Thread Reckoning

by Amanda Lee

  “No,” I said, “but I have been standing out in the cold talking with Todd. He cleaned up the sidewalk for me.”

  “Todd’s a good man,” he said.

  “Yes, he is. Can you make me up a box filled with his favorite muffins and pastries, give me my usual vanilla cinnamon latte, and make whatever Todd usually orders in the mornings?”

  Blake nodded. “FYI, he orders an espresso in the mornings—I’m making it a double shot today—and then he switches to dark roast by midmorning.”

  “Good to know.”

  Sadie popped around the corner and put an empty serving tray on the counter. “What’s good to know?”

  “That Todd likes espresso early in the morning,” Blake said with a wink at his wife.

  “Is there something you guys aren’t telling me?” she asked.

  “Nope,” I said.

  She looked out the window. “Your morning is about to get a tad more interesting.”

  I turned to see Cassandra and Frederic heading toward the Seven-Year Stitch. “I’d say at this point, their morning is about to get more interesting. Todd and Angus are probably going wild playing in the shop right about now. And I’ve already told you how Cassandra loves Angus.”

  Sadie giggled. “Take your time on Marcy’s order, Blake.”

  “Oh no,” I said. “Please hurry. As sweet as Todd has been to me, I can’t leave him and Angus alone with those two. Cassandra fired me yesterday. I can’t imagine why she’s coming back . . . unless it’s to let me know she’s suing me or something.”

  Blake finished making the espresso and the latte while Sadie filled a box with treats she and her husband knew to be Todd’s favorites. I paid them and then gathered up my purchases.

  “Do you need help with those?” Sadie asked, a twinkle in her eye.

  “No, Ms. Nosy. Come over later, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  She laughed. “Count on it.”

  I walked back up the street, being careful not to drop anything. Todd saw me coming, and he quickly opened the door and took the drinks.

  “Thank you,” I said. I searched his face for a sign of what Frederic and Cassandra were doing there, but there was no clue. He simply smiled, turned, and strode over to the counter, where he set the drinks.

  “Good morning,” I said to Frederic and Cassandra. I was surprised to see Angus dropping his tennis ball at Frederic’s feet. I set the box on the counter beside the drinks. “Let me hang my coat up, and I’ll be right there.”

  Todd followed me into the office and helped me off with my coat.

  “What’s up with them?” I whispered.

  He shrugged.

  “Did either of them mention anything about killing me?” I asked.

  “No. And Fred and Angus seem to have bonded over tennis,” Todd said.

  “This is not funny.” I turned to go, but then turned back to Todd. “Thank you again for cleaning up the walk. I’m so glad Frederic didn’t have to see . . . you know . . . that anymore. You’re wonderful.”

  “Thank me properly after they leave?”

  I blushed and went out into the shop. “Is there anything I can get either of you? We have muffins.”

  “No, thank you,” Cassandra said. “We’re here because I was a little bit hasty yesterday when I fired you. I was terribly upset over everything that had happened. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “So, I’m hiring you back,” she said. “We don’t know how soon it will be before we get the gemstones back, but I feel confident it will be in time for you to get the dress finished.”

  I smiled but didn’t respond. After talking with Ted last night, I felt confident that Cassandra wouldn’t be getting those gemstones back anytime soon. “I think I owe you an apology, Frederic.”

  “Why is that?” he asked, tossing the tennis ball for Angus again.

  “After speaking with you yesterday, I got in touch with your mother′s former employer and told him about her death. I know I way overstepped my bounds, but . . .” I shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Frederic said. “I realize you were only trying to help. Mr. Santiago called me last night, and he’s flying here for the funeral on Tuesday. He cared for my mom. He said she’d been a valued friend as well as employee to him over the years.”

  And yet, he’d allowed his son to fire her. I wondered about that.

  “Again, I apologize. I had no right to call him,” I said.

  He took the ball Angus had returned and tossed it again. “I should’ve called him myself. There’s just so much to think about right now. It’s hard to take care of everything.”

