by Terri DuLong
“I was thinking in about six weeks. The end of July. Would that work for you?”
“That would be perfect. I spoke to Mavis earlier and it seems the refurbishing of the schoolhouse is ahead of schedule, so we’ll be opening the week of Labor Day. But I’ll be free the end of July.”
“That’s great and I know it’ll make Haley happy. We’ll come for a week or so if that’s all right with you.”
“Come for two weeks, Isabelle. There’s so much to see and do here.”
“Really?” she said. Her tone sounded as if I was giving her a lifeline.
“Definitely. It’ll be so much fun having you guys here. I’ve missed you both a lot, and we have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I know, and thanks. Can you believe it’s one year tomorrow that Dad’s been gone?”
“No, I can’t. It seems like yesterday we were arriving at your home to visit. I still think of Gabe every day, and I miss him a lot. He was a good man.”
“He was. Okay, no sadness. Haley will be thrilled to hear we’re confirmed to visit. She really likes you a lot and I know she’s dying to spend some time with Basil.”
I laughed. “Oh, Basil will love that. Okay, well, keep in touch and give Haley a kiss and hug from me.”
I hung up and returned to the table to resume working on my design.
Poor Haley. I felt bad that she was going through a tough time. Being a teenager was tough enough without mean girls making it worse. I hoped her visit here would bring her some happiness. She was such a caring and giving young woman and certainly didn’t deserve to be treated this way at school.
I felt my stomach grumble and was surprised to see it was almost one. I had been totally engrossed working on the shawl pattern, and except for a bit of tweaking, I think I had it completed. Now I had to test it and do a sample to see how the repeat lace pattern would work out.
I got up from the table, stretched, glanced out the window and saw it was still raining. Maybe not quite as hard as earlier but still coming down. Time for lunch, and then I’d look through the stash of yarn I’d brought with me and begin working on the shawl.
“Basil,” I called, looking around the kitchen. I should let him outside while the rain was less intense. “Basil?” I called again. The last I’d seen of him, he was curled up on the kitchen floor, but he wasn’t there now.
I walked through the passageway to the living room and called his name again. I heard whimpering coming from the top of the staircase.
“What are you doing up there? Are you sleeping on my bed again?”
I got a whine in reply. What was it about that room that enticed him so much?
“Come on,” I hollered, heading to the back of the house. “Let’s go outside.” I could hear him coming down the stairs and turned around to see him following me.
After Basil came back inside, I heated up some pumpkin soup I’d made the day before and decided to have a grilled cheese sandwich with it. Soup was always good on a dreary day.
As I sat there eating my lunch I thought of my dream again. Actually, both dreams of the same woman. In the same location. It’s said that everybody dreams every night, but many of us have no recall in the morning, and I certainly could not remember ever having repeat dreams about the same person or situation. I didn’t believe in ghosts, unlike my sister, who had insisted our mother had visited her during the night shortly before she married Lucas. At the time, I had brushed it off as wedding tension on Grace’s part.
But now I wondered. Dreams were one thing, but could Emmalyn’s sprit still be hanging around this house? Her bedroom never had warmed up and was always a few degrees colder than the rest of the house. And Basil seemed to have a fixation on being in that room. He didn’t appear to be frightened of the room or anything in it—he just enjoyed being in there.
I had just finished filling the dishwasher when my cell rang again. It was Chadwick.
“Hey,” he said. “Keeping dry today?”
I glanced out the window and saw the rain had picked up again. “I am. It’s a wet one. That’s for sure.”
His laugh came across the line. “Yeah, but the good news is the rest of the week will be sunny and near eighty. So I was wondering if you might be interested in going out on the boat with me Saturday.”
“Saturday? Yeah, that sounds like fun.”
“Great. If you don’t mind, do you want to come over to my house? We can leave from here around three. I was thinking we could cruise up the Halifax over to the Tomoka River and go to the River Grille in Ormond Beach for dinner. They have a dock right there for boats.”
