Dyeing Up Loose Ends

by Maggie Sefton

  “It wasn’t easy, believe me,” Kelly said. “But in those first three months, instead of queasiness, I’d have these sudden tired attacks. Like all of a sudden, I’d have to sit down. Which was so weird for me. But the good thing was it only lasted for those first three months. Then suddenly, I got all my regular energy back and it was go, go, go again.”

  “Oh, that’s good news,” Julie said, eyes lighting up.

  Kelly decided to turn the conversation to a more serious subject. “How’re you doing, Julie? I mean, really doing? I’ve heard that Andy’s old girlfriend is not being a ‘gracious loser,’ shall we say?”

  Julie gave a slight shrug. “Yeah, you might say that. I’ve never met her. But Andy said he only dated Suzy for a year and broke up with her because she was so demanding. He started dating lots of different girls in his classes at the university, and then he and I met and we just sort of ‘clicked,’ I guess.” She shrugged again and smiled.

  “That’s what happens. If we’re lucky, we each meet someone we sort of ‘click’ with. If we’re lucky,” Kelly said. “And it sounds like you and Andy definitely clicked. I’m really happy you found someone special, Julie. You deserve a special guy, because you’re pretty special yourself.”

  “Thanks, Kelly. You’re really sweet to say that.”

  Kelly had to laugh. “Oh wow. That’s the second time today I’ve been called ‘sweet.’ That is too weird. CPAs aren’t supposed to be sweet. Analytical? Yes. Methodical? That, too. But, sweet? No way.”

  Julie actually laughed out loud at that, which was exactly what Kelly was hoping for.

  Switching subjects again, Kelly asked, “Have you thought about how you’re going to handle your classes at the university and childcare? That’s a big adjustment for all new parents. Especially for people like us. Will you and Andy take turns babysitting in those early months?”

  Julie nodded. “Yes. We’ve been drawing up different schedules to see which combination works the best. We’ll both have to reduce our course load each semester until we can put the little one in childcare, and we’ll have to adjust our work hours, of course.” Julie gave a crooked smile.

  “Where does Andy work? You may have told me, but I forgot.”

  “He’s working over at an information technology company just outside Fort Connor. He snagged an internship with one of the senior investment managers there, so it’s a fantastic opportunity.”

  “I’ll say. Tell Andy I’m impressed. I know several people over at that company, and I’ve heard how many applications they receive every semester from students hoping to land an internship there. Or even a part-time job of a few hours. Those are prize accomplishments.”

  “I’ll miss seeing all of you folks as much as I do now. You’ve become family to me. My dad died years ago from a heart attack, and my mom passed away last year. She had a stroke and was all alone in her apartment out of state.” Julie glanced away.

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” Kelly commiserated.

  “I felt so sorry that she had no one there to help her. Call 911 or something. But she loved living in Florida.”

  “You know, I think I remember your leaving here to go to her funeral in Florida last year. It was in the spring.”

  Julie nodded. “Yeah, I stayed for a few days and went through her apartment and closed it out. Then I gave all her clothes and the furniture to the local Goodwill store and the Salvation Army. They always make good use of donations.”

  “Absolutely,” Kelly agreed, remembering when there were wildfires in the nearby canyons several years ago.

  All of her friends and the Lambspun family pitched in to help the canyon residents who were chased from their homes by the encroaching flames. Scary times. Several people she knew slept at the Salvation Army shelters and ate from their food trucks every day.

  “I also brought back several of her favorite things,” Julie added in a pensive tone, her voice dropping softer.

  Kelly paused for a moment. “Do you have any other relatives, Julie? Cousins, uncles, grandparents?”

  “No. No one except my crazy brother, Tony, and he barely counts as family, because he never wants to talk or anything or be with me. He’s always looking for money. Scrounging is more like it. When he first moved here from Colorado Springs, where he was supposed to be going to school, I let him move into my apartment with me. Then I caught him going through my purse whenever I’d come back late from class at night or studying at the library. I always took my backpack. I’d tell Tony to stop, and he’d swear that he would. Then I’d catch him doing it again.” She screwed up her pretty face.

