Picking up a spool of ribbon, Jackie studied a display of hand-knitted hats and scarves. “You’ve found lots of beautiful items for your store. I don’t know if Andrea or Paris mentioned anything, but I knit babies’ clothes and blankets in my spare time. I mostly sell them at the market in town and to friends who’ve seen what I do. If you ever need more knitted items, let me know.”
Shona glanced at the display before looking closely at Jackie. In a lot of ways, she reminded Shona of herself. From what she’d learned, they’d both started life with next to nothing and worked hard to create a better life than they’d known. If The Cozy Quilt Shop could help anyone, it would be wonderful if it helped Jackie.
“Paris told me your knitting is beautiful, but I thought you’d want to keep everything for your customers.”
“I always have extra items at home. At the moment, I have at least a dozen jackets and quite a few sets of booties. I’d be happy to show them to you.”
“Why don’t you bring them into the store tomorrow?” Shona walked across to the sales counter and gave Jackie a sheet of paper. “This has all the information about the commission I charge. If you’re happy with that, we can price them tomorrow and see how they go.”
“That sounds great. Do you need me to do anything else?”
Shona shook her head. “We’ve worked hard. Let’s go home.”
“That sounds great to me.” Jackie collected the scissors and leftover ribbon off the table. “I can’t wait to see how many people come to the opening tomorrow. Everyone I’ve spoken to is excited.”
Shona hoped that excitement meant people bought her products. She’d taken a big risk opening the store and she desperately wanted it to be successful. And, if some of that success rubbed off on the stores around her, it would be wonderful for everyone.
CHAPTER11
Joseph checked the time. “Come on, guys. We’ll have to hurry if we want to arrive at Shona’s store before it opens.”
Adele and Nate flicked off their seatbelts and jumped out of the truck. Nate wanted to surprise his mom for the store’s grand opening, so he’d driven to Pastor John’s home yesterday and stayed with him overnight.
Instead of bringing his truck into town, he’d left it at the church. With the Saturday market always attracting a large crowd, John had asked if Joseph could bring Nate into town.
He planned to see Shona before the store opened anyway, so he was happy to give Nate a ride.
“I feel kind of bad about telling Mom I wasn’t coming home,” Nate said as they hurried along Main Street. “She sounded upset when I said I couldn't make it.”
“I'm sure she'll forgive you when she realizes you wanted to surprise her.”
“I hope so.”
Adele looked up at Nate. “Don't worry. My mom never wants to see me, but Shona’s not like that. She'll be really happy when she sees you.”
Joseph’s heart dropped. He didn't realize Hillary’s absence in their daughter's life made Adele feel that way. “Your mom still loves you, pumpkin. She just has a different way of showing it.”
“I wish she'd come and see me sometimes.”
He placed his hand on Adele's shoulder and moved them out of the way of the people on the sidewalk. Nate waited while Joseph kneeled beside his daughter. “If you want to see your mom, we can fly to Australia and see her when you're on vacation. The only thing we have to do is make sure she's home.”
“Last time you asked, she said she wouldn’t be there.”
Adele had cried for days after Hillary told them she wouldn't be home. That wouldn't have been so bad if she’d given them an idea of when it suited her. But, in usual Hillary style, she hadn't been willing to make a commitment. She lived for the moment and didn't like being tied down to a specific date. Or tied to her daughter.
“I'll try again and see what she says.”
“Okay, but don't tell me if she says no. I feel sad when she says that.”
Joseph pulled her close for a hug. “I know. One day, everything will make more sense. It's just as well we have each other.”
Adele smiled. “And Shona.”
“And Shona,” Joseph repeated softly. The more time he spent with her, the more right it felt. Even Adele was getting used to popping into the store to see her. Shona always made them laugh, even when she was tired. And she always appreciated what they did for her, no matter how big or small.
But what really made the difference was that she genuinely liked them. She had no idea he could have bought half of Sapphire Bay and still had money left over. She didn’t know about the jet-setting lifestyle that had cost him his marriage and changed Adele’s life. And, thankfully, she still didn’t know about the money his trust had loaned her.
“Are you ready to see The Cozy Quilt Shop?” he asked Adele. Her quick nod was all the answer he needed. With Nate bouncing from foot to foot beside them, he was definitely ready to see what his mom had been doing. “Let’s go, then.”