  “Well, we’ll be in touch.” Cassandra stood and headed for the door. “Frederic, we need to go.”

  “Yeah.” Frederic got up and listlessly followed Cassandra out of the shop.

  “Man, that poor guy is pathetic,” Todd said. He brought our drinks and the muffins and sat down beside me on the sofa. “And I’m not just talking about his losing his mom.”

  “It doesn’t seem like Cassandra supports him at all, does it?” I asked.

  “No. I think Cassandra only cares about supporting herself.” He opened the box. “Muffins and bear claws? Oh yeah.”

  “You said you wanted to be thanked properly,” I reminded him.

  He chuckled. “Yeeaah. We’ll come back to that.”

  I finally heard from David at about one o’clock Friday afternoon. He called my cell phone. Since both numbers were on my business listing, and since I didn’t recognize the number that came up, I answered, “Good afternoon. This is the Seven-Year Stitch. How may I help you?”

  “You can help me by telling me where to pick you up for dinner,” David said. “You want me to swing by the shop and get you?”

  My stomach roiled. Why had I agreed to dinner? Well, too late now. “No. I need to take Angus home and feed him, retouch my makeup, and all that stuff. Why don’t you pick me up there?” I gave him the address, and he said he’d see me around six.

  “Is there any place special you’d like to go?” he asked.

  “Yeah, there is,” I said. “It’s a little place in Depoe Bay. It isn’t too far from here, and I love it.”

  “Depoe Bay it is, then.”

  After we hung up, I tried to gauge my feelings toward my upcoming evening with David. On the one hand, I dreaded it. I still had a lot of hurt and resentment built up over the way he’d treated me the day of our wedding. Those wounds had healed quite a bit, but it wouldn’t take much to open them back up.

  On the other hand, I wanted to see how I’d feel being on a date with him again. Would I hang on his every word? Would I weigh everything I wanted to say to try to determine how David would react before I spoke? Could he still make me laugh?

  The bells above the shop door jingled, and I turned to see who’d come in.

  “It’s just me,” said Sadie. “Don’t bother getting up.” She slipped off her jacket, sat down on the sofa facing away from the window, and looked at me. “Are you thinking of investing in an espresso machine?”

  I grinned and went back to working on the Kuba cloth quilt. “Should I?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” I said. “Todd was just here when I got to work this morning cleaning up the sidewalk.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said. “Blake filled me in. You have to admit, though, that was a really thoughtful gesture.”

  “It was. Todd is a wonderful man,” I said.

  “I sense a but. There’s a but, isn’t there?” Sadie lifted her long hair off her shoulders and then let it drop before leaning forward.

  “I’m seeing David tonight.”

  “So there is a but. A big but,” she said.

  “I have to know, Sadie. I have to be absolutely sure I’m doing the right thing if and when I tell him to get out of my life for good.”

  “I know you do.” She sighed. “Just realize he’s going to be
on his best behavior tonight.”

  “It might not be enough,” I said. “Right now—being completely honest with myself—if I’m torn between any two men, it’s Todd and Ted. They’re both terrific, and I could see falling for either one of them if I’d only let myself.”

  Sadie laughed. “You know I think Todd would be great for you, but I have to admit you’re in a pretty enviable position. It’s like you’re Kate from Lost, and you’re in a love triangle with two hot but totally different guys.”

  I laughed, too. “And now here comes . . . who? What Lost character would David be like?”

  “The smoke monster!”

  After we’d shared a laugh over that, I said, “I’m glad we can talk about all this now. Not too long ago, you’d get angry with me over my feelings for Ted.”

  “I know. But I came to the conclusion that you’re a big girl and I’m not your mother. I can’t choose your boyfriends for you. Blake and I love both you and Todd—Todd has been like a brother to Blake—but you have to do what’s best for you. If you don’t, you’ll wind up hurting yourself and everyone else.”

