“I have several yards of assorted dogs,” Delores said. “I’d be happy to contribute that.”
“I have an animal collection. I’ll pull out the dogs,” Allison offered.
“Did you have any of the fabric left over that you used for Barney’s quilt?” Sophie asked turning to Sarah.
“Yes! And that has five or six different breeds on it. I’ll pull that out.”
“I think we’re well on our way,” Ruth said enthusiastically. “Next week we’ll have a work shop and get started on our blocks. “It looks like we’ll have enough dogs. Check your stash and see if you have any fabric with skies or trees for behind the dog houses.”
“… and rocks or grass for the ground below,” Sarah called out.
“Also flowers,” Christina added. “Don’t forget the flowers.”
As Sarah and Sophie were leaving, Ruth said, “Oh, wait a second Sarah. I wanted to ask you about the five-sided center piece. Did you use a pattern for that piece? The three blocks you displayed seemed to be consistent sizes.”
“Yes. I made a plastic template. I’ll bring it next week. It’s just five-sided with the two opposite sides being elongated to form the walls.”
“Good. I’ll use yours to cut templates for everyone. I’ll see you next week and Sophie, promise me you’ll be here.”
“I’ll be here,” Sophie responded.
As they were driving home, Sarah turned to Sophie and said, “So honestly, what do you think of the group?”
“I think it would be worth learning to thread a needle if it meant I could be part of that group.”
Sarah, knowing Sophie had been enjoying herself, smiled and said, “You already are a part of that group, my friend. You already are.”
Sophie reached over and gave her friend’s arm a quick pat.
* * *
“How was your meeting?” Charles asked as he reached for her pizza box so she could remove her coat and boots.
“Wonderful,” she responded with a broad smile, “And Sophie loved it.”
“She did?” he responded somewhat surprised. “And did they like the dog house design you gals worked up?”
“They sure did. They chose it for the rescue quilt,” she announced proudly. “I think it’s going to be really cute. We picked most of the fabrics and Sophie found a sashing fabric that’s just perfect. It’s black with colorful paw prints all over it. We’ll use it between the blocks and possibly for the border. Ruth is donating all the fabric for the project.”
She hung up her coat and turned to continue talking to him about the meeting, but he was already heading toward the kitchen. “Coffee?” he asked.
“Decaffeinated,” she responded.
“And how about a slice of carrot cake?”
“I’ll skip that. I had a couple of cookies at the meeting.”
“Well,” he responded thoughtfully, “I’ll have carrot cake. I didn’t get my seven fruits and vegetables today.”
“Just a minute…” she responded, pretending indignation. “Surely you haven’t been counting carrot cake as a vegetable on your food diary.”
“Of course I have,” he teased. “Now tell me about your meeting.”
“I’ll get to that, but first I want to tell you about my talk with Caitlyn. During the break I sat down with her and told her about Penny.”
“They haven’t met?”
“Not yet. In fact, Penny hasn’t met anyone yet and Sophie thinks it’s time. She’s going to have a small party for her next week…just a few of us along with Andy and Caitlyn.”
“Where are they going to live? Here with Sophie?”
“The retirement village rules don’t allow it.”
“I hadn’t thought about that. How is Caitlyn able to live here with Andy?”
“Remember, Andy filed for an exception. She’s listed as his caregiver, although we both know Andy doesn’t need any care. But Sophie couldn’t do that for Timothy and Penny both. Actually, they need their own place anyway.”
“True. It’s going to be an adjustment for both of them, but it would be good if they could be close to Sophie.”
“I agree. Tim is hoping to find something within walking distance of Cunningham Village.”
“So back to your talk with Caitlyn,” Charles said getting them back on topic. “What did Caitlyn have to say when you talked to her tonight?”
“She’s a couple years older than Penny, but she offered to help her get acclimated. It’s not clear whether they’ll be in the same school. Penny was in the eighth grade when she left Alaska, but she’ll have to be tested to determine her grade level.”