“Oh, that does sound like fun. Sure, I don’t have a problem driving over to your house. You’re just farther up North Beach, right?”
“Yes, 1505. The brick house on the right. You’ll see the brick posts out front and a wrought-iron fence. Just pull into the circular driveway. I’ll have the gate open.”
“Great. See you on Saturday.”
I hung up and felt a smile cross my face. It felt good to have a male companion back in my life again.
I prepared myself a cup of tea and curled up on the living room sofa to begin working on the shawl. After I had casted on and had a few rows finished, it occurred to me that I’d have to come up with a name for the shawl and decide on colors to be used.
Almost immediately, Chloe’s Dream came into my head. The perfect name. And I could see the shawl completed in shades of crimson, cranberry, and a hint of pink. For a contrasting color I saw gray and white swirling through it. The image of the woman in my dream flashed in my mind and I felt a shiver go through me. What was the connection between my dream and the design for the shawl? I didn’t know, but all of it was starting to feel a bit eerie.
Chapter 22
True to Chadwick’s forecast, it was sunny, high seventies and low humidity on Friday afternoon. So I decided to hold the knitting group outside on the patio. It was the perfect day to be enjoying the great weather.
I had just finished placing the cupcakes that Marta had baked earlier onto a platter when my cell rang and I heard Louise’s voice.
“Chloe, hi. I was just wondering . . . do you think it would be okay . . . if I brought Ramona to the knitting group this afternoon? I’ll keep her in her bag. I promise. But she’s letting me know she doesn’t really want to stay alone.”
I laughed and shook my head. More and more, dogs and cats were becoming bona fide family members, which I thought was wonderful. “Of course you can, Louise. As a matter of fact, because it’s so nice today, I thought we’d meet outside on the patio. So Ramona can play with Basil in the yard.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of you, Chloe, and Ramona will be so excited. She adores Basil and enjoys socializing with him. Great. Okay, well then, we’ll see you around two.”
I hung up and smiled. When I’d initially offered to take Basil, it was because I felt it was the right thing to do. There was no way I could let Gabe’s dog go to a pound and sit there till God knows what might have happened. But over the past year, Basil had become so much more than just a pet to me. He was my buddy, my confidant, my best friend, and I knew I’d be lost without him.
I filled the glass carafe with water for coffee and had a saucepan ready to boil water for tea. After I stacked the paper plates and napkins on the counter, I walked outside to visit the schoolhouse. The workers had left about an hour ago. I stepped inside to see the latest updates.
The entire wall on my left now held wooden cubbyholes—perfect for stacking various kinds of yarn. A fresh coat of white paint had been applied to the other walls and I could see the border print would probably be ready to go up soon, which meant that Mavis, Yarrow, and I had to make a decision on what we wanted. I walked toward the back, and it looked like some remodeling had been started for the tea shop also. This really would be the ideal yarn and tea shop.
I walked back outside and through the archway to the fishpond. Basil followed me and I sat down on one of the stone benches
as I let out a deep sigh. I hadn’t had any further dreams in the past few nights, but sitting there watching the brightly colored fish swim gave me a sense of peace, unlike the sadness and turmoil exhibited by the woman in my dream. What did it all mean? Did it mean anything at all?
“Yoo hoo,” Mavis hollered. “Are you here, Chloe?”
“Right here,” I called and walked out of the fishpond area to see her coming through the gate.
“Oh, good. I’m a tad early.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “I thought we’d sit out on the patio today.”
“Very good idea. It’s just beautiful out.” She headed to one of the padded chairs with the assist of her cane and sat down.
Basil ran over to greet her and she laughed. “I sure do love this little guy,” she said, bending over to pat him.
“He’s going to have some company today. Louise called to see if she could bring Ramona and I told her it would be fine. Basil will enjoy a canine visitor.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I have no doubt when we’re in the yarn shop she’ll bring her all the time since Ramona can safely stay out here with Basil.”
