by Janice Lynn
Rather than leave, as he should have, Cole watched her mumble to herself while making quick work of the bolt of fabric she sliced and diced into nine-and-a-quarter-inch wide strips. When she’d unwound the final bit from the cardboard base, she made one last swipe of her rotary cutter, folded the fabric, then placed it on top of her stack. She jotted a note on a small piece of paper and pinned it to the leftover material, giving the size of the remnant.
“I thought you were going to wait outside,” she remarked when she turned to face him. Her eyes glittered as if his having stayed amused her, but he could tell she was still trying to decide how to take him, too.
“So did I,” he admitted, surprised he hadn’t escaped the shop immediately at the first opportunity. Curiosity had gotten the best of him. “What is it you’re going to do with those strips you cut?”
Giving him another full-on I’m-so-glad-you-asked smile, she picked up the stack of strips.
“It’s easier to show you. Follow me.” She walked over to a machine that wasn’t much bigger than a computer printer. Folding one of the strips back and forth over a die, she layered it multiple times, placed a rubber mat on top of the fabric, then pressed a button that pulled the fabric sandwich through the machine. Once it had reappeared on the other side, she lifted the mat, pulled away a tiny scrap of excess material, then showed him perfectly cut four-and-a-half-inch squares.
“Impressive.”
“And a lot faster and more accurate than cutting them by hand with a rotary tool. That just made twenty-four squares.”
“I’m not so sure it would have taken you any longer to cut it all out yourself. I’ve seen you with that rotary cutter.”
Her eyes danced with delight at his comment, causing Cole to plant his feet to the ground to keep them from stepping back. She tossed the excess bits of scrap material into a cloth bag attached to the end of the table.
He asked her, “How good are you at Santa suit repairs?”
Her gaze lifted to his. “Excellent. You know someone needing longer sleeves and an adjustment to the pants hemline?”
“I might,” he admitted.
She eyed him up and down, then spouted off some numbers.
“What’s that?”
“Your pants size. I’m right, aren’t I?”
“You have a side gig at the fair guessing age and weight, too?”
“No, but I like to keep my options open. Get me your Santa suit and I’ll have it looking as if it was made for you.”
“Deal.” Because he sure hadn’t had any luck with it. After the mess he’d made, he had bagged it up, planning to bring it back to the firehall to see if one of the others knew what they were doing. “I’ll pay you. What’s your rate?”
“That depends. Why do you have a Santa suit?”
“Didn’t you hear the good news? I’m the fire department’s Santa in the Christmas parade.”
Sophie’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? You?”
“My sentiments exactly.”
She flushed, as if she was worried she’d offended him. “I’m sure you’ll do great—it’s just that I wouldn’t have guessed you for a stand-in Santa.”
“It’s not by choice.”
Her lips twitched. “Ah, I see. You lost a bet?”
“You might say that. One involving a green candy cane.”
She eyed him curiously. “I suspect there’s a story there. Let me tell Isabelle I’m leaving, then we’ll get this party started. You can fill me in on the juicy details while we’re on the road.”
He hadn’t realized there was anyone else in the shop and glanced around, still not seeing anyone.
Sophie grinned. “You may not see her, but I’m sure that she saw you the moment you walked in.”
“The security cameras?” He’d noticed them upon first entering the shop but had figured they were there for theft prevention and detection—the kind of thing you checked after the fact if there was a problem rather than actively manning them during store hours.
Sophie nodded. “She insisted we have them since she works from the office a lot and doesn’t like me out front by myself. Frankly, I think she really just wants to keep an eye on me at all times.”
“She’s the boss?”
“She thinks she is,” Sophie laughed, but her gaze was still wary, as if she expected him to roar at her at any moment and was braced for such. “From the time I was born, she’s been bossing me.” At his blank look, she added, “Isabelle is my sister as well as business partner. She’s three years older and thinks that makes her smarter and better at all things in life. I let her keep thinking that.”
