Patterns of Change

by Terri DuLong

  “The shop is closed on Mondays. So how about if I pick you up at ten Monday morning?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Thanks.”

  I returned to the condo a little after five, in time to feed Basil, and then we had our walk on the beach.

  I looked out to the ocean and sky and let out a deep breath. So much had happened in the less than three weeks I’d been here. I felt so fortunate to have connected with Mavis Anne and Yarrow. There was no doubt I was building more friendships with the women at the tea shop. I had a new and wonderful place to live and once again I would be part owner of a yarn shop. Not to mention that it seemed I’d caught the interest of Chadwick Price.

  At the moment, my life appeared to be on track and I was looking forward to the journey ahead of me.

  Chapter 14

  I was outside the condo building just before ten Monday morning, waiting for Maddie to pick me up. I’d had a nice, but quiet, weekend. Grace, Lucas, and Solange had flown to Paris Saturday night as planned. We’d had a lengthy phone conversation the day before. By the time we hung up, I wasn’t sure who was more excited about my upcoming plans—her or me. It had been decided that after they returned, she’d pack up my personal belongings and, with help from Berkley and Marin, they’d come for a day to see my new place and visit.

  Maddie pulled up in front of the building. When I got in the car, she passed me a Styrofoam cup.

  “Good morning,” she said. “I thought we’d begin our tour with a cup of coffee.”

  “Thanks. Sounds great.”

  I noticed we were heading south on A1A toward Daytona Beach.

  “The first place I have to introduce you to is the chocolate shop,” she said.

  “Oh, Angell and Phelps?”

  “So you know about it?”

  “Yeah. My friend Berkley owns a chocolate shop in Cedar Key. She makes her own signature chocolate clams but she orders a lot of her chocolate from Angell and Phelps.”

  “Great. So we’ll pay a visit there and take care of our chocolate fix.”

  I took a sip of coffee and nodded. “Perfect plan. You’ve been in the area for a few years? Where’re you from originally?”

  “Yeah, I came here about five years ago. No particular reason. Just did some research and it seemed like a nice town right on the Atlantic coast. I’m originally from Philly.”

  “Oh, Gabe was from Philly too. Do you still have family up there?”

  Maddie shook her head. “No. My daughter and her family ended up moving to Tampa a few months after I moved here. Her husband got a transfer with the bank he works for. So I’m fortunate that I get to see them and my grandchildren frequently. Tori is nine and Logan’s seven. How about you? I know your sister lives in Cedar Key, but any children?”

  “Yes, two sons. Mathis lives and works in Atlanta and he’s still single. Eli is married and at the moment he and Treva live in Manhattan, but they’re relocating to Jacksonville around late September. He’s been offered a nice position with an accounting firm there. Needless to say, I’m thrilled they’ll only be a couple hours’ drive away.”

  “I can see why you’re excited. That’s really great. Any grandchildren?”

  “Not yet, but I think they’re starting to work on that, so my fingers are crossed.”

  Maddie laughed. “Yeah, there’s something extra special about grandchildren. I often think it’s because we’re getting a second chance to do the things we didn’t do with our kids.”

  I smiled and nodded. “You could be right.”

  “And you’re also divorced?”

  “Yeah, gosh, it’s been a few years now. Parker left me for a trophy wife, got her pregnant and married her. They’re still in the Savannah area, but I headed to Cedar Key to be with my aunt and my sister where I could lick my wounds.”

  “Ah and yet one more trophy wife story. Same here. Jim was running around with one of the nurses at the hospital and decided after almost twenty-five years of marriage, a flirty blonde fifteen years his junior was much more appealing than the wife he’d known since college. It was tough at first, especially since I worked at the same hospital, but looking back . . . he really did me a huge favor. I’ve been able to discover who I was truly meant to be.”

  “Oh, are you also an RN?”

  She nodded. “I am. Jim’s a doctor. I got pregnant with Freya in my sophomore year of college, so I dropped out and we got married. But once she went to preschool, I returned to college to complete my nursing degree.”