“Why wouldn’t she just go into eighth grade?”
“Well, her mother was home-schooling her and the school system needs to review her records and do grade-level testing. Tim is actually hoping she can go into the high school. It’s right up the street and he’s looking at an apartment complex just on the other side of the park.”
“Also she’d be in the same school as Caitlyn, right?”
“Yes, Caitlyn’s in the tenth grade, but they’d be in the same building. If she has to go to the middle school, she’ll be catching a bus. I guess Tim is just hoping to reduce the number of changes in her life.”
“I hope he doesn’t go too far the other way. She doesn’t need to be overprotected either,” Charles responded.
“I don’t think Sophie will let that happen.”
“So when’s this party?”
“Saturday. To keep it simple, Sophie’s just doing lunch for you and me, Martha, Andy, and Caitlyn.”
“Martha? Martha hasn’t met her either?”
“No and they wanted to keep that introduction casual. She could easily rebel if she thinks she’s being introduced to a new mother.”
“I see,” he responded frowning. “But actually…”
“I asked her, Charles. Martha said she and Tim haven’t even discussed marriage. She wants to get to know Penny on her own before she makes a commitment to either one of them. Taking on a family at this point in her life is something she’s just not sure she wants to do.”
“Oh.”
His tone reminded her of the tone he used when she, herself, was expressing her own reluctance to make a commitment. She hadn’t thought about it before, but her daughter was much like she was about making major life changes. She too had balked at getting seriously involved with Charles.
“She’s just being cautious,” Sarah added.
“Like her mom,” he responded without looking up.
“Yes, I guess ‘like her mom.’”
After a short pause, he raised his head and asked, “Were you ever sorry?”
“Not for a minute,” she answered with a twinkle in her eye, which he returned.
Chapter 13
Charles and Sarah were the first to arrive at Sophie’s house on Saturday. Tim and Penny were sitting on the couch watching a quiz show. Tim immediately stood up, hugged Sarah warmly, and reached out to shake hands with Charles. “Good to see you folks again. It’s been a long time. In fact, the last time I saw you two was at another party…”
“Our wedding,” Charles replied with a broad smile. “Happiest night of my life,” he added.
“You charmer,” Sarah responded, lightly tapping him with her hand. Turning to the young girl on the couch, she said, “and this must be your daughter.” She held out her hand, and Penny stood and shyly offered her own. “I’m Sarah Parker. If it’s okay with your father, please call me Sarah.” Penny looked toward her father who nodded his approval.
“Glad to meet you,” Penny said softly. “I’m Penny.”
“So glad to meet you, Penny. And this is my husband, Charles.”
At that moment, Emma came bounding into the room.
“Oh my!” Sarah exclaimed, placing her hand on the side of her face. “She’s beautiful.”
Sophie turned the corner right behind Emma and beamed with pride. “Isn’t she something? The groomer was delighted wi
th what he found under that matted fur…a beautiful young lady!” Emma held her head and tail high and pranced around seeming to understand that all the fuss was about her.
“Barney should see her now. He’d be instantly in love.”
“Let’s hope not,” Sophie said with a frown, forgetting that puppies were out of the question for either of their dogs.
About that time there was another knock at the door and Tim hurried to open it. An almost imperceptible look of disappointment crossed his face that only Sophie could see. It wasn’t Martha.
“Andy, come on in. Is Caitlyn with you?”
“She’ll be right along. She went back to change her outfit.”
“To change?” Tim responded incredulously. “Why?”
“Oh, you have a lot to learn about these young girls of ours,” Andy chuckled. “Just wait.”
“Speaking of young girls, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Penelope.” Penny frowned. “Oh, sorry. I mean my daughter, Penny.”
“See? What did I tell you?” Andy said softly as an aside to Timothy. “Hi Penny. I’m very glad to meet you. My daughter, Caitlyn, will be along soon.”
