by Terri DuLong
After sleeping late, we went downtown and found a great place for brunch. We walked around Centre Street, holding hands, browsing in shops and enjoying these moments of being together. We spent time in the bookshop and I found some books that I thought Mavis Anne, David, and Clive might enjoy as a thank you for caring for Lotte.
When we returned to the Boat House, we took the boat out on the water. It was a gorgeous day with a wonderful breeze off the Atlantic. We had been out about an hour when Ben dropped the anchor. We had taken wine and cheese with us, and I curled up beside him on the bench seat as we enjoyed it.
“Have I thanked you for this wonderful weekend?” I asked.
“Oh, I think you have. I think you’ve shown me in many wonderful ways.”
I smiled and let out a sigh. “This has been so special. Being with you has been special in itself . . . but being here, in this place, has been so meaningful for me.”
“I was hoping you’d feel that way.”
I thought of something my mother used to say to me. “You know, my mother always said the past should remain in the past. But I think she got that wrong.” I took a sip of wine as I formed my thoughts. “I think sometimes we have to dig into the past in order to go forward into the future. I grew up thinking somebody named Jim Garfield was my father. And I accepted that. I don’t think that old saying, you don’t miss what you don’t have, is true.”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked as he slowly made circles with his fingers on my forearm.
“I think somewhere, deep inside me, I just knew there was more to me. More to my story. I can’t explain it, but I think . . . I think the soul knows. Many times people ignore this, but when you decide to look for answers, it’s a good thing. In addition to closure, I think it allows us to truly understand why we had many of the feelings that we did.”
“And is this a good thing?” Ben questioned.
I gazed out at the water and the horizon in the distance and nodded. “Yes. I think it is. Who knows why I could never connect with anybody until I met you. But I couldn’t. My relationships were always superficial. Until you. Love has everything to do with it, of course. But sometimes I think love isn’t necessarily enough. If both people aren’t in a good place . . . there’s no connection, or the connection eventually ends.”
“So you’re saying that putting all the pieces together has helped you in this way?”
I nodded. “I believe it has. I think it has enabled me to take a step back and view things in a different way. Everyone has a story. We might not always be happy with the final results of the story, but it’s their story to tell. Knowing my mother’s story made me realize that she wasn’t willing to take the risk of telling my father she was pregnant. And this has made me understand that life itself is a risk. If we hold back, if we don’t embrace the love or emotions we feel, we will definitely protect ourselves. But . . . we could also be missing great happiness and fulfillment.”
Ben leaned down to brush his lips across mine.
“Did I tell you that you’re a very wise woman?”
I smiled as a cool breeze came off the ocean.
“It’s getting chilly,” he said. “Let’s head back. It’s starting to get dark.”
* * *
We sat on the cushioned glider on the dock, holding hands and sipping wine.
“This has been a wonderful weekend, Petra. Thank you for making it so special.”
“I think we did that together.”
He gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m just wondering . . . where do we go from here?”
I had given that some thought as well.
“I’m not sure.”
“Two things I know for sure. I don’t want to pressure you. Wherever we do end up, I want you to want it as much as I do. And secondly, I want to spend the moments with you. You’ve become a very important part of my life.”
I nodded. “Well, I’ve made a decision over the past month. I’ve decided that no matter what, I want to remain in Ormond Beach. So I’ve contacted a real estate agent and I’m putting my house in Jacksonville up for sale.”
I saw the smile that covered Ben’s face. “That’s an excellent start.”
“I thought so too. And I’ve been giving it some thought . . . I want a permanent relationship with you. I can’t picture my life without you and Jonah as part of it.”
He pulled me closer. “I’m glad you shared that with me. So does this mean that eventually you just might consider marriage?”
I let out a contented sigh. “Ben Wellington,” I said, “that is precisely what I mean.”
I leaned my head back and looked up at the black sky dotted with silver stars and I smiled. I knew for certain that my mother had been content with the choices she had made in her life. But I also had no doubt that Rhonda Garfield would be very happy and proud of the choices that her daughter was now making.
Author’s Note
The lovely shrug, Petra’s Past, mentioned in this novel was designed by Maria Villegas. Maria is the owner of Yarn and Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Thank you so much for designing this piece! And also a huge thank you for your support with my books and hosting such fun book signings at your shop.
If you’re in the Fort Lauderdale area, be sure to stop by this very nice shop and tell them Terri sent you.
And if you have a question on the pattern, email Maria at: [email protected]. Or give her a call at 954-990-5772.
Petra’s Shrug
Designed by Maria Villegas
Materials:
Malabrigo Arroyo superwash 335 yards per skein = 4 (1340 total yards)
32-inch circular needle size U.S. 6 (4.0 mm)
Stitch markers
Gauge:
5.5 sts and 24 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch on U.S. 6 (4.0 mm) knitting needle, or size needed to obtain gauge
Abbreviations:
K = Knit
K2tog = Knit 2 stitches together
KFB = Knit into front and back of stitch (1 stitch increase)
M1 = Make 1 stitch by picking up bar between stitch on needle and next stitch, putting it on the left needle, and knitting into the back of the stitch (1 stitch increase)
P = Purl
pm = Place marker
P2tog = Purl 2 stitches together
Rem = Remaining
RS = Right side of knitting
rm = Remove marker
Sl1 pw wyif = Slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in front
St(s) = Stitch(es)
St st = Stockinette stitch (K on RS, P on WS)
D & U = Drop stitch from needle and unravel it down to KFB rows below
WS = Wrong side
Note: Sleeves and body are knitted sideways in one piece starting with ribbed sleeve pattern. Scarf is knitted separately and sewn to body at neck edge.