  “And you didn’t want to work in nursing down here?”

  “Not really. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my nursing career, but I was pushing fifty and I had always wanted to have a florist shop. Flowers and plants were always my passion. So I thought, well, now’s the time. Just do it, Maddie. Sometimes life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. So I made the choice to open Blooms of Color and become my creative self.”

  “Wow, great story,” I said. I realized that I was doing exactly the same thing by making the commitment to co-own the yarn shop with Mavis Anne.

  “Angell and Phelps is just a little farther up on the right. There used to be a yarn shop a little farther down but it closed a few years ago, so it’ll be really great when you open yours. Have you thought of a name yet?”

  I glanced to my right and saw various shops lining the sidewalk as Maddie found a parking spot and we pulled up in front of the chocolate shop.

  “Not yet,” I said, “But I’m having dinner with Mavis Anne and Yarrow tomorrow evening. A business meeting of sorts; we have a million things to discuss. A name for the shop is one of them.”

  After drooling over all the chocolate behind the glass display cases, I finally settled on my favorite, honeybees, and purchased a pound. I also got a pound of truffles to bring to Mavis Anne the next evening.

  Getting back in the car, Maddie wasted no time fishing for a piece of chocolate from her box and plopping it into her mouth. A groan of ecstasy followed. “Oh, my God. I admit it. I’m a chocoholic. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily consume chocolate morning, noon, and night.”

  I gave a laugh as I bit into my honeybee. “I do love chocolate . . . but maybe not quite as much as you.”

  After she finished savoring her chocolate, she said, “Okay. Next stop will be the Casements.”

  As we headed north on A1A, we passed lots of hotels and condos on the beach side and loads of restaurants across the street.

  “That’s a great pub,” she said when we passed The Black Sheep. “And they have great steaks,” she added when we drove by Charliehorse.

  We drove past my condo and she took a left back onto Granada. Farther up on the left was the Casements, formerly the winter home of John D. Rockefeller.

  “We can probably catch a tour,” she said as she pulled into the parking lot.

  Bordering the house, along the Halifax River, were beautiful gardens. “How pretty,” I said.

  “Yeah, they have a fair number of weddings there. The perfect romantic venue. But they also hold concerts and cultural events.”

  We were able to catch one of the tours. By the time we left, I felt I’d gained quite a bit of knowledge about both the house with its beautiful hand-cut casement windows and the man himself. I had been surprised that although Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil, and America’s richest man, the house itself was more simple than ostentatious. An interesting tidbit was that the house had been a boarding school for girls during World War II and apparently they liked to sunbathe on the roof, drawing the attention of air force pilots flying over. Rockefeller died at his home in 1937 but reached the age of ninety-seven, attaining both wealth and longevity.

  “Thank you so much for taking me here,” I said as we walked to the parking lot. “I really enjoyed it.”

  “Great. And one of these days we’ll have to drive to Deland and visit the Stetson Mansion, owned by John B. Stetson, maker of the famous hats. You’ll love that place.”

 
; Maddie pointed out the old Ormond Hotel across the street from the Casements. “It’s condos now,” she said. “But it still looks much like it did when the rich came to spend winters there. I’m going to take you behind the hotel to Orchard Lane. It’s tucked away and even many people who live in Ormond Beach don’t know it’s there.”

  We drove down a narrow road flanked on both sides with residential homes. Some were modern but most were adorable, quaint cottages. One was an unusual A-frame home.

  Maddie stopped in front of one of the cottages and pointed. “That’s the Nathan Cobb Cottage. It’s a three-room house built of the timber that was salvaged from the Nathan Cobb shipwreck of 1896. The exterior’s constructed from the railroad ties carried as cargo. The historical society does a holiday tour of homes every December. We’ll have to go this year and you’ll be able to visit a lot of the homes.”

  “Oh, that sounds like fun.”

