They all toasted, then went back to their yarn work. Now Harper’s baby washcloths made sense.
Riley tucked her legs underneath her and wound a strand of purple yarn around her forefinger. “Do you have any news, Olivia?”
“No.” Olivia continued with her brioche stitch. “Just the usual.”
“Ready for all the school munchkins next week?” Harper asked. “It’s hard to believe school is almost in session.”
“Yes. I finished all the planning last week.”
“Are you taking another class?” Riley asked.
Olivia nodded. Last year she’d received her second master’s degree, this one in art history, but she had decided to continue taking at least one college class a semester since most of them were online and fit into her schedule. “I start Eighteenth-Century English Literature on Thursday.”
“Sounds thrilling.” Harper winked at her.
“I enjoy studying and dissecting literature,” Olivia said. Although, truth be told, she had glanced over the syllabus, and the topics did look a bit dull. But she’d never dropped a class before, and she wasn’t about to now.
No one said anything for a few seconds. Then Harperand Anita turned to each other and began to exchange pregnancy notes.
Riley’s phone rang. She grabbed it off the coffee table and slid her finger over the screen. “Hi...No, it’s okay, Mimi. You’re not interrupting anything...I’m not sure if we have that colorway in stock, but I can check.” She stood.
“Tell Erma I said hi.” Olivia turned her needles to knit the next row.
Riley gave her a thumbs-up and disappeared to the front of the store where the yarn was displayed and available for purchase.
As Anita and Harper continued to discuss their early-pregnancy experiences, Olivia tried to focus on her project. Why hadn’t Anita told her first? She was her best friend... or so she’d thought. But the more she mused, she realized that other than their Tuesday-night meetings at Knots and Tangles, they hadn’t spent much time together lately. True, they were both busy. All of them were. But couldn’t Anita have at least called?
She couldn’t remember the last time they’d talked alone. Even at church Anita was always with Tanner, and they taught the preschool Sunday school class together. During the service the friends all sat together—Harper and Rusty, Riley and Hayden, Anita and Tanner. Olivia always sat at the end of the pew. Alone.
“How far in advance do I have to book an appointment with Kingston?” Harper asked, selecting a large potato chip from the bowl. “Naturally I want him to be our baby’s doctor.”
Olivia’s ears perked.
“He hasn’t been taking new patients for a while.” Anita frowned. “At least that’s the last I heard. I haven’t talked to him lately.”
“Does he know you’re pregnant?”
“Not yet. He’s so hard to pin down.” She grinned. “But I’m sure it won’t be a problem for both of us to get on his schedule.”
Harper took another chip. “Have you been hungrier than usual? I sure am. Any weird cravings?”
“Yes! Cream cheese and sardines are my favorite.”
Harper tilted her head. “That sounds pretty good, actually.”
“It’s delicious.”
The yarn and knitting needles in Olivia’s hands came back into focus. She’d dropped seven stitches listening to her friends, and she was glad they’d moved on from the Kingston topic. She’d listen to them talk about disgusting food combos for the rest of the night if it meant she didn’t have to hear that man’s name again.
But as she tried to fix her mistakes, a tiny part of her mind wouldn’t shut up. Was he busy solely because of work? Or was he dating someone? Or more than one someone? She wouldn’t put it past him.
Her chest tightened, and she gripped the needles. Over the last year she’d been able to keep him from her mind, mostly because she was too busy to think about him, even when she was hanging out with her friends. Nights were harder, but eventually she could fall asleep without thinking about—or feeling—him. Reminding herself how badly she’d misjudged him helped. His good-guy facade made her stomach roil.
She would never admit that to Anita, or anyone else. No one needed to know she’d been fooled by him.
“This is for Bea.”
Olivia looked up to see Riley standing by her, holding out two skeins of sunny yellow yarn.
