout that at you.”
Jason bent his head from side to side while weighing her news, a trait he’d inherited from Ted. “I’m guessing Mark is paying you.”
Caroline raised her eyebrows and nodded her head. “Right now, it’ll depend on class enrollment, but he has quite a few customers interested. I’ll get sixty percent of the class fee.”
“Well, teaching a class is more like it. After all, you were a teacher once. You should contact the community college in Sioux Falls and see if they’d let you teach one of those recreational classes on quilting.”
“I don’t know.” Caroline pursed her lips. Wouldn’t I be too busy to run my quilting business? She didn’t voice that concern, eager to keep Jason interested, not to mention positive, about her career choice. “Wouldn’t I need a teaching certificate for that? I let mine go years ago.”
Jason shrugged. “I wouldn’t think so for those”—he lifted his fingers in air quotes—“just-for-fun classes. I think you just have to be an authority.”
“More coffee?” Caroline blinked back tears as she retrieved the coffeepot. It was obvious by his “just-for-fun” comment that Jason lacked respect for her and her craft. She’d disregard the comment, though, because she’d grown tired of fighting with Jason.
Caroline picked up her trusty notepad. After she filled their mugs, she scribbled a note on the tablet to check out teaching classes at the community college.
“What’s that?” Jason asked, then blew across his mug.
“Just notes about what I want Rodney to include on my website and what I need to do to promote my business.”
“So this Rodney designs websites for a living?”
“No, he runs a lawn care and snow removal business in town.”
“A yardman savvy in web design?” Jason snorted. “Mom, this guy’s scamming you.”
Her defenses already alert from his previous comment, Caroline pointed her finger at Jason. “Enough. Rodney retired from his former career in advertising.”
“So he’s an old guy.”
“No, only a couple of years older than me.”
“Then why’d he retire from that occupation?”
Good question. All Rodney really said was that that career was another lifetime ago. Had he planned to retire early, or did he quit his job to take care of Clara after her cancer diagnosis?
“I’m not sure why he ended that career. Come with me.” Caroline stood. “You can’t criticize something you haven’t seen.”
As she headed out of the kitchen, Caroline heard Jason’s chair scrape the tile floor. By the time he arrived in the den, her web page filled the computer screen.
Jason read the content before clicking on a link. A picture of Mildred’s quilt popped up along with a short description of the work Caroline put into it. After trying a few other links, he looked at Caroline. “It’s impressive, but do you think a fancy website makes your business venture less risky?”
Caroline sighed. “No, but I think it will help draw in business. Jason, I have to earn a living somehow. Your dad didn’t want me to work, and now I have no job skills.”
“Mom, Dad loved you. He wanted to provide for you. You act like he had a massive heart attack and left you alone on purpose. Stop being mad at him. It’s not his fault he died. You of all people should know that. To quote your favorite psalm, 139, ‘All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.’ ” Jason scanned the room and held his arms out. “You don’t even have one picture of him out anymore. It’s like he never even had any ordained days.”
The computer screen saver kicked on, hiding Rodney’s hard work. There was no doubt Rodney believed in her ability to succeed. Why couldn’t her own son? Jason swiveled the office chair and left the den.
Caroline hated that Jason was right. It wasn’t Ted’s fault
he’d died. It was God’s fault, and the scripture Jason had quoted backed up that fact. As for the pictures, Caroline had tucked them in drawers. With her financial troubles, she didn’t need her once carefree life mocking her.
Caroline found Jason in the kitchen, leaning on his hands and facing the cupboards. She walked up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. “I’m not angry at your dad.” I’m angry at God. “I’m sorry if that is how it seems to you.”
“I don’t want you to work, either. You wouldn’t have to if you’d invested the insurance money and not purchased that quilting machine.” Jason spat out the words.
“Even if I hadn’t made that purchase, the money wouldn’t have lasted twelve years until I could draw Social Security.”
Jason twisted his shoulders until she removed her hands. She leaned against the counter next to him. Her son had Ted’s personality traits and hair color, but he was his mother’s son in build, eye color, and disposition. They used to be on the same wavelength, but in the last few months, they’d spent their time together butting heads.