  “And this one,” she said, slowing the car and pointing to my left, “is where Yarrow lives.”

  I leaned over to see a medium-size cottage set back from the road. Grass frontage led up to the side door of the wooden structure with peaked roof and narrow windows.

  “It’s amazing, but that house is so Yarrow,” I said and laughed. “It looks like the perfect place for her.”

  “There’s no printed confirmation, but rumor has it that the house had originally been a chapel for the Ormond Hotel staff. And you probably know that Yarrow’s mother lived here before she died.”

  “Yeah, she told me that.”

  “And this one,” she said, as she slowly turned the corner, bringing us right behind the old Ormond Hotel, “is called Talahloko. It’s also a private home and one of the few remaining Florida structures built of palmetto logs.”

  “Very interesting,” I said. “And I’d really love to do that holiday tour of homes to get inside.”

  “It’s a deal,” Maddie said. “Okay. That was my tourist tour. Now for the resident tour.”

  She drove back out to Granada and I saw we were headed over the bridge to the downtown area.

  “If you’re going to be living here, you have to know the important things. Like where the best hairdresser is.”

  I laughed and nodded. “Right. I called Paige on Saturday and got Basil an appointment to be groomed next week, so I’ll need to find somebody to groom me too.”

  When we came over the bridge, I saw North Beach Street and the location of my new home on the right. Just a little way down, Maddie pointed.

  “That’s the shop I go to. Helen has hands of gold. If you go, be sure to tell her that I sent you.”

  I saw a wooden plaque to the side of the door that said Glam and smiled as I recalled the Curl Up and Dye on Cedar Key, where Polly tended to my hair needs.

  “Oh, it’s just a few doors down from your shop,” I said.

  “Yup and just a couple doors down from Helen is Paige’s shop. Nice and convenient. So now you can see why the women are so excited that your yarn shop will also be very close.”

  It was certainly a much larger downtown area than Cedar Key had. But it wasn’t so large that you felt you were in a big city. With the center island of the boulevard filled with palm trees and flowers, the town had a homey sense of community. Which I liked a lot. For the first time since I’d announced my decision on Friday, I began to feel excited about the prospect of being not just a resident but also a business owner in this community.

  Maddie then pointed out City Hall, the police department, and the library in the downtown area.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. Do you like seafood?”

  “Love it,” I said and glanced at my watch. “Oh, my gosh. It’s after one already.”

  Maddie headed back over the bridge.

  “I know. I’m going to take you to Betty’s on A1A. Been there a million years and the best around for seafood, especially if you love New England clams.”

  The clams were every bit as good as Maddie promised. Except for fighting over the check—I won—by the time I returned to the condo in late afternoon, I knew I’d made a very good new friend.

  Chapter 15

  I had just finished filling the washing machine the following morning when my cell phone rang. The caller ID told me it was Henry Wagner. I hadn’t heard from him since my first week at the condo.

  “I hope I’m not bothering you,” he said, when I answered.

  “Not at all. How are you, Henry?”

  “I’m great. I was just calling to make sure everything was still going well for you.”

  With all the activity of the previous week, I’d neglected to call Henry and let him know that I’d actually be staying on in Ormond Beach.

  “Yes, everything is just fine. So much so that I’ve made the decision to permanently relocate here.”

  I heard a chuckle come across the line. “That’s wonderful but I’m not surprised. Sounds like the town and people worked their magic on you.”

  I laughed. “Something like that, yes. And . . . I’ll also be opening a new yarn shop in town.”

  “Well, my goodness, you’ve been quite the busy woman. And again, that’s wonderful. Have you found a place to stay?”

  “I have,” I told him, and went on to explain about Mavis Anne and my connection with her.

  “I’ve met Mavis a few times because she’s good friends with my neighbor, Louise. She’s quite a character and a delightful person. Well, Chloe, I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you. I’m quite excited about all of it. I’ll be staying at the condo until the thirty-first, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course it is. You rented it for the month of May. I’m planning to be down there mid-June and I’ve arranged for the cleaning crew to come in on the first to get things in order for me. Listen . . . ah . . . since you’ll be staying permanently, maybe we could get together and actually meet in person.”

