Dyeing Up Loose Ends

by Maggie Sefton

  Julie glanced down shyly. “Yes, Andy is definitely special, and I have to admit, we’ve gotten serious about each other. I’m actually thinking Andy and I can have a good future together.” She looked up and caught Kelly’s gaze. “I’ve only told Jennifer so far, not anyone else. So keep it to yourself, okay?”

  “Absolutely, Julie. I promise not to breathe a word, not even to Mimi and Burt, who will be very happy for you.”

  “Cheese omelet is up,” assistant grill cook Larry announced as he set a plate upon the grill counter.

  “Looks like yours is ready, Kelly. Do you want some hot coffee with it?” Julie asked as she glanced toward the grill counter.

  “Of course,” Kelly answered with a grin. “Coffee goes with everything, you know.”

  Julie simply laughed as she went to retrieve Kelly’s order.

  * * *

  • • •

  Kelly tabbed through the spreadsheet as she sat alone at the Lambspun knitting table. Early in the afternoon, the knitting shop’s normal busy flow of customers had gradually turned to a trickle. Only one person was perusing the yarn bins in the central yarn room.

  The sound of a tinkling bell broke the quiet as the shop front door opened. Footsteps walking quickly came next, then Kelly’s friend, physical therapist Lisa, entered the main room.

  “Hey there, Kelly,” Lisa greeted in a slightly breathless voice. “Do you have any idea where Mimi keeps those special shears she uses? I need a pair of super sharp scissors.”

  “I’m not sure, but I think they might be in the front where a lot of the other accessories are,” Kelly replied, noticing not for the first time that Lisa looked slimmer than usual. In fact, Lisa looked positively skinny to Kelly’s sharp eye.

  “Oh, thanks, Kelly. I’m trying to get three more errands done while the babysitter is still there with the twins.” She started to walk toward the central yarn room again.

  Kelly’s instinct took over at that moment. “Stop right there, Lisa,” Kelly ordered, pointing at her friend. “Sit down at the table and rest for ten minutes. It won’t throw your schedule off that much. You look positively frazzled right now.” Kelly pointed toward a chair alongside the library table.

  “I should really go—” Lisa said, her worried expression increasing.

  “Sit!” Kelly ordered, pointing to the chair again. “Don’t make me put you in that chair. If I tried, I’d probably snap a bone, you’re so skinny.”

  Lisa released a long breath and acquiesced, sinking into a chair on Kelly’s side of the table. “Ten minutes, that’s all.”

  “Ten minutes will give you a chance to catch your breath,” Kelly said, observing her friend now that she was even closer. “Good grief, Lisa. You are turning into a skeleton. I swear you are.”

  “Oh, Kelly, you’re being dramatic,” Lisa said with a little smile.

  “Dramatic?” Kelly protested, looking astonished. “I’m an accountant. We don’t do dramatic.”

  Lisa smiled, and Kelly could see her visibly relax against her chair. “Okay, you’re exaggerating then. I’ve lost a little weight, but I’m not skin and bones as you said.”

  “I said a skeleton, but skin and bones are the same thing. How much do you weigh—have you checked?”

  Lisa gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t checked.”

  “Well, I suggest that the next time you take the twins in to the pediatrician, step on the scale yourself and check. I think you’ll be shocked.”

  “I’ll think about it. There’s nothing wrong, I assure you. I’m just racing around trying to keep up with the twins.”

  Kelly pictured Natalie and Michael, Lisa and Greg’s three-and-a-half-year-old fraternal twins. Blond and blue-eyed and innocent looking, they were nonstop action. “Your babysitter comes for how long every day?”

  “Four hours every morning, Monday through Friday. Eight o’clock to twelve noon. Today she’s staying a little longer so I can get some errands done.”

  “And you’re regularly taking care of patients at the physical therapy clinic, right?”

  “Yes, but I only do PT twice a week. They’ve moved me into staff duties the other three days.”

  Kelly wondered if the other therapists at the clinic were trying to lighten Lisa’s patient load because they, too, had noticed Lisa’s weight loss. But Kelly decided to keep those thoughts to herself.

