Shona looked around the empty store and then back at him.
“It’s okay. We won’t stay for much longer.”
She took a deep breath and smiled at Adele. “The lady from the magazine interviewed me today. It went better than I thought. Mabel took some photos of the girls’ pincushions