Instructions:
Cast on 62 sts. Continue in rib pattern as follows:
Rib Pattern
RS: K1 P1, repeat to end of row.
WS: Knit to end of row.
Repeat these 2 rows until work measures 7 inches, ending with a RS row.
Continue body pattern as follows:
Body Pattern
Row 1: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 2: K to last 4 sts, M1, K4 (63 sts).
Row 3: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 4: K.
Row 5: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 6: K to last 4 sts, M1, K4 (64 sts).
Row 7: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 8: K.
Row 9: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 10: K to last 4 sts, M1, K4 (65 sts).
Row 11: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 12: K.
Row 13: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 14: K to last 4 sts, M1, K4 (66 sts).
Row 15: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 16: K.
Row 17: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 18: K to las
t 4 sts, M1, K4 (67 sts).
Row 19: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 20: K.
Row 21: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 22: K to last 4 sts, M1, K4 (68 sts).
Row 23: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 24: K16, pm, KFB, K to end (69 sts).
Repeat Rows 19 thru 24 nine times more (9x), each time knitting an additional 5 stitches before marker, and increasing by 2 stitches every 6 rows as shown, until you have 87 sts on the needle.
Work even in st st (K on RS row, P on WS row) for 7 inches, ending with RS row. Now get ready to unravel stitches (D&U) as follows:
Row 1 and all WS rows: K4, purl to last 4 sts, K4.
Row 2: K to last 6 sts, K2tog, K4.
Row 4: K.
Row 6: Same as Row 2.
Row 8: K.
Row 10: Same as Row 2.
Row 12: K to first marker, rm, K1, D&U, K to end.
Repeat rows 1 thru 12 until you have dropped all stitches after each marker.
Work even in st st, decreasing (K2tog) 1 stitch on the right side ONLY four more times, maintaining K4 borders, and ending with a WS row.
Work in Rib Pattern for 7 inches, ending with RS row. Bind off second sleeve.
Scarf (60 inches long):
Cast on 25 sts and proceed as follows:
Row 1: KFB, knit to last 2 sts, K2tog.
Row 2: Sl1 pw wyif, purl to last stitch, then sl1 pw wyif.
Repeat these two rows until scarf is 60 inches long. Bind off loosely to match cast-on.
On each side sew sleeve ribbing plus approximately 7 inches to armhole. Mark center of back neck and center of scarf. Attach scarf to neck side of shrug.
Read on for a taste of Terri DuLong’s first Ormond Beach novel, available now!
PATTERNS OF CHANGE
An Ormond Beach Novel
“DuLong reminds me of a Southern Debbie Macomber but with a flair all her own.”
—Karin Gillespie
****************************************************************
New York Times bestselling author Terri DuLong turns a new page in breezy Ormond Beach, Florida, where a woman looking for a fresh start discovers her dreams coming true in ways she never imagined . . .
Chloe Radcliffe was ready to shake the dust of Cedar Key off her feet and sink her toes into the warm sands of Ormond Beach with her soon-to-be husband. But when tragedy struck, she found herself alone, unraveled—and unsure where she belonged . . .
A series of vivid dreams of a Victorian house with a beautiful fishpond convince Chloe to take a leap of faith and rent a condo in Ormond Beach. There, she makes fast friends with a group of knitters and the owner of a tea shop, who also happens to have a house nearly identical to the one in Chloe’s dreams—and she’s willing to rent her the property. Just as Chloe begins casting on her grand plans for the home, her tangled past comes back to haunt her—but her dreams and newfound friends just might point her toward the love she’s been missing all along . . .
INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL KNITTING PATTERN!
Chapter 1
Sitting on Aunt Maude’s porch watching the April sun brighten the sky wasn’t where I thought I’d be ten months ago. Having experienced two major losses, I found myself still in the small fishing village of Cedar Key . . . and like the boats in the gulf, I was drifting with no sense of purpose or direction.
Life had proved to me once again that it can change in the blink of an eye. I certainly found that out four years ago when my husband, Parker, left me for a trophy wife. But eventually I pulled myself together and made my way from Savannah to this small town on the west coast of Florida. Straight to the shelter and love of my aunt. At the time, I’d been estranged from my sister, Grace, for many years, but eventually Grace and I renewed our bond and now we were closer than we’d ever been.
The ring tone on my cell phone began playing and I knew without looking at the caller ID that it was Gabe’s daughter, Isabelle—she was the only person who called me before eight in the morning.
“Hey,” I said. “How’re you doing?”
