“I'd like to say what a privilege it is to have The Cozy Quilt Shop in Sapphire Bay. Visitor numbers have increased since Shona opened her doors. People from far and wide are coming here to enjoy what she has created.”
“Marvelous. And what did you think of the flower bouquet quilt when you saw it?”
Mabel looked at the quilt hanging on the wall opposite them. “It's one of the prettiest I've ever seen. My parents loved their rose garden, and I know they would have adored the quilt.”
To Mabel’s delight, the photographer snapped a photo of her standing beside Gloria and Shona.
Gloria closed her notebook with a snap. “I think that covers everything I need to know, and we have more than enough photos to include in the article. The only thing left for me to do is present Shona with a trophy and a check for winning the supreme award in the tenth International Quilting Magazine’s competition.”
Standing with her best side facing the camera, Gloria handed Shona a gold-plated trophy and an oversized envelope. “Congratulations on your outstanding win.”
“Thank you. It’s an honor to accept the award.”
Mabel pulled out her cell phone. “Can I take an extra photo for our community Facebook page? Everyone’s thrilled Shona won such a prestigious competition.”
Gloria seemed to perk up at the mention of the competition being called prestigious. “Of course that’s okay. If you'd like to add a link to the latest issue of our magazine, I can send it to you now.”
Shona didn't dare look at Aimee. Her part-time assistant had spent the entire time Gloria was here moving between the front counter and the storeroom. The farther she could be from the photographer’s prying lens, the happier she was.
Once Mabel had the link, Gloria and the photographer said goodbye and left the store.
Shona leaned against the counter. “That took longer than I thought.”
“She seemed like a nice woman.” Mabel held her cell phone in front of the trophy and took another photo. “It must be exciting working for a large magazine.”
“Not nearly as exciting as being the administrator for the community Facebook page,” Aimee said from behind them. “You do an amazing job, Mabel.”
“Thank you, Aimee. I try my best. At times it's quite stressful knowing how much the community relies on the information I share.”
The front door opened again, and three giggling schoolgirls walked into the store.
Adele followed them more quietly. When she saw Shona, she threw her arms around Shona’s waist. “I've missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Are you ready to learn how to quilt?”
Adele smiled and nodded.
Mabel took a folded apron out of her handbag. “Go ahead and teach your class,” she told Shona. “Aimee can show me what I need to do.”
With the store being looked after, and all her students waiting to start, Shona handed the girls some paper templates, fabric samples, and four pairs of scissors. “Are you ready to make a quilted pincushion?”
An enthusiastic round of nods made her smile. As Shona’s grandma used to say, “Dream big but start small.” And you couldn’t get much smaller than a pincushion.
* * *
Joseph wasn'tsure what kind of reception he’d get when he picked Adele up from her first quilting lesson. It helped that he wasn't the only parent collecting their child and that Mabel was there to smooth over any awkward silences.
Shona treated him like any other parent, but it was almost worse than not speaking to him.
Adele was excited when she saw him. “Look what I made. It’s for pins.” She added three sewing pins to the quilted ball to show him what she meant. “You can use it for all kinds of things.” She reached for Shona’s hand and pulled her closer. “Tell Dad.”
“About the magazine article?”
Adele nodded.
When her stuttering was at its worst, Adele spoke as little as possible. Nodding and hand gestures became normal for her. It had taken a long time to break the habit, even after her stutter began to disappear. Over the last four days, the chatterbox he was used to hearing had almost disappeared. Knowing he’d made her so anxious that it had affected her speech, broke his heart.
Before Shona could tell him about the magazine article, Mabel said goodbye, and then Annie, the last parent, and her daughter left the store.