Sophie put her thumbs to her ears and wiggled her fingers around, making a face toward the ceiling camera, much as a child might do.
Completely caught off guard, Cole arched a brow. “What was that?”
Sophie shrugged. “Our secret code that I’m ready to go to lunch—and also that I know she’s been watching my every move, and it’s time to stop. I call it the Ready-to-Go Reindeer.”
“Are you kidding me?”
She gave him a pointed look. “Please. Have you seen some of the secret signs baseball players use? Think of this as a sewing store secret sign that you were lucky enough to witness.”
Cole stared at her. “I’m one hundred percent sure no baseball player in the history of mankind has ever used that particular sign for anything—and they never will.”
“No?” She gave him a pert smile. “Well, they should. It would catch the other team off guard and give them a huge advantage.”
“No doubt.” Suppressing an unexpected almost-laugh, Cole shook his head. “Or have the umps tossing them from the game.”
“There is that possibility,” Sophie agreed, still smiling.
“I can’t believe you just did that in front of a customer,” the blonde he’d seen at the toy drive meeting said as she came out onto the sales floor.
While he’d noticed her before, Cole hadn’t realized the woman and Sophie were sisters. But that explained why Isabelle had kept glancing over at them at the meeting. Sophie had probably told her what a piece of work he was, and the woman had been keeping a watchful eye on him in case he got out of line.
Whereas Sophie had sun-kissed light brown hair and hazel eyes, this woman was all pale blond locks and blue eyes. He could see some similarities in their facial features, though.
But more than their coloring, their personalities seemed to set them apart. Sophie was happy rainbows and sunshine. Her sister was more no-nonsense.
“No worries, Isabelle,” Sophie assured, not looking the slightest repentant. “Cole has no intention of purchasing fabric, precut or otherwise. He prefers buying his quilts premade.”
Isabelle shook her head, then glanced toward Cole. “She’s been like this her whole life. Good luck. She’s all yours.”
I wish.
Cole fought flinching at the unexpected thought. No, he did not wish Sophie was all his.
What he wished was that he wasn’t here, that he’d never gotten to know the smiley, surprising woman who read his journal. But the thought of not having met Sophie left him as unsettled as the thought that she’d read his journal. Which didn’t make sense.
She was a talkative, bubbly person…who might be a little crazy, given the face she’d made at her sister.
Not that he should, nor that he wanted to, but Cole sort of liked her kind of crazy.
Chapter Five
Someday, Sophie would quit giving in to her impulses, but apparently that day wasn’t today. She had no idea why she’d just made reindeer antlers and an immature face at the camera in front of Cole.
Not completely true. She hadn’t liked the nervousness of thinking she was going to do something embarrassing—so she’d taken the pressure off by getting that behind her. Plus, she’d wanted Cole to relax.
So, yeah, Sophie had behaved childishly, but catching both Cole and her sister off guard had been worth it. Given the chance, she’d do it again.
She snuck a glance at Cole and would swear he was fighting a grin. If it would make him smile, she’d make a dozen faces at the security cameras.
“You’ll be back by two?” Isabelle asked as a not-so-subtle reminder that Sophie and Cole were on a time crunch.
The words sounded almost like a warning, but Sophie knew they weren’t—or at least that they weren’t meant to warn her. Despite Sophie’s impulsivity, Isabelle knew Sophie took their business seriously; she worked long hours toward making it a success. Her sister’s question was directed more at Cole, much as a protective parent might remind a prospective date of curfew time.
Her sister had nothing to worry about. Cole was too honorable to bail on the toy drive, but that didn’t mean he liked being paired with Sophie. He was clearly in a rush to be done so he could walk away from her as soon as possible.
Ignoring Isabelle’s furrowed brow, Sophie asked Cole, “You ready?” His look said he was as ready as he’d ever be to spend time with her. “You’ve got the collection boxes with you?”
