by Terri DuLong
“How long ago did you come from Poland?” I asked, as I waited for the water to boil.
“About fifteen years ago,” was all she said.
“Oh, so did you come when you were pregnant with your daughter?”
“Yes.”
I had a feeling this was a touchy subject. “Mavis said your sister owns a hair salon downtown and it’s the one that Maddie also goes to. I need to make an appointment with her. My hair could really use a cut and color.”
She only nodded.
“Does your brother-in-law also work in the area?” I asked, making an attempt at conversation.
“Yes, he’s a dentist and has a practice in Palm Coast.”
I was prevented from asking any further questions by the ringing of my cell phone.
I saw the caller ID and smiled. “Marin. How are you?”
“I’m just fine. More to the point, how are you? All settled into your new home?”
“I am and I just love it.”
“Berkley gave me a lot of the details. It sounds gorgeous. And imagine! You’re going to be a yarn shop owner again. We’re all so happy for you.”
“Thanks. Yeah, it’s pretty exciting.” I poured hot water into the tea infuser and waited for it to steep. “The workmen are doing a great job on the refurbishing. The schoolhouse will be the perfect spot for a yarn and tea shop.”
“I can’t wait to see it. Let me know when you want company and I’ll be there.”
“I was thinking when Grace gets back from Paris I’d love to have you, Berkley, and Sydney come with her to spend the night.”
“Oh, Chloe, that would be great. Count me in. Maybe we can have a gathering like Josie’s mom, Shelby, had with her college friends.”
I laughed thinking about the party the year before. Shelby had survived uterine cancer, and her closest friends had all come to Cedar Key to help her celebrate. And what a celebration it was.
“I will definitely plan something.” I saw Marta get up from the table, whisper she was going back upstairs to clean, and I nodded. “So how’s Worth?”
“He’s just great. Fiona has finished up her classes at UF for this semester and Andrea . . . can you believe she already turned two years old last month?”
No, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed like yesterday that poor Marin had found out about Fiona, her deceased husband’s illegitimate daughter, along with the news that Fiona was also unmarried and pregnant. But after much thought, Marin had welcomed Fiona into the family with love. Fiona was now with Greg, the father of her daughter, attending college to complete her nursing degree, and Marin was besotted with her granddaughter, Andrea.
“Impossible!” I exclaimed. “God, it seems like yesterday that Fiona gave birth. I bet Andrea’s growing so fast.”
“Oh, she is, and don’t worry, I’ll bring plenty of photos to show you when I come visit. I’ve become a knitting fanatic. It’s so much fun to finally be able to make things for a little girl.”
I smiled. Like me, Marin had two sons. A girl in the family was pure joy for a knitting grandmother.
“So you’re making lots of friends over there?” Marin asked.
“I am. I’ve met all of them at the tea shop where the knitting group meets on Fridays. You know how friendly knitters are. I’ve become the closest to Yarrow and Maddie, but they’re all wonderful. Until the new shop opens, we’re going to meet here at Koi House on Friday afternoons, so that’ll give me a chance to get to know the others better.”
“That’s just great, Chloe. I’m really happy for you but we miss you.”
“I miss you too,” I said. “Oh, and guess what? I have a date. Actually, I have two dates.”
I heard Marin’s laugh come across the line. “Are you serious? Well, you go, girl! Who are they?”
My laughter joined hers. “Oh, don’t get too excited. One is the guy who helped me with the flat tire the day I came here. I think Grace told you about him. He’s taking me to dinner Saturday evening. And the other is Henry Wagner. He owns the condo that I rented. He’s due down here this week, but we’ve never met. He hinted he’d like to take me to dinner after he gets settled in.”
“Well, you’re on a roll. That’s really great, Chloe. I’m extra happy for you now. It’s a year this month that you lost Gabe and . . . well . . . maybe it’s time to begin healing.”
“You could be right,” I said.
Chapter 20
By the time Saturday arrived, I’d worked myself into a frenzy. You’d think I was a high school girl going on my first date. Most of my clothes were still in Cedar Key and none of the ones I had brought appealed to me. There was only one solution—why, shopping, of course.
Following directions from Mavis, I found my way to the Volusia Mall in Daytona Beach. Two hours later I was heading back home quite satisfied with my selections. Nothing fancy, but I thought the white cropped pants, black silk blouse, and new sandals were appropriate. Besides, new clothes always made a woman feel confident.
I passed the hair salon on Granada and on a whim decided to see if Helen could possibly give me a trim.
I walked in and saw four stylists busy at work.
The woman in the first booth looked over. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I was looking for Helen and wondering if it was possible to get a trim today.”
“I’m Helen,” she said and walked to the front counter to consult an appointment book. “Yes, I could do you in about ten minutes.”
“Great. My name is Chloe.”
A smile crossed her face. “Oh, are you the Chloe who recently moved into Koi House?”
“Yes, and I know you’re Marta’s sister.”
“I am. Have a seat and I’ll be with you shortly.”
By the time I finished leafing through the current issue of People magazine, Helen called me over to her chair.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “Marta said you might be stopping by. What do you have in mind?”