  “Whoa . . .” Kelly said, listening to Julie’s tale.

  “Or I’d get to work here in the morning and find out all the money in my wallet was missing. I’d chew him out, and he’d act all contrite. Then he’d get a job washing dishes in a bar, work for a few nights or a week at the most, then quit and go panhandling in Old Town. Or he’d find somebody who’d let him bunk in with them. The Mission never has extra room. There are real homeless families out there who need shelter.”

  “That’s for sure,” Kelly agreed, remembering some of the homeless folks she had met through Jayleen’s work at the Mission.

  “Then, he’d want to move back in with me. Finally, I had enough. So I moved out of that apartment and went to another one, and I didn’t give him a key, so he couldn’t move in, and just to be safe, I started keeping my wallet in my backpack that had a padlocked zipper.”

  Kelly shook her head in amazement. “He really does sound like a Bad News Brother.”

  “Yeah, I hate to say it, but he is.”

  “Listen, Julie, if you ever need some of us to . . . uh, encourage your brother to change his wayward ways—or as Curt would say: ‘Shape up or ship out!’—just let us know, okay? The guys would simply show up wherever he was hanging out and have a little discussion. They’re all big and pretty intimidating, so they wouldn’t lay a hand on him. They wouldn’t have to.” She gave Julie a wry smile.

  Julie laughed softly. “I’ll remember that, Kelly.”

  Two couples walked into the café alcove then, followed by Jennifer. She chose a larger side table for them and handed out menus as they settled into the chairs.

  Julie pushed back her chair and stood up. “It looks like break time is over. I really enjoyed our chat, Kelly. You’re always fun to talk to. Plus I always learn something new.” She grinned. “See you later.”

  “I enjoyed it, too, Julie. Talk to you later.”

  With that, Kelly slid her laptop out of her briefcase bag and popped it open. Time to return to work—like everyone else.

  * * *

  • • •

  Kelly leaned back in the café’s wooden chair as she pressed the cell phone closer to her ear. The lunchtime crowd had suddenly shown up at Pete’s Café, but Kelly wasn’t in the garden patio of the café where other table noise disappeared into the greenery. She was right in the middle of the café alcove that was rapidly filling with customers, and all of them were talking loudly.

  “Hold on just a minute, Arthur,” she told her Fort Connor real estate investor client as she rose from the smaller table. “I’m suddenly surrounded by lots of people who are chatting away. Let me escape someplace quieter.” She headed for the corridor between the café and the Lambspun shop.

  “I bet you’re in that great café adjacent to your favorite fiber shop, Lambspun.” Arthur Housemann’s voice betrayed a slight teasing tone.

  “You hit the nail on the head, Arthur,” Kelly said as she quickly wove around the yarn-filled tables of the central yarn room and the foyer then headed for Lambspun’s front door.

  Arthur’s chuckle sounded over the phone. “Maybe all accountants and financial advisers should work in the midst of something beautiful like those colorful yarns. Some of those people have perpetually sour expressions. Every tim
e I see one of them at meetings, I wonder if a place like Lambspun might help improve their dispositions.”

  “I doubt it, Arthur,” Kelly said as she pushed open the wooden door and stepped outside into the early summer heat. “Now I’m outside, so we’ll have quieter surroundings.” She settled into one of the black wrought-iron chairs Mimi located beside the matching table next to the front entry. It was a perfect place to teach students wet felting techniques.

  “You’re right. It’s much quieter now. So I assume you’re as pleased with the quarterly financial statements as I am?”

  “Definitely. Your accounts are steadily building, and your monthly withdrawals barely make a difference, thanks to your prudent and wise investment strategy over the years.”

  “Flattery, flattery,” Arthur said in a jovial tone.

  “It’s the truth, Arthur,” Kelly countered. “In fact, I think you and your wife should sign up for one of those extended cruises you’ve always said you wanted to go on. There is more than enough money in your accounts so that withdrawing the amount for a cruise wouldn’t even cause a ripple. I promise you.”