“Right. Oh, by the way, I was just in there looking around. It’s shaping up so nicely, Mavis.”
“Yes, I peeked in yesterday. They’re doing a very fine job.”
“But it looks like they’ll be ready soon to hang the border print, so we have to decide what we want.”
“Yes, I was thinking about that and thinking the three of us need to pay a visit to Lowe’s. When are you free?”
“Monday would work.”
“Great. I’ll let Yarrow know.”
We both looked toward the driveway gate as female voices filled the air and the knitters began arriving.
An hour later I looked around at the knitters and smiled. I wasn’t in Brunswick, Georgia. I wasn’t in Cedar Key. I was in an area where I’d only been for a little over five weeks and yet—it felt like home. Meeting new women, women with the common love of knitting, had a way of creating this sense of belonging.
“How’s the shawl design coming along?” Maddie asked.
“Very well. I finished the design and I’ve begun to work on a sample. Here,” I said, reaching into my knitting bag. “I’ll let you see a preview.”
Ohhhs and ahhhs filled the patio area as eight women leaned forward for a better look.
“Pass it around,” I said and gave the piece to Maddie.
“I just love it.”
“I definitely want to make that.”
The comments flowed and Fay, who was fairly new to the group, said, “It’s just lovely. Have you thought of a name yet?”
“I’m thinking of calling it Chloe’s Dream,” I said and withheld any explanation.
Everybody loved the name.
“How about colors?” Paige asked. “Will we be making it in this purple?”
I laughed. “No, that’s just part of my stash. I was thinking of various shades of red combined with gray and white.”
Again, the agreement was unanimous.
We resumed our knitting and before I knew it, it was going on four. I jumped up to make the coffee and tea. “We’ll have snacks as soon as the coffee and tea are ready,” I called over my shoulder and headed into the kitchen.
“Need any help?” Maddie asked as I poured the carafe of water into the coffeemaker.
“Yeah, just turn on the stove to boil the water for tea. And then you can take this platter of cupcakes outside. I forgot to find out who wanted coffee or tea.”
“I’ll ask,” Maddie said as she headed back out through the French doors.
I glanced out the window over the sink and saw that Ramona and Basil were having a great time running around chasing each other. My pooch would be sleeping well tonight.
“Four coffees and four teas,” Maddie said.
“Okay, and I’ll have coffee.” I reached into the cabinet and removed a large wooden tray, setting five mugs on it. “I put the teacups on that tray along with the canister of different flavored tea bags. When the water’s boiled, could you pour it into the cups?” I asked as I began pouring coffee.
“So,” Maddie said, dragging out the word. “I haven’t seen you all week. How’d your dinner with Chadwick go last Saturday night?”
“Oh. Very well. He’s a really nice guy. We went to Genovese’s and the food was delicious.”
“And so? Any romantic feelings forming?”
I was beginning to see that Maddie had a way of getting right to the point. I laughed. “I’m not sure. It’s too soon to tell.”
She waved a hand in the air. “Hey, it’s either there or it isn’t. For what it’s worth, I bet there’s some chemistry going on. Are you seeing him again?”
I hesitated before pouring the final cup of coffee. “Um, yeah. Tomorrow. He invited me to go out on his boat.”
Maddie dramatically cleared her throat. “Ah, yup. Definitely some chemistry going on there,” she said as I walked outside with the tray of coffee mugs.
“These cupcakes are delicious,” Yarrow said, reaching for a second one. “I have to talk to Marta about doing a little bakery business for me on the side. Her baked items would be a bonus for the tea shop.”
“Oh, they would,” Louise said, picking up her teacup and pursing her lips. “And I’ll be so glad to have your shop open so we can have real tea again. No offense, Chloe.”
I laughed. “None taken.”
“Have you heard from your friend Isabelle?” Mavis asked. “Is she still planning to visit?”
“Yes, she called this week and she and Haley will be down here late July for a couple of weeks.”
Mavis clapped her hands together. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m very much looking forward to meeting them, and this house will be so happy to have some young life breathed back into it again.”