Penny smiled and said she was glad to meet him. “How old is Caitlyn?” she asked shyly.
“Caitlyn is sixteen. She’s been with me for the past two years. Her mother died too,” he responded and Penny immediately dropped her eyes. Sarah could see her body curl slightly forward as if she were a fading flower. “Oh, sorry,” Andy added. “I guess I shouldn’t have…anyway, Penny, I’m glad to meet you.”
“Me too,” she said without looking up.
“I’m going to leave you folks to visit,” Sophie said. “Sarah, will you help me in the kitchen?”
Sarah stood to follow her just as there was another knock at the door. “Timmy,” Sophie yelled. “Will you get that?”
Once in the kitchen, Sophie exclaimed, “It took me all morning to convince that young girl to come out of her room and meet people. It only took Andy one second to convince her it was a mistake.”
“It’s not that bad, Sophie. It’s actually a good thing for Penny to know that she and Caitlyn share something very fundamental. They’ve both lost their mother and they can be a support to one another.”
“You’re probably right,” Sophie replied. “I keep telling Tim that he’s being overprotective, and here I am doing it myself. Her mother did die. There’s no reason to pretend it didn’t happen, but we haven’t mentioned it once since she got here.”
“I think things will look up once she gets into school,” Sarah said reassuringly.
“You may be right. Timmy met with the school counselor yesterday and they’re starting testing this week to determine her grade level and any special needs she might have.” After a short pause, Sophie said, “Would you peek around the corner and see who came in?”
“Oh, it’s Martha. Martha, we’re in here,” she called to her daughter. She had to laugh to herself when she noticed that Tim and Martha were sitting on opposite sides of the room as if they were practically strangers.
“I’ll be right in,” Martha responded. As she stood, Martha turned to Penny and said, “Shall we go see if we can help with lunch?” Sarah saw Penny’s eyes light up with appreciation that someone was getting her out of the fishbowl. Once they were in the kitchen, Martha immediately started getting dishes out and suggested Penny get the silverware.
“How many will we be?” Martha asked.
“Nine counting Emma,” Sophie responded.
Martha and Penny gave each other a look and Martha said, “I guess that means eight of everything.”
“Get one of the men in here to put a leaf in the table,” Sophie added.
“Do you want to get your dad?” Martha asked Penny, and the young girl smiled and nodded.
“You’re a natural,” Sarah whispered to Martha. “And you thought you didn’t have it.”
Martha just smiled. “She reminds me of myself at that age,” she said softly.
Once the table was set and they were shuffling around deciding who would sit where, the doorbell rang again and Emma ran to the door. “That would be Caitlyn,” Andy said, and he headed for the door behind Emma.
After Andy introduced the girls and everyone was seated, Sophie opened the oven and pulled out a deep-dish lasagna and a tray of garlic bread. She placed them both on trivets on the table and went to the refrigerator. She returned with a gigantic bowl of colorful salad. “Dig in,” she announced as she pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat down.
Sarah noticed the salad included every vegetable she could imagine. In addition to the usual lettuce-tomato-onion medley, she saw slices of squash, cabbage, carrots, radishes, broccoli, and leaves of spinach, radicchio, and kale. And to top it off, she had included slices of apple along with strawberries and almond slivers. “This looks scrumptious, Sophie.”
“I can get my day’s worth of fruits and veggies out of the way with just this salad,” Charles commented impishly winking at Sarah.
Timothy piled the lasagna high on his plate and passed up the salad bowl altogether. Sophie frowned and passed it back to him. “Yes, Mommy,” he responded as Caitlyn and Penny looked at one another and giggled.
Conversation during the meal was light and Penny seemed at ease as long as no one questioned her directly. She and Caitlyn sat across from each other and seemed comfortable. Caitlyn appeared to be considerably older than Penny, but she’d had to grow up fast. After her mother was gone, she had even lived on the street for some months before her real father, Andy, found her. Penny, on the other hand, had lived off-the-grid in Alaska, was home schooled and knew little about the outside world. It’s a strange match, Sarah thought, but hopefully they’ll find a connection. Caitlyn may not realize it, but they need each other.