  Arthur’s laughter sounded over the phone this time. “I swear, Kelly, you could sell ice in the South Pole.”

  Kelly smiled. “It’s the Irish in me, as my father used to say.”

  “I agree, and that’s a perfect description. Meanwhile, I’ll take that suggestion up with my wife. We have a huge stack of travel magazines and brochures we’ve been collecting. Maybe this is a good time to start weeding through them and see what catches our attention.”

  “Definitely, Arthur, and prepare to take plenty of pictures so I can share them with Steve. We can get ideas of where we’d like to travel when Jack gets into college or beyond.”

  “Good Lord, Kelly, that will be several years away.”

  “I know. All of us are realizing that we’ll be in our late fifties before we can start to travel, especially the way you and your wife do now.”

  “I think you’re going to be surprised, Kelly. Life actually gets better as you get older. You’ll have to trust me on that,” he said in a jovial tone.

  “Oh, I trust you implicitly, Arthur. You have never led me astray,” Kelly replied.

  At that, Arthur Housemann laughed.

  Eight

  Days Later

  Kelly nosed her sports wagon into one of the open spaces in the Lambspun parking lot. Lots of open parking space was one of the many benefits to arriving earlier than most of the popular fiber shop’s customers.

  A familiar “woof” sounded from the back of the wagon. Kelly glanced into the rearview mirror to see her Rottweiler Carl standing up, staring out the back window. Ready to chase any squirrel that dared trespass on the cottage backyard. It was a part-time yard now that Carl had to divide his Squirrel Watchdog duties between two backyards.

  “You’re raring to go, aren’t you, Carl?” Kelly asked her dog as she switched off the car’s ignition and opened the driver’s door.

  Carl responded with more anxious half-whine, half-bark noises as Kelly walked around the wagon and lifted the back gate. “Okay, Big Boy. You can race to the fence ahead of me and warn those squirrels that the sheriff is back. Those two days of squirrel-free roaming are over.”

  With that, Kelly opened the back gate completely and held it wide. Rottweiler Carl gave a mighty leap—all muscle and sinew, taut and strong, responding. He landed on the ground and took off for the gated fence that surrounded Kelly’s cottage, left to her by her beloved aunt Helen, who had lived happily in the cottage while she made beautiful, handmade quilts. Kelly had two of them hanging on the walls of her Fort Connor home. The home that her husband Steve, architect and builder, built as part of one of his popular Fort Connor communities.

  Kelly slammed the wagon gate closed and retrieved her briefcase bag and empty coffee mug before joining an anxious Carl at the backyard gate.

  Brazen Squirrel and his extended family could be seen either balanced on the top rail of the chain link fence, sitting in the crossed limbs of several low-hanging branches, or climbing on the huge cottonwood tree that sat at the edge of the Fort Connor golf course located on the other side of Kelly’s cottage fence.

  “Okay, Carl, hold on,” Kelly said as Carl stood on his back legs, front legs and paws already on the fence, barking at the squirrels inside the cottage backyard. She quickly moved the combination lock’s numbers through their sequence and popped the lock open, freeing the gate. Carl sprang through the gate and made a beeline for the back fence, barking his loud, deep, ferocious Rottweiler bark.

  Brazen Squirrel and family did not waste a second. Each one of them sprinted away from Big Dog’s sudden appearance—farther down the top rail of the fence they raced while others quickly jumped to even higher branches and others sped up the massive cottonwood tree trunk to one of the main limbs. There, they proceeded to fuss and chatter away at Carl with loud, high-pitched squirrely noises, clearly scolding Big Dog for interrupting their morning activities.

  Carl stood up on his hind legs, front paws on the fence, and barked angry doggie threats to the fleet-footed, furry little creatures.

  Kelly watched the familiar drama with amusement as she always did. She had long ago sensed both Big Dog and Brazen Squirrel enjoyed their morning routine. Kelly clicked the combination lock closed to secure the gate and started across the driveway, heading toward Lambspun’s front door. Temperatures were rising quickly today. May had already slipped into June with summer temps.