Louise batted her hand in the air. “Oh, Mavis, you and your silly thoughts about this house.”
Before a conflict ensued, I said, “Yeah, I think poor Haley also needs a breather after the rough school year she had. She’s gained some weight and the girls in her class have been so mean to her. The poor kid barely wanted to go to school. Young girls can have such a streak of meanness.”
“Oh, it’s not just young girls,” Fay said. We all looked over at her. “Oh, no. Once a mean girl, always a mean girl, I say. They just get older but they don’t change. You wouldn’t believe what goes on at Dolphin Run.”
I recalled hearing that Fay lived in a very upscale assisted living facility in Daytona Beach.
“Problems?” Mavis asked.
“Of a sort, but nothing I can’t handle. Since I moved there in January I’ve been trying to socialize and fit in. For the most part it’s worked out. But there was a knitting group that I wanted to join on Monday mornings, so I showed up at the function room where it was being held. There were about twelve women there, but when I introduced myself, I noticed nobody was making a spot for me at the table and there were no extra chairs in the room. When I said I’d go look for another chair, one of them piped up and said there really wasn’t any room at the table. That everybody would feel cramped. It was perfectly obvious that with a little arranging, we’d all have plenty of room. So I caught on mighty fast. These women might be over age seventy—but they were mean girls.”
Yarrow shook her head. “Fay’s right. Women like that never change. When Fay began coming into the tea shop, I saw her knitting there by herself while she was having her tea, so I invited her to join our group.”
“And that was very nice of you,” Fay said.
“Yes, you’re certainly welcome here,” Mavis told her.
“Hear, hear,” we all chimed in.
I could only hope that eventually Haley would hook up with a welcoming circle of friends like the ones I had found.
Chapter 23
Grace called Saturday morning just as I stepped out of the shower.
“I’ve missed you,” I said. “How are you doing
?”
“Great. We’ve been in the south of France for the past week, visiting more of Lucas’s family. But it’s been a wonderful month. We’re all fine and I can hardly believe we fly back to the States on Tuesday.”
“The month really did go fast,” I told her. “But it’ll be nice to have you back on this side of the pond again.”
“Right and as soon as I get over jet lag, I’ll gather up your things and bring them to you in Ormond Beach.”
“I really hate to have you do that. I could drive to Cedar Key and get my stuff.”
“Don’t be silly. Besides, I’m dying to see where you’re staying and hopefully meet Mavis and Yarrow.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, that would be great. We can go over what I need you to bring later. I spoke to Marin and I’d love to have you guys come to spend the night. I have plenty of room and Mavis has encouraged me to have company. She thinks it makes the house happy.”
I heard laughter come across the line. “Seriously?”
“Very seriously,” I told my sister. “She’s a bit like Aunt Maude in that respect. She feels houses have an energy that we can feel if we pay attention.”
“After my own experience at Aunt Maude’s house, I’m afraid I tend to agree with her. Any ghosts make an appearance yet?”
“Not yet,” I said. “But I have been having some interesting dreams since I moved in here.”
“Dreams can be messages sent to us also. How’s it going with Chadwick Price?”
I let out a deep sigh. “Well, we had dinner together last weekend and I’m going out on his boat with him later today.”
“But? I detect some uncertainty in your tone.”
Grace had a knack for knowing me better than anyone else.
“But . . . he’s a really nice guy. I enjoy his company. He’s quite handsome and successful. But I don’t know. I’m not sure I even want to get involved with somebody right now.”
“Is it just him or would it be anybody who came into your life?”
Good question. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re really not known for following through on your romantic attachments, Chloe. I realize that Parker left you, but you admitted maybe you should have given more thought to marrying him. Then after your divorce, you dated Cameron. Nothing happened there. Then Gabe came into your life. Yes, you had no control over his leaving you, but—and don’t take this the wrong way—I think being with Gabe had a lot to do with the fact that you needed a change, a reason to move on.”