  “Normally, I’d be at the clinic now, but the two patients that were scheduled today had to cancel.”

  “Well, I suggest you make sure you eat breakfast every morning with a form of protein, and make sure you are having a balanced lunch with more protein, salad or veggies, and fruit. I bet you will not only feel better but you’ll also start to gain back the weight you’ve lost. Oh, and dinner, too.” Kelly couldn’t resist emphasizing the last sentence with a finger wag.

  “Yes, Mother,” Lisa teased. “Now, I really need to get back to my errands.” She rose from her chair.

  Just then, Mimi strode into the main knitting room, arms filled with magazines. Upon seeing Kelly and Lisa, Mimi broke into a big smile. “Why, hello, Lisa. I haven’t seen you in over a month it seems.”

  “Hi, Mimi. I dropped by to pick up some sharp scissors or shears.”

  “Oh, there are several types right up front, dear. I’ll help you.” Mimi set the large stack of magazines on the table, then she turned to Lisa and eyed her, looking her up and down. “Goodness, dear, have you lost weight? You’re looking positively skinny.”

  At that, Kelly had to laugh out loud.

  Four

  Kelly nosed her car into a parking space at the newly renovated shopping center on the north side of Fort Connor. She was just about to exit when her cell phone sounded with Kelly’s recent musical selection. Noticing Steve’s name on the phone screen, she clicked on as she pushed open the door to the sports wagon.

  “Hey there. How’re you and Jack doing on your errands? I’m halfway done with mine.”

  “Great. I’ll assign some of my list to you, then,” Steve said with a laugh. “It took forever to get Jack out of the home building and supply store. I turned around to ask the sales clerk something, and Jack started climbing on the lumber.”

  Kelly laughed. “Following in his daddy’s footsteps, of course. How goes it otherwise?”

  “We’re halfway done here. How about if you take the drugstore errand off my list? Then we can make it home for lunch.”

  “Sure, don’t forget, we’re all taking the kids to Megan and Marty’s house tonight, then we’ll gather at Lisa and Greg’s place. Cassie and Eric are going to babysit all of them tonight so the rest of us can have an evening together.”

  “Sure that’s going to work better than each of us hiring our own sitters?” Steve asked.

  “Well, Megan suggested we try it. We’ll see how it goes. Cassie and Eric always go out on Friday nights with their friends. Frankly, I think Cassie has gotten used to earning money for college on Saturday nights. We’ll see if Eric’s interested.” Kelly surveyed the shopping center storefronts and spied a drugstore at the far end.

  “Okay, we’ll see how it goes. Hey, Jack . . . come on back,” Steve called. “Gotta go. Jack spotted some other kids. I’d better grab him while I still can.”

  “Good luck. See you two later,” Kelly said, picturing Jack leading his dad on a merry chase.

  * * *

  • • •

  “Can I ring the bell? Can I?” Jack said, racing the last few steps to Marty and Megan’s front porch.

  “Wait for us first, Jack,” Steve instructed. “Here, Kelly, let me carry that second platter.”

  Kelly handed over the larger of the two platters she was balancing. Both platters were filled with cheese and crackers and fresh berries. “Thanks. The berries were about to fall over the side.”

  �
�You think you brought enough?” Steve joked as they stepped up on the front porch.

  “Oh, they’ll go through this, believe me. Plus, Cassie and Eric will help.”

  “Now? Now?” Jack jumped up and down.

  “Go ahead, buddy,” Steve said.

  Jack pushed on the door chimes three times. A virtual symphony of chimes rang out.

  “What an entrance,” Kelly said with a laugh as Marty opened the door.

  “Hey, hey! Look who’s here! It’s Cowboy Jack, Molly,” Marty exclaimed.

  “Hi!” Jack spouted then raced inside the house as five-year-old Molly came running to the front door.

  “Jack, come see what Eric did with the car garage!” Jack and Molly headed straight for the family room where Eric and Cassie sat on the rug with a plastic replica of a car garage. Small toy cars were scattered across the floor.