Cole nodded. “Everything’s in my truck.”
Sophie grabbed her cell phone, then snagged her coat before waving bye to Isabelle. Hopefully, she wasn’t overly stressing her sister by taking a few hours off. She’d bring back a piece of key lime pie from Lou’s as a peace offering.
“Our list has most of the businesses on the square, so let’s start here, then we can swing by Lou’s Diner, put out a box, get his donation check, and grab lunch at the same time.”
Cole’s expression flickered briefly, as if he was going to refuse her suggestion—probably objecting to the “grabbing lunch” bit she’d thrown in—but then he nodded, as if he was resigned to whatever the day brought.
“I bet Rosie is in a tizzy that Lou wasn’t on her list, although for Lou’s sake, that’s probably best. If she tried to convince him to sign over the diner, he might actually do it, because he’s crazy in love with her,” she rambled on as they stepped out into the surprisingly balmy November day. Unable to resist, she lifted her face toward the sky, spread her arms, and soaked up the sunshine.
“Working on your Christmas tan?”
Cutting her gaze toward him, she laughed. “Ha. That’s funny. Just upping my vitamin D level. First up is Paw Parties.” Sophie giggled at his expression. “It’s a pet specialty store run by one of the ladies I go to church with. You may have met the owner at the toy drive meeting. Pretty blonde named Carrie, in her late thirties, maybe early forties. Super great lady. She specializes in parties for pets and organic treats.”
He didn’t look impressed. “Parties for pets? Are you kidding me? People around here go for that kind of thing?”
Pausing on the sidewalk, Sophie’s hands went to her hips. “People around here? What’s that supposed to mean? That we’re too backwoods to properly pamper our pets? I’ll have you know we adore and celebrate our furry family members in Pine Hill.”
His lips twitched. “Tell me, just how many parties have you thrown for your pet over the past year?”
“Well, none, but that’s because—”
Looking amused, he held up his hand. “Stop right there. I’ve made my point.”
“But that’s not fair.”
His gaze cut toward her, and he shrugged. “Life isn’t fair.”
Sophie sighed. “You’re missing the point.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t have a pet.” Not that she didn’t want a pet, but every time she fostered one with thoughts of keeping it, Isabelle promptly found it a forever home. She suspected it had something to do with how many tears Sophie had cried years ago at the loss of their beloved Snuggles. Isabelle didn’t seem willing to risk that again. Other than Sophie and their mom, her sister tended to shut everyone and everything out that might wiggle its way into her heart.
If Isabelle knew Sophie was feeding the yellow cat on their front porch nightly in hopes of befriending him, Isabelle would no doubt lecture her. Thankfully, her sister didn’t make use of the porch during the winter months, so she hadn’t noticed the food and water dishes, or the small flannel blanket, lying just beyond the porch chairs.
“Guess you’re right. Hard to throw a party for something you don’t have,” Cole conceded. “Surprises me, though. I’d have taken you for someone who had a dozen animals.”
Barely restraining her smile, Sophie narrowed her gaze. “Are you saying I look like a crazy cat lady?”
One side of his mouth lifted. “You said it, not me.”
Bees buzzed in Sophie’s belly at his half-smile.
“Maybe someday I will be a crazy cat lady. A girl can dream.”
She imagined what it would be like when she had her own place. Currently, she and Isabelle put all their profits back into the shop, making small strides on their very big loan toward the goal to be debt-free. Someday, after the note was paid, Sophie would start saving for a house. Somewhere close, though, in case Isabelle moved, too, because Sophie wouldn’t leave their mother alone. Darlene would be lost if both her girls left home.
“Hey, Carrie,” Sophie called when they walked into the shop. “I don’t even know why they have you on our list when you were at the meeting the other night.”
“I wasn’t officially there, just dropping off some dog treats Sarah had ordered for Harry—and then I stayed to help with clean up.” Carrie’s gaze went to Cole and she smiled. “Hi, nice to see you again. We met over the summer? My son volunteered with the high school football team to wash the firetrucks.”