  A familiar beep sounded, and Kelly turned to see Burt’s car pull into the Lambspun parking lot. Kelly walked closer and waited for her old friend to greet her.

  “Perfect timing, Kelly,” Burt said as he climbed out of his sedan. “I was hoping to catch you before you were immersed in numbers.”

  “No numbers are sticking to me yet, Burt,” she teased as they both walked toward the knitting shop’s front door. “Why don’t we go to the café and chat. Once you enter the shop, errands will jump all over you, like they always do.”

  “Sounds good, Kelly,” Burt replied as he held the door open for Kelly.

  “Thank you, sir. Let’s aim straight for the corridor quietly. That way, maybe we can spirit you away from the front counter folks.”

  Burt chuckled as Kelly quickly led the way, around the corner and down the corridor fast, entering the café so suddenly they actually startled a breakfast customer. He looked up at them in surprise, his yummy-looking egg, bacon, and cheese biscuit in his hand.

  “Excuse us,” Kelly said with a bright smile as she and Burt walked toward the small café table in the back and they both settled into the café chairs. “So what’s up, Burt? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

  Burt gave her a smile as he leaned back into his chair. “Cassie and Eric’s Big Plans, of course. Mimi and I are delighted that Cassie chose a fine boy like Eric. It’s just that, well . . . they’re so young.”

  “Ah yes. They certainly are by today’s standards. But Cassie and Eric have good heads on their shoulders. They’re both more mature than most other kids their age. Both Eric and Cassie have had to take responsibility for working at an early age, Eric at his family ranch and Cassie here at the café.”

  “I knew talking to you would make me feel better,” Burt joked. “Sweet Mimi just gets teary whenever I mention their marriage.”

  “That’s our Mimi,” Kelly said, then took a deep drink of her morning coffee from the travel mug. “Ummmm, this is getting cold. Time for a warm-up.”

  Burt reached for the mug. “I’ll take care of it. I need another cup of Eduardo’s Black Gold, myself. Isn’t that what you call it, Kelly?”

  “Oh yes. I wouldn’t be able to keep those accounts straight without it.”

  Burt laughed as he rose from the table and walked toward the counter. Julie suddenly rushed up to Kelly’s table
then. She was holding a large black-and-white summer straw bag.

  “Kelly, can I ask you to take this bag with my mother’s jewelry box and put it in Mimi’s back office, please?” Julie asked, her dark eyes anxious. “And ask Mimi to please keep it there. I’ll explain later.” Julie extended the straw bag, offering it to Kelly.

  “Sure, Julie. No problem. I’ll take it over there now and put it in her office myself. Then I’ll tell Mimi that you’d like her to keep it there.” She peered at Julie. “Is everything all right, Julie? You look really worried about something.”

  “It’s my brother.” She shook her head. “He just remembered my mother left me her jewelry box with all her pretty jewelry in it. He wants me to sell everything now so he can have his share of the money. Like I told you before, he’s always got money problems. This time he says he’s got tough-looking guys knocking on his door, wanting him to pay what he owes.”

  “Oh wow. If he’s in debt to loan sharks, he’s in way over his head. You’re smart to bring this over here, Julie. I’ll tell Mimi.”

  “Thank you, thank you, Kelly,” Julie said, her relief obvious. “After the café closes, I’ll come over and show you and Jennifer and Mimi all my mother’s pretty things. There are too many for me to wear, so I wanted to give pieces to the special people in my life.” She gave Kelly a little smile.

  “That’s so sweet, Julie,” Kelly said. “But you don’t have to do that.”

  “I know. But I want to do it.”

  Kelly could tell from the determined look on Julie’s face that there would be no argument. “All right, Julie. I’d be honored to receive a piece of your mother’s jewelry. I never had anything from my mother. No jewelry, no keepsakes, nothing. So this will be special for me, too.” She reached over and gave Julie a big hug. Julie returned the hug, holding on to Kelly tightly for several seconds.

  “Okay. I’ll see you after the café closes,” Julie said, then turned and walked toward the café counter and the ever-present coffeepot.