  “Hi, Kelly and Steve,” Cassie said. “We’d get up, but we’re holding the sides of the garage in place.”

  “Hey there,” Eric said, raising one hand in greeting as Molly and Jack plopped down on the floor beside him and grabbed the toy cars.

  “Hi, everyone,” Kelly said as she and Steve walked into the foyer.

  Megan sped over to them and reached for the platter Kelly was holding. “Here, let me take this to the kitchen. This looks perfect, Kelly. The kids will love it.”

  “And we don’t have to fix them a separate dinner. Super efficient,” Marty added, taking the other platter from Steve’s hands and setting it on the granite counter surrounding the kitchen.

  “Jennifer said she and Pete may get to Greg and Lisa’s a little late. They had some café errands they had to take care of first,” Kelly said.

  “Isn’t Greg bringing the twins over here?” Steve asked as he scanned the room.

  “He’s not here yet,” Megan replied. “Probably still trying to chase those kids down.”

  “No surprise there,” Marty said with a short laugh. “They’re a handful.”

  Marty’s comment sparked Kelly’s memory. “You know, guys, I’m getting worried about Lisa. She dropped into the shop yesterday, and it really hit me how much weight she’s lost this past year. She’s always been slender, but now she’s gotten way too skinny. I told her she looked like a skeleton. She just laughed. But Mimi came into the room then, took a good look at Lisa, and said the same thing.”

  Megan and Marty exchanged a glance. “You know, Marty and I were noticing the same thing. We’re hoping she’s simply forgetting to eat. Or not eating enough.”

  “Is she still seeing physical therapy patients every day?” Steve asked.

  “Just twice a week,” Kelly said. “She’s doing staff work the other days. But I think even that schedule is running her ragged. Megan and I both have jobs where we can sit quietly and work on our laptops. But Lisa’s job has her running over to the orthopedic clinic where she’s standing and working on patients and her work is really physical.”

  “That’s a good point,” Megan agreed. “But she loves it, and she wouldn’t be happy if she gave it up.”

  “Maybe Lisa and Greg need to take a short getaway,” Steve suggested. “You know, go for a long weekend once a month or so.”

  “Sounds like a great idea, but what about the kids?” Marty asked. “Megan and I use the nursing students to stay with Molly whenever we go away. Who could you get to take care of the wild twins?”

  “That’s a good question,” Kelly mused out loud as she stared into Marty and Megan’s great room. Cassie and Molly were running miniature cars around the garage, and Eric had just hefted a laughing Jack into the air, tossing him up then catching him.

  “Two nursing students?” Steve suggested with a smile.

  Suddenly, out of the back of Kelly’s mind, an idea appeared. A totally new idea. “What if there was a way for Lisa and Greg to have childcare all day, like we do? Just for a few months through the summer until the twins turn four. Remember how our kids were at four, compared to three-years-old?”

  “Oh yeah,” Marty said, nodding.

  “Well, what if there was a way for them to have eight hours a day of childcare? Jack’s all-day preschool is ending in a couple of weeks. We were going to take him to that private preschool like we did last summer and the summer before.”

  “Are you suggesting they pay a private preschool for two kids?” Steve asked, looking at Kelly skeptically. “That would be a hefty amount.”

  “I’m thinking of a different kind of idea.”

  “What? Give the kids to the gypsies?” Marty joked.

  “Megan, you’ve already told me how much you pay for after-kindergarten childcare, and I know how much Lisa pays the nursing student for the twins, and that’s just babysitting. Adding that to what Steve and I pay for the private all-day preschool in the summer—”

  “Uh-oh. Your accountant mind is at work. This could get scary,” Megan teased.

  Kelly continued. “Adding that together and dividing by three—”

  “Why three?” Marty asked.

  “Three couples,” Steve answered. “Where are you going with this, Kelly?”

  Kelly paused and considered the out-of-nowhere idea that had popped into her mind. Then, in her usual fashion, she simply let it all out.

  “I just got this crazy idea about all three families pooling our resources and paying for childcare for all four kids in one location.”

  “With one person?” Megan said, looking dubious.