“Jeff seemed like a good kid.”
Carrie beamed with pleasure that he’d recalled her son’s name. “He’s a great kid. Best thing that ever happened to me.”
Cole was polite enough, shaking Carrie’s hand, but rather than continuing their conversation, he turned to look at a sealed bag of organic sweet potato doggie bites, letting Sophie take over.
“I figured you’d be by. I have a check already made out,” Carrie told her, giving a questioning look toward where Cole was seemingly ignoring them.
Sophie shrugged, giving her an I-have-no-idea look, and then took the check Carrie pulled out of a drawer.
“Thanks so much for this.” She put the donation in an envelope she’d labeled “Toy Drive Donations,” then stored the envelope back in her purse.
“You’re welcome. I was going to give you a call this week if you didn’t make it by. Your Petdanas are selling fabulously. Everyone loves them and the cute sayings you embroider on them.”
It was Sophie’s turn to beam. She and Carrie had come up with the idea while volunteering at the church’s Halloween Trunk or Treat. Excited, Sophie had gone home and sewn a dozen that night and brought them to church the following day to show her friend. Carrie had loved them. Sophie was ecstatic that first set had sold and that now, the subsequent larger batch had, too.
“I’ve thought about putting them on the website,” Carrie added. “What do you think?”
“Oh, wow. Selling them online would be fabulous.” Another step in diversifying their sewing business and ensuring The Threaded Needle’s longevity and success. If it helped Carrie, a single mom and small business owner, too, that was an added bonus. “I’m in.” Very much so, as she’d had fun making the cute pet bandanas.
When she and Cole left Carrie’s store, they stopped by his vehicle to pick up another collection box, then headed to their next business.
They hit most of the businesses on the square. Afterward, they climbed into Cole’s SUV and Sophie set the bag with the Santa suit on the floorboard. She noticed a crossword puzzle book on the passenger seat and couldn’t resist picking it up and flipping through the pages.
She’d found Cole’s Christmas card t
ucked inside a crossword puzzle book like this one, but if she hadn’t been looking for something to identify him then she’d never have picked that book up. Word games had never been her thing. Apparently, not Cole’s either, as the puzzles hadn’t had a single letter written in any of the blocks. Just as this one didn’t.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized, reaching for the book, but Sophie shook her head.
“How come none of the puzzles are done?”
“It’s a new book,” he answered, then gave her a sideways glance. “Why did we decide to pair up partners, again? You didn’t need me for any of this today.”
“What makes you say that? I’m glad you’re here.” She tucked the crossword book safely under the edge of the seat so she wouldn’t accidentally step on it or bend the pages.
“All I did was carry boxes.”
“And be there. Sometimes just being there is enough,” she pointed out while buckling her seatbelt. She’d been dreading their outing, but so far, the day hadn’t been that bad. “Besides, it’s always best to travel in pairs rather than alone.”
“Not always.”
Sophie waited for him to say more, wanted him to say more, but he didn’t, just started his SUV.
“Surely when you were in the military, they taught you to travel in pairs.”
“You’re thinking of the Boy Scouts.”
“Seems like the same principle would apply in the military,” she countered, twisting in her seat to watch him. “Isn’t it better to have someone to watch your back?”
“Depends on what your job is.”
Having read his journal, Sophie knew what some of Cole’s jobs had been. It seemed that he had been part of a special ops team. Had Cole been alone on some of his missions?
He asked, “Where to now?”
“Lou’s Diner would be great.” She glanced at her watch. “After that, I’ll need to get back to the shop to take over the register so Isabelle can work on the books and online stuff.”
She was sorry that her afternoon with him was reaching its end. Because, although he was quiet and stood in the background when they were around others, she enjoyed being with Cole. Especially during the times when he seemed to relax a little.