“I need you to understand my situation. Can’t we talk this through?”
Jason’s silence indicated his unwillingness to solve their problem. He shook his head as he pushed back from the counter. He grabbed his coat as he passed the chair on his way to the entryway. Caroline followed him and stood in the doorway, the ticking of the clock the only noise as Jason slipped on his coat and boots, then grabbed the doorknob. He met Caroline’s gaze.
“Bye.” He turned and opened the door. As he started to leave, he looked over his shoulder. “I’m not happy about you dating, either.”
The rattle of the door glass echoed through the kitchen.
Anger more than hurt from Jason’s comments moistened Caroline’s eyes. She’d expected a negative reaction about Rodney but thought they could come to an agreement like they used to when they didn’t see eye to eye. But she and Jason hadn’t been able to overcome their disagreements in the last few months. After this confrontation, she’d make a lousy hostess tonight. Maybe she should cancel dinner? Caroline rubbed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. The recipe called for fresh trout, which she’d bought yesterday. With her financial problems, she couldn’t afford to let food spoil because of a difficult son.
Caroline marched down the stairs to her workshop, still fuming at Jason’s closed mind. The empty long arm machine proved Jason’s negative remarks right. The website hadn’t brought in any business. Would it? Or was her business venture a waste of money and time?
With Mark’s Valentine quilt finished and delivered on time, she planned to make a practice block for the candy jar quilt to show Rodney, who’d had trouble visualizing it.
Ready to spend the rest of the afternoon working on the appliqué block, Caroline pinned the pattern she’d designed from the drawing to the appropriate material. She carefully cut around the pieces. This block might be an example of time wasted if it didn’t measure up to the candy store owner’s vision.
Why did Jason pick today to visit? His attitude had her in a dither. First she’d considered canceling dinner. Now her doubts about her quilting business might defeat the project. Caroline fretted as she fused the candy jar and lid to the background block and began the tedious task of machine appliqué. She figured it would take most of the afternoon, but to her surprise she finished in just over an hour. She loved the finished product, but if the candy store owner disliked the block, at least Caroline hadn’t invested much time into the sample.
With hours left before her efforts were needed in the kitchen, Caroline decided to disassemble Rodney’s Lily of the Field quilt.
As she snipped the string knots that held the quilt together, she noticed the geometric shape of the blocks—squares, rectangles, and triangles—that formed the pattern. It appeared to be a variation of a Nine Patch. The quilter used the patterned fabric from the flour sacks for the flower petals in the center of the block as well as the corner blocks. White rectangles bordered the sides, and yellow fabric separated the petals. The design of the block and use of fabric colors made the flower stand out.
A simple lily just being, not working or struggling to grow, trusting God to provide soil, sunlight, and moisture so it can develop into a blooming flower. Caroline smiled at the thought, no doubt planted with Mark’s quote of the Bible verse, as she continued to clip the strings that held the quilt top to the back. While Caroline worked, her mood shifted. Each time she snipped the thread, it seemed to cut through the hold she had on her anger and hurt. Calm replaced the aggravation left from her confrontation with Jason.
Caroline checked her watch. Time to start dinner. She caressed the quilt top, then flicked off the worktable light.
In the kitchen, she prepared the trout, then pushed the roaster into the oven. While the trout baked, Caroline changed her clothes and touched up her hair and makeup.
She ran into a problem with their place settings at the dining room table. She placed Rodney at the head of the table and her across from him, but even with her small table, passing items would be difficult. Leaving Rodney’s setting at the head of the table, she moved her place setting to his right. She preferred this arrangement, but it seemed intimate. She thought that might make Rodney uncomfortable, so she moved the place mats, dishes, and napkins so they sat opposite each other across the width of the table. Standing back, Caroline viewed the table arrangement. They still seemed far away from each other, but at least they could easily pass the salt.