I ran my hands through my light brunette hair. “I need a trim today but I’d also like to book time for some highlights.”
“Okay. Shampoo bowl first.”
When we returned to her chair, she said. “So do you enjoy living at your new place?”
I nodded. “I do. It’s a beautiful house and I’m looking forward to the yarn shop opening.”
“So am I. I’m a knitter but I don’t get much of a chance to go to the knitters’ group. But it’ll be nice to have a shop where I can purchase my yarn.”
“Right. It’s always great to have a local yarn shop within an easy drive. By the way, I really like your sister. She’s such a nice person and an excellent worker.”
“Yes, Marta is very special. My husband and I have loved having her and Krystina with us. It wasn’t always so easy for Marta when she first arrived here, but she’s done very well.”
I assumed she meant the difficulty of settling into a new country, not speaking the language and about to become a single parent.
By the time Helen finished my hair, I knew I’d found the perfect hair stylist. She had changed the style just a bit, making the back shorter and the sides chin length, and I now had a part on the side.
“I just love it,” I told her. “Gosh, I feel like a new woman.”
Helen laughed. “That’s what I always hope to achieve, so that’s great.”
When I walked to the parking lot behind the shop, I could feel my hair bouncing against my cheek. The new clothes and different hair style accounted for the bounce in my step.
At precisely seven the doorbell rang. Chadwick Price was waiting on the front porch.
“Hey,” I said, opening the door. “Come on in. I just need to get my purse and a sweater.”
Chadwick stepped into the foyer as Basil came hurtling down the staircase to welcome whoever had come to visit.
“Well, hello, little guy,” Chadwick said, bending over to give Basil a pat. “Looks like you’re enjoying your new home.”
&nbs
p; “Oh, I think he is.” I pointed a finger at my dog. “Now you be a good boy and take care of the house while I’m gone.”
As we walked to the driveway, I noticed Chadwick was wearing a light blue short-sleeved sport shirt along with khaki slacks. Very nice, I thought, unsure whether I meant the clothes or the man wearing them.
I saw the black BMW and recalled the day I had seen this car drive past me on a rainy road and then turn around and come to my rescue.
He opened the passenger door and I slid in onto the gray leather seat.
“Okay,” he said, starting the ignition. “Ready for some great Italian food?”
“I am.”
“You look very nice. Is that a new hairdo?”
Ten points for noticing. “Yes, it is.”
“Very becoming.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled the car onto Granada, and we headed east toward the bridge.
“You didn’t RSVP yet,” he said, “but I’m hoping you’ll be able to attend my fund-raiser next month.”
“Oh, definitely. I’ll be coming with Mavis and Yarrow, and thank you so much for inviting me. Raising money for the local hospital is such a worthy cause. From what I hear, you’re quite the philanthropist in the community.”
He kept his eyes straight ahead as we drove onto the bridge over the Halifax River. “It’s part of giving back,” was all he said.
Farther down on the left, Chadwick pulled into the large parking lot of a strip mall with Starbucks and other various shops. About halfway down I saw the sign for Genovese’s.
“Here we are,” he said.
We were seated at a booth in the back. Not a fancy restaurant but if the aromas drifting from the kitchen were any indication, chances were very good that the food was great.
Both Chadwick and I ordered a glass of Chianti and the waiter placed menus in front of us.
“What’s good?” I asked.
Chadwick laughed. “Everything, but do you mind if we enjoy the wine before ordering?”
“Not at all.”
“So tell me more about yourself,” he said. “You’d mentioned you’re originally from Brunswick, Georgia. Any family still up there?”
“No, none. My parents passed away when I was in college, but they had traveled a lot with their antique business. And then Aunt Maude relocated to Cedar Key. After my divorce I followed her there. My sister, Grace, is my only sibling and she owned a coffee shop on the island.”
He took a sip of wine and nodded. “That’s nice. I’m sure they were a great support while you were going through a difficult time.”
“My aunt was, yes. But my sister and I had had a falling-out and hadn’t spoken or been in touch for ten years.”
An expression of understanding crossed his face and he nodded again. “Yeah, siblings can be difficult. But it sounds like whatever it was is now behind you.”
“Yeah, and I’m grateful for that. Actually, though, it wasn’t Grace who created the rift. That was all my doing. I had experienced a damaging situation in college and even though I didn’t realize it at the time, it had turned me into a very bitter and resentful person. I wasn’t able to work through it until many years later, and when I finally opened up and discussed it with Grace, it allowed us to reconnect, and now . . . we couldn’t be any closer as sisters.”
“Sounds like she’s a very forgiving person.”
“She is,” I said, and wondered if I’d ever truly forgiven the person who’d caused me such anguish in college. “To be honest, I’m not sure I would have been as understanding as Grace was. What I did was the ultimate betrayal of a sister.” I let out a deep sigh. “It’s all in the past now. Thank God.”
I recalled how I’d seen my sister leaving a hotel in Jacksonville with a married man. It still tore me apart to admit that due to jealousy and unhappiness, I was the person who’d relayed this information to Beau Hamilton’s wife, setting in motion terrible sadness and chaos in my sister’s life—and yet she had forgiven me.