  I laughed as I realized that, although I felt as if I knew Henry, we’d never actually met. “Oh. That’s a great idea. I’d love it.”

  “Terrific. And Basil? How’s he doing? I take it he’s settling in well?”

  “Very well. He also seems to love it here. How’s Delilah doing?”

  “Oh, she’s great,” he said and I could almost see a smile cross a face I’d never seen. “I think she’s also ready to head south. It’s been a miserable spring up here, I’m afraid, so we’re both looking forward to the warm temps and the ocean. Well, listen, Chloe, I won’t keep you. When I get down there and settled, I’ll give you a call. Perhaps we could do dinner some evening?”

  “That would be nice,” I said. “Have a safe trip down here.”

  I disconnected the call and stood in Henry Wagner’s kitchen with a smile covering my face. Gee, Chloe, I thought, you’re not doing so bad for a woman who just turned fifty-two. You’ve been offered two dinner invitations from men in the past week.

  I spent most of the morning catching up on laundry and doing a bit of housecleaning in the condo. After a walk on the beach with Basil and lunch, I decided to sit on the balcony to enjoy the gorgeous weather with my knitting.

  Pulling the socks out of my bag to work on, I recalled Maddie asking about a name for the yarn shop. I let my mind wander, trying out different names, and came up with a few that I’d discuss with Mavis Anne over dinner. I wasn’t sure how we were going to work tea and yarn into the names of the combination shop at Koi House. I realized then that I hadn’t had any dreams at all since my first night here at the condo. I was never a big dreamer and certainly had never had any odd dreams like the ones about Koi House and the fishpond. It was at that moment the perfect choice for the yarn shop name came to me.

  I juggled the tote bag containing Mavis’s chocolates in one hand with Basil’s leash, as I pushed the doorbell.

  Like the first time, David swept open the door, a huge smile on his face, but this time I found myself being scooped into his arms.

  “Welcome, welcome. W
elcome to your new home. I’m so delighted that it’s you who will be living here.”

  I laughed as Basil danced in circles for attention.

  “Oh, yes, and you too, mon petit cheri,” David said, bending down to pick up Basil. “I’m so happy to make your acquaintance. I hope you’ll like your new home. The ladies are on the patio,” he said, before spinning around toward the back of the house.

  When we stepped out to the patio, David put Basil down and the dog immediately flew toward Mavis Anne, jumping up in her lap and showering her with kisses.

  “Oh, Basil, no,” I yelled, running to get him down.

  But Mavis Anne had thrown back her head and was laughing. “You flirty boy, you. Well, hello, Master Basil. Very pleased to meet you.”

  “God, I’m so sorry,” I said. “He never does that. Basil, down.”

  “No, no. He’s fine. I think I’m flattered. I also think we’re going to get along wonderfully.”

  I looked at Yarrow, who shrugged and laughed.

  Basil curled up in Mavis’s lap, looking quite content, but avoiding eye contact with me.

  “Welcome to your new home,” Clive said, passing me a glass of wine.

  “Yes, here’s to much happiness for both of you.” Mavis Anne lifted her wineglass in a toast.

  “Thank you,” I said and took a sip, keeping an eye on Basil.

  “I had Marta prepare a nice quiche and some pumpkin soup for us. But first we’ll have our wine and then we’ll go into the schoolhouse before we eat so I can show you what I discussed with the contractor this morning.”

  I sat down and shook my head. “You’ve already had the contractor out here?”

  Yarrow laughed. “She would have had him here first thing Saturday morning, but he couldn’t make it till today.”

  “You certainly don’t waste any time,” I said.

  “Well, as it is we have to wait about four months before we can open.” She scratched Basil between his ears. “And this little guy is so cute. I think we’re going to be great friends.”