The light blue place mats and cloth napkins accented the darker blue in her china pattern. The small flowers that decorated the napkin rings were a close match to the flowers that ringed the edge of the plates. Three small crystal votives allowed them easy view of each other and gave the room a cozy feel.
Returning to the kitchen, Caroline placed asparagus in a foil packet. She drizzled it with olive oil, sealed the edges, and stuck it in the oven. All that was left to do now was wait.
Anxious energy kept Caroline on her feet, checking glasses for nonexistent spots and arranging the whole-grain rolls in the basket. Since Rodney ate healthy, she’d purchased healthy groceries for this meal, except for that chocolate cake that had been calling her name since Jason left.
She was glad she hadn’t canceled dinner. A peaceful feeling had stayed with her all afternoon as she worked at separating the back from the front of the quilt. When she’d completed the task, the serenity lingered instead of the anger and hurt. Joy filled her, not the exuberant excitement from earlier in the day, but a more contented feeling.
Caroline realized her thoughts distracted her from the task at hand. She covered the filled basket of dinner rolls, then placed them on the dining room table.
The door glass rattled with each thump when Rodney knocked on the back door. He’d sat in his pickup a few minutes, deciding which door to use. Caroline used the side door for business, but should he use it tonight? No porch light brightened either door, but the kitchen window’s inviting glow lured him to the back door. The entryway and outside light popped on at the same time.
Caroline swung the door open wide, her broad smile the only acknowledgment he needed. “Come in.” She motioned toward the kitchen with a tea towel. “You know the way.”
Rodney followed Caroline up two steps to the kitchen, relieved to see he’d made an appropriate wardrobe choice. She also wore jeans. Her oxford shirt, multistriped in earthy greens, blues, and browns, complemented her strawberry blond hair. He slipped off his stocking cap, gloves, and coat, then stuffed the hat and gloves down the arm of his coat.
“I’ll take that.” Caroline laid the tea towel on the table and reached for his jacket.
“Just a second.” Rodney pulled a shiny bag from his coat pocket.
“What’s that?” Caroline asked, looking at the bag as she took his coat and hung it in a closet at the other end of the kitchen.
“I know you told me not to bring anything, but I wanted to contribute somet
hing. So…” Rodney flipped the foil bag so the label faced the front, then rested the bottom on one hand and gently held the top with two fingers as if it were a bottle of wine. “A half pound of Daily Jolt’s finest decaffeinated coffee aged to perfection. And ground in the event you don’t have a grinder.”
“Thank you. It will go perfectly with my homemade chocolate cake.” Caroline removed the bag of coffee from its perch. “Unless you’d like some with dinner?”
“No, I prefer water with my meals.” Rodney made an exaggerated sniffing motion. “I’m thinking the Queen of Quilts might earn a new nickname, like Duchess of Dinner. The trout smells incredible.”
Caroline’s face beamed with pleasure. “I’m glad you think so. I’m a little rusty at this.”
The beep of the oven timer turned her attention away from Rodney, much to his dismay.
He watched Caroline lift a roasting pan from the oven. “Do you need help with that?”
“No, but you could fill those two glasses with water and take them to the dining room. I’ll plate the trout and be right in.”
Rodney rounded the corner of the dining room and saw a beautifully set table. When was the last time he had dinner like this that didn’t involve a holiday at Michelle’s? Since he was so tired of eating his dinner while he perched on the arm of his sofa, he’d have been happy sitting at the kitchen table. He felt spoiled. There was one problem, though. They weren’t sitting close enough. He set the water glasses down. Probably a bold move on his part, but he moved a place setting to the head of the table so he could sit closer to Caroline. He finished rearranging the other place setting just as Caroline rounded the corner, carrying a tray that contained a platter and two small bowls filled with fruit.
“I hope you don’t mind.” Rodney took the bowls from Caroline that held orange sections, maraschino cherries, grapes, banana slices, and apple slices. He put them in the middle of their dinner plates.
Caroline set an attractive platter arrangement of trout almandine, long-grain rice, and asparagus on the table between the two settings.
Dakota Love Page 6