It was decided to have coffee and dessert later and there was general chaos in the kitchen as the women, including Caitlyn and Penny, cleared the table and the men strategized about removing the two extensions from the table. “Would all the men clear out of here please,” Sophie announced with exasperation. “We need the bigger table for dessert and coffee.”
Once they were gone, Martha said, “How about you girls take Emma for a walk while we get the dishwasher loaded.” They both smiled, relieved to be excluded from the cleanup process. “We’ll clean up after dessert,” Caitlyn offered, looking toward Penny for agreement. Penny nodded and ran to get Emma’s leash.
Once they were gone, Sophie reached for the dishtowel and dried her hands. She then reached for Martha and, much to Martha’s surprise, enveloped her in a hug. She then stepped back and said, “Thank you for helping to make Penny comfortable. She really relaxed once you brought her in the kitchen and included her in the work. You made her feel like a part of the family.”
“Well, that’s what she is,” Martha said.
“And so are you,” Sophie replied, “and I don’t just mean if you marry my son. You and your mother and Charles are family to me, and I don’t want that to ever change, no matter what happens with you and Tim.”
“I appreciate that,” Martha responded softly blinking back the tears that were threatening to appear.
Later Tim explained to Martha that he and his mother had been talking about his future and he had shared with her the fact that they had put all talk of marriage aside for the time being.
“So much is up in the air,” he had told her. He needed to get Penny settled in school, find a place to live, and hopefully find a job. He felt he was too young to be retired in the usual sense. Tim and his mother had also talked about Martha’s reservations about becoming a stepmother at this point in her life.
Chapter 14
Charles arrived at the offices of Kirkland International at exactly ten in the morning. “May I help you?” the young receptionist asked.
“Detective Parker to see Joseph Kirkland.”
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked with a frown as she shuffled through the papers on h
er desk searching for her boss’ calendar. Locating it, she responded, “I don’t see…”
“No, I don’t have an appointment, but I’d like to see Mr. Kirkland this morning. I’m investigating a homicide case and Mr. Kirkland has been identified as a person of interest. Please tell him I’m here.”
The young woman appeared flustered, clearly unable to decide on the better course of action. She’d been told emphatically not to disturb her boss, but the man in front of her was adamant about seeing him. After trying unsuccessfully to put the detective off until a later time, she decided to let Kirkland make the decision.
She tapped gently at the door and the angry response was thundering. “Get away from that door!”
“But Mr. Kirkland, I think this might be important...”
“And who gave you permission to think?” he yelled as he swung the door open. “I thought I was perfectly clear…” Looking beyond his receptionist he saw a tall, distinguished man in a navy suit and tie. The man was holding up a shield. Kirkland had no way of knowing how proud the man was to have his shield back, if only temporarily.
“Detective Parker,” the man with the shield announced. “I need a few minutes of your time on the Hawkins murder.”
“Murder?” Kirkland replied, dismissing the young woman with a hand gesture. “I thought the guy died of old age.”
“That’s exactly what I’m here to discuss with you.”
“With me? I know nothing about it.”
“May I have a few minutes of your time?” Charles said in a tone that didn’t suggest it was a question. He was still holding his shield in the air.
“Of course,” he responded begrudgingly. “Come in. Stephanie, bring coffee.”
Charles followed the man into his office and was surprised at the lavish interior. He had been less than impressed when he arrived at the building, which appeared to be an old warehouse. The lobby had been nondescript and the security guard sat behind what appeared to be an old oak salvage desk. Kirkland’s office, on the other hand, was pristine. The walls were painted stark white and the outside wall had been replaced by six floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the park. Two large potted palms appeared like quotation marks on either side of the windows.
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