  “Good point,” I said. “And that’s why I have to figure out my feelings for David.”

  “So, what did Cassandra and Frederic want this morning?” she asked.

  “Cassandra wanted to unfire me. I accepted the job back because I know she’ll never get the jewels back, and I won’t be working on that dress ever again. I’m mailing a check for the retainer back to Cassandra and telling her we’ll settle the bill after the dress is finished. Confidentially, I’m not sure the wedding will take place, either.”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened. “Do tell.”

  “Think about it, Sadie. She wants to get married the week after Frederic buries his mother. She hasn’t backed off from that yet—at least, not that I know of. Wouldn’t you offer to postpone the wedding for a month or two if you were in her position?”

  “Yeah, I would. You would. Any reasonable person would. Cassandra Wainwright is not a reasonable person.”

  “I feel sorry for Frederic,” I said. “You’re Tallulah Falls’s resident matchmaker. Can’t you come up with someone new for Frederic?”

  She tilted her head. “Give me a day or two to mull that over.”

  At five o’clock that afternoon, I closed up the shop and took Angus home. I ran upstairs and turned on the water in the bathtub. While the tub was filling, I hurried back downstairs and gave Angus his dinner.

  I bathed and slipped into my robe to apply my makeup and fix my hair. I took special care with my makeup, and I curled my hair so that it fell in soft waves around my face. Yes, I had mixed feelings about this date—but one thing I did know: I wanted David to feel as rotten as possible about leaving me at the altar.

  I didn’t want to overdress since we were going to the diner, so I put on black trousers and a red silk shirt. A gray leather blazer would complete the outfit nicely. I went down and let Angus into the backyard before David arrived.

  I heard the doorbell, checked my appearance in the hall mirror, and opened the door. As expected, it was David.

  “You look fantastic,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I said. “You look nice, too.” He wore brown dress pants, a light blue button-down shirt, and a camel sport coat.

  He came inside, shut the door with his heel, and pulled me to him for a kiss. I put my hands on his arms and tried to reciprocate, but I’d been caught off guard. His touch felt both familiar and foreign to me. I pulled away.

  “We should get to Depoe Bay ahead of the crowd,” I said.

  “Yeah. I guess we should. Nice place,” David said. “I could live here.”

  My eyes widened. I didn’t recall issuing an invitation.

  “Of course, that would have to go.”

  I turned to see what he was talking about. I couldn’t see what he meant. If he meant anything in my living room, I was guessing it would be him. I loved my living room. It was open and airy, had a huge picture window, an inviting fireplace . . . “What would have to go?”

  “That white furniture.” He nodded toward my overstuffed sofa. “Isn’t it a pain to keep clean?”

  “Not for me, it isn’t. I love it.”

  “You would.” He shook his head. “Let’s go.”

  On the drive to Depoe Bay, I struggled to find something to talk about. Other than the fact that my white furniture was none of his concern.

  “You said you’ve been out of work,” I said. “You were laid off from the company where you worked when we met?”

  “Nah,” he said. “I’ve worked at a couple places since we broke up. None of them have really been me, you know?”

  “It can be hard to find your niche sometimes.”

  “Yeah, you got lucky. You had a rich mom to help you get started in whatever you wanted to do,” he said.

  “My mom didn’t help me get started here,” I said, trying not to grind my teeth. “I opened my shop, bought my house, and did everything here on my own.”

  “Well, good for you, then. But, still, you knew she’d be right there if you needed her.”

  He was right—Mom would have been there had I needed her. But I didn’t like his tone, so I just didn’t respond to that comment.

  “So, what’s the deal with the beer guy?” David asked. “Is that who you’ve been seeing since you’ve been here?”

  “I’ve gone on a few dates with Todd.”

  “And what’s his deal? Is he pretty well off?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Todd and I don’t typically discuss our finances with each other.”

  “Just asking. Gee. Don’t get so defensive.” He took my hand.

  Frankly, I’d have preferred him to keep both hands on the wheel, especially since he was being so obnoxious. Had he always been like this?