“How about you?” I said, changing the subject. “Did you just have the one brother?”
“Yes, just Aaron. He was two years older than I was. He was the golden boy and had it all—good looks, good marks all through school, and, of course, our family money. Aaron was my idol, even though maybe he didn’t always deserve my loyalty.”
I took a sip of wine and waited for him to go on.
“He excelled in sports as well, so he had no end of girls begging for his attention.”
“Was he married with a family when he passed away?”
Chadwick shook his head. “No, he was single. He was the type of guy who always got what he wanted—no matter what. When he graduated college, he joined our father’s law firm, and he was ruthless in court, which I guess could be an advantage. But as I got older, I came to see that Aaron wasn’t always a nice person. He was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and he was gone within six months.”
I let out a gasp. “God, how terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“I spent a lot of time with him at the end and we talked a lot. I think it was the first time my brother ever really opened up and shared things with me. I have to say, I do think he was sorry for some of the things he’d done in his life. I like to think that had he been given more time, he would have made amends to many people.”
I had a strong feeling that Chadwick’s humanitarian efforts had a lot to do with the brother he’d lost.
“Family ties,” I said, quietly. “No matter what, they have a way of binding us together.”
He let out a deep sigh. “They do. Now let’s decide on some food.”
By the time Chadwick walked me to my door, I knew I liked him. A lot. I wasn’t sure if it was in a romantic way but I did know I very much enjoyed spending the evening with him and getting to know him better. I was still pretty certain we’d never met, but he continued to have a familiarity that I couldn’t explain.
“Thank you so much for a lovely evening,” I said.
“My pleasure. It was fun and I enjoyed getting to know you.”
He leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I was wondering if you’d like to come out on the boat with me sometime. I have a pontoon docked at my house and I like to get out on the river in the good weather.”
“That sounds like fun,” I said, recalling the boating I’d done in Cedar Key. “Sure.”
“Great. I’ll give you a call.”
This time when he leaned toward me, his lips brushed mine, causing me to rethink the romantic aspect of our relationship.
Chapter 21
I woke a couple of days later to hear rain pelting the roof and windows. I could also hear the whipping of the wind. We were now officially into hurricane season but the weather forecast the day before had said only rain and high winds.
Basil followed me downstairs. I opened the French doors, attempting to coax him outside. He looked out at the yard and then up at me.
“Go on,” I said. “Don’t be a wimp. I’ll wait right here for you.”
Basil moved hesitantly out the door, stood under the sheltered overhang of the house, lifted his leg, did his thing, and raced back inside.
“Good boy,” I said, bending down to dry him off with a towel.
Since it was Tuesday, Marta wouldn’t be coming and I had the house to myself.
After two mugs of coffee I decided to do some laundry. It was definitely going to be a stay-at-home day.
I had just finished filling the washing machine when a dream from the night before flitted into my mind. Again, it was about the woman in the red gown, and again I was standing at the entrance to the fishpond watching her.
This time she was standing at the far end of the pond, looking across the water at me, and butterflies fluttered above her. Her face looked sad and I heard her say, “It’s hard. It’s so hard.”
“What’s so hard?” I asked her. But that was the end of the dream. I woke up.
The ringing of my cell phone brought me back
. I answered to hear Mavis’s voice.
“Nasty day out there,” she said. “David’s running to Publix. Do you need anything?”
“Oh, thanks. But no, I’m all set. I think I’ll just have a quiet day here. Work some more on my pattern and get some knitting done. How’s everything with you?”
“Very well. Yarrow is right on track finishing up her orders with the tea reps and I’ve heard back from all the yarn reps. I spoke to Ed yesterday—according to him the work in the schoolhouse is going very well. He now thinks they’ll be finished by late August.”
“Oh, that is good news. Do we know yet when we might be opening?”
“I think we can bump it up a bit. I was thinking the week of Labor Day might be good.”
“I agree, and whatever you decide will be fine with me.”
“Okay, well, stay dry and if you need anything just give a call.”
I had just settled down to work on my design at the kitchen table when my phone rang again.
I checked the caller ID and smiled when I saw Isabelle’s name.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Good. Am I interrupting anything?”
“Not at all. What’s going on with you? Is Haley finished school for the summer?”
“Yes. A couple of weeks ago. After the year she’s had, needless to say she’s happy to be away from there.”
“That’s a shame. So nothing improved with her classmates?”
“Not at all.” A deep sigh came across the line. “I’m not sure I remember girls being quite so mean when I was in school. And unfortunately, the sadder she got, the more her weight increased. I’m at my wit’s end. I’ve suggested Weight Watchers to her, maybe joining a gym—but nothing seems to work. She’s just not interested.”
“I’m so sorry about this. For both of you. I wish I could help.”
“Well, you might be able to. The one thing that seemed to perk her up was when I mentioned going down there to visit with you.”
“Oh, Isabelle, I told you before. Absolutely. I have two spare bedrooms here and I’d love to have you. Any idea when you might come?”