  Kelly glanced over at Cassie and Eric playing with the kids. “Actually, I was thinking of two people,” she said with a wry smile.

  “You mean Cassie and Eric?” Megan said, clearly surprised.

  “That would be great, but aren’t they involved in summer jobs and stuff?” Marty asked.

  “Cassie’s waitressing at the café and helping Mimi at the shop,” Kelly answered. “And Eric is working on his parents’ ranch like he usually does.”

  “That’s a salary plus lots of tips for waitressing,” Megan said.

  “I don’t think Eric gets paid for his work around the ranch, but Curt definitely pays him. Eric works over there every afternoon,” Steve added. “Plus, Eric’s parents might not want to lose his help around the ranch in the mornings.”

  “Both Eric and Cassie might be willing to switch to the eight-hour childcare job if we all made it worth their while.” Kelly smiled. “Just adding up what all three of us pay in childcare comes out to a very generous amount, even split two ways for Cassie and Eric.” She then shared the number she’d figured for each family’s contribution.

  Steve glanced to the side. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Do you think Lisa and Greg would go for the idea?” Marty asked.

  “I think Greg would,” Steve said. “But I’m not sure about Lisa . . . What do you think, Kelly? Isn’t she into being Super Mom?”

  Kelly laughed softly. “I think by now Lisa has discovered what both Megan and I did by the time our kids turned three. Super Mom doesn’t exist. Or if she did, she’s already died from exhaustion.”

  “Amen to that,” Megan said with a nod.

  The doorbell chimes rang again, and Eric strode to the door. Once he opened it, two small cyclones blew in—Natalie and Michael—Lisa and Greg’s twins.

  “Wheeeeeeeee!” they chorused together as they raced across the living room, straight for the toys spread out on the floor surrounding Cassie, Molly, and Jack, who noisily greeted the twins.

  “So much for introductions, right?” Greg joked as the adults watched the small squad of preschoolers playing.

  “How’re you doing, buddy?” Marty asked, his expression conveying concern.

  “Hey, I’m doing okay. I only see the zoo morning and nighttime and weekends. It’s Lisa I’m worried about. She’s flat-out exhausted, trying to work at the clinic in the morning
s and take care of the twins in the afternoon.”

  “Actually, we were all just talking about that,” Steve said. “And Kelly came up with an idea. A way for the twins, Molly, and Jack to have eight hours a day of childcare together, Monday through Friday this summer.”

  “Tell me. I’m open to anything, guys. It’s Lisa you’d have to convince.”

  “With all three of us paying, we’re hoping our offer would be substantial enough to tempt Cassie and Eric away from their usual summer jobs to take over a full day of childcare,” Kelly explained. “The kids are already used to Cassie and Eric, and they love them. What do you think?” She looked at Greg.

  Greg glanced from Steve and Kelly to Marty and Megan, then sank down on one knee and reached for Kelly’s hand. “Bless you, Kelly. Maybe you can convince Lisa to agree. Whenever I’ve brought up a suggestion, she refuses to discuss it. She says she’s ‘all right.’ But she’s far from all right. I’m afraid she’s going to get so worn down she’ll ruin her health.”

  “Get up off the floor,” Kelly said with a laugh as she yanked her hand away. “We’ve got five out of the six of us agreeing, and I’ll bet Pete and Jennifer will agree once they hear the plan. Maybe we can all impress Lisa with our joint decision.”

  “Ha!” Megan gave a genteel snort. “This is strong-willed Lisa we’re talking about.”

  “Let’s run the idea by Cassie and Eric and see what they think of it,” Steve suggested. He turned around and called out, “Cassie, Eric, would you two be interested in making more money in the summer than you do now?”

  Cassie and Eric both looked up. “Sure thing. What do you have in mind?” Cassie answered with a grin.

  “Kelly’s come up with an idea,” Steve continued. “If you two could provide eight hours a day of childcare for all four kids, Monday through Friday throughout the summer, we’d pay you guys what we’re paying the preschools and babysitters we’re all using now. Split in two, that’s a hefty amount.”