  At last we were there.

  “That’s it up ahead,” I said.

  “Captain Moe’s?” David asked. “It doesn’t look like much more than a greasy spoon.”

  “It’s a small diner,” I said, “but the food—and the proprietor—is terrific.”

  “Apparently, looks really can be deceiving, then, because it looks like a dive.” David got out of the car and came around and opened the door for me.

  We made our way through the already-crowded parking lot. David held the door as I stepped into the diner.

  Captain Moe was behind the counter. “Well, look what the cat dragged in! It’s a wee little mouse.”

  I giggled as Captain Moe came around the counter to hug me. Captain Moe is a bear of a man who reminds me of Alan Hale, who played the hefty, white-haired Skipper on Gilligan’s Island. Only Captain Moe has a beard and the heartiest laugh I’ve ever heard.

  “Captain Moe, this is David Frist,” I said. “He’s a friend visiting me from San Francisco.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, David,” Captain Moe said, extending a beefy hand.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” David said, shaking Captain Moe’s hand.

  “Speaking of San Fran, how’s your mother, Marcy?” Captain Moe asked.

  “She’s fine. She’s heading for New York to another movie set,” I said.

  He stroked his neatly trimmed white beard. “Wonder if she could get me a bit part in one of those films. I’ll have to ask the next time she’s in town.” He looked at David. “So, what do you do, young man? Are you in the movie business, too?”

  “I’m not in any business at the moment,” David said, looking around the restaurant. “Should we wait to be seated, or can we just grab that empty table over there?”

  “Help yourself,” Captain Moe said. He arched a brow at me, and I shrugged slightly.

  “Captain Moe makes the best burgers on the coast,” I told David. “You should try one.”

  “Yep, that’s what Tink always has.” Captain Moe winked.

  “Tink?” David asked.

  I laughed. “He and his brother both call me Tinkerbell. I’m not sure whether they’re referring
to my height or my mischievous charm.”

  “I’ll not touch that one, my dear,” Captain Moe said. “Will you be having a burger, too, David? If so, I’ll go ahead and have the cook get started on them.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” David said.

  “All right, then. Sit yourselves down, and I’ll be out in a few.” Captain Moe headed for the kitchen.

  “You have some strange friends here in Oregon,” David said.

  I decided that was a good thing. I was starting to dislike my “friends” from San Francisco.

  Chapter Nine

  I was between customers late Saturday morning and was dozing off on a chair in the sit-and-stitch square when my phone rang. I jerked upright, glad the needle I’d been holding while working on the Kuba cloth quilt wasn’t a sharp one. I hadn’t slept well at all last night, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.

  “Seven-Year Stitch,” I answered.

  “Hi, Marcy. It’s Riley.”

  Riley Kendall was a friend who happened at the moment to be a pregnant attorney on bed rest. She also happened to be Captain Moe’s niece.

  “How’re you feeling?” I asked.

  “Bored. I did get an interesting call from Uncle Moe this morning, though. He said you were at the diner with a total jerk last night.”

  “Leave it to Captain Moe to call ′em like he sees ’em.” I explained about my former fiancé coming in from San Francisco and wanting me to get back together with him. “So I went on a date with him to see how that would pan out.”

  “And how did it?” Riley asked.

  “Right after we ate, I told David I had a headache and asked him to take me home. Riley, he was awful. And I don’t know if he was always that awful and I was simply blind to it, or if this awfulness is something new.”

  “I imagine he was always a jerk and you couldn’t see it because you cared about him. You don’t care about him anymore—or, at least, there’s some distance between you and your former feelings—so you can better see him for what he is.”

  “Wow. That was kinda deep,” I said.

  “Yeah, well, I’m a lawyer. I can come up with crap like that right off the cuff.” She laughed. “But, in your case—and given what Uncle Moe said—I think it’s true. He didn’t care for your date at all. And Uncle Moe tries to see the best in everyone.”