A deep sigh came across the line. “Okay. I just had another battle with Haley about going to school, but I managed to get her out the door. How about you?”
“Yeah, okay here too. Just finishing up my coffee and then I’ll be heading to the yarn shop to help out.”
I wasn’t even gainfully employed anymore because I’d given up my partnership with Dora in the local yarn shop when I thought I was relocating to the east coast of Florida . . . with Gabe. And now Gabe was gone.
Another sigh came across the line. “It’s funny. I didn’t see Dad all that much, but I knew he was there. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do. Sometimes I think we just take it for granted that those we love will always be with us.”
Losing Gabe in the blink of an eye was a heartbreaking reminder of the fact that life was indeed fragile. We had made great plans for a bright new future together. When he arrived in Cedar Key to spend the winter months, he had signed up to take some men’s knitting classes at the yarn shop. I knew immediately that I liked him, and the feeling was mutual. Eight months later we’d made a commitment to relocate together to Ormond Beach on the east coast. Gabe was also an expert knitter and we had put a deposit on a lovely home just outside the city limits, where he would tend to the alpacas we’d raise and we’d both run a yarn shop downtown. But that wasn’t to be.
“Exactly,” Isabelle said. “And poor Dad didn’t even make it to Philly to sell his condo. This might sound selfish, but if I had to lose him, I’m glad it happened right here at my house.” I heard a sniffle across the phone line. “At least I was with him at the end.”
We both were. Gabe had wanted to make a stop outside Atlanta on our way to Philly to visit his daughter and granddaughter. But on the third day of our stay, sitting on Isabelle’s patio after dinner, a grimace covered Gabe’s face, he clutched his chest and he was gone. I jumped up to perform CPR while Isabelle called 911 but by the time the paramedics arrived, it was too late. A massive coronary had claimed his life. Just like that.
“No, it’s not selfish at all,” I said. “I’m glad I was with him too.”
“We’ve both had a time of it, haven’t we? I lose Dad and then two months later, Roger decides he doesn’t love me anymore.”
It was actually the breakup of Isabelle’s marriage that had brought the two of us closer. While she had been civil to me when we’d first met the previous June, she had been a bit cool. I remembered how she had emphatically informed me that she wasn’t called Izzy or Belle. “It’s Isabelle,” she’d said.
I chalked it up to father-daughter jealousy on her part. Although she wasn’t at all close to her mother, who had taken off to Oregon years ago after her divorce from Gabe, I had a feeling that Isabelle didn’t want another woman in her father’s life. But when her husband up and left her, I was the first person she called. Sobbing on the phone, she related that she was experiencing the same thing that had happened to me—her husband had fallen out of love with her. Common troubles have a way of uniting women.
“Any further word on the divorce settlement?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s why I’m calling. It’s been decided that I will get the house. At least until Haley is eighteen, so that gives me five years to figure out what I’m doing. And when we sell it, we each get half.”
“That sounds fair enough.”
“Yeah, except that Haley is so unhappy here. Between the loss of her grandfather and her father leaving, it’s been a difficult time for her. And to make matters worse, things at school aren’t going well either.”
I knew Haley was a bright girl and a good student, so I was surprised to hear this. “What’s going on?”
“Well,” she said, and I heard hesitation in her tone. “In the ten months since you’ve seen her, Haley has really packed on some pounds. Unfortunately, I think she’s taking comfort in food. And you know how cruel kids can
be. Especially thirteen-year-old girls.”
“Oh, no.” I didn’t know Haley well, but when I met her for the first time we immediately clicked. Unlike her mother, she didn’t display any frostiness toward me. Quite the opposite. She seemed to genuinely like me and I liked her. “What a shame. Gosh, I know kids have always been mean but today, from what I hear, they seem to have taken it to a new level.”
“You have no idea. Hey, how’s Basil doing?”
I smiled and glanced down at the twenty-pound dog sleeping inches from my foot. I guess you could say that Basil was my legacy from Gabe. I had gotten to know the dog well during the months that Gabe was on the island, and we had taken an instant liking to each other. When Gabe passed away, there was the question of what to do with Basil. Although I know that Haley would have loved to keep him, Isabelle had insisted that wasn’t possible and even hinted that perhaps he should go to the pound. That was when I stepped in and offered to give Basil a home. I think gratefulness has a lot to do with loyalty, because Basil hasn’t left my side since we flew back to Florida from Atlanta. Basil in his carrier, in the cabin with me, of course.
“Oh, he’s great. I’m so glad I took him. He’s a great little dog and sure keeps me company.”
“That’s good. Well, give him a pat from Haley and me. Any decision yet on what you’re doing? Do you think you’ll stay in Cedar Key?”
“I honestly don’t know, Isabelle. I’m no closer to a decision now than I was after Aunt Maude died two months ago. And Grace has been hinting that she and Lucas might want to move to Paris permanently.”
My sister had married a wonderful fellow four years before. Lucas owned the book café in town, but he was originally from Paris, and it was beginning to sound like he wanted to bring his family back to his roots in France. Which included my sister and three-year-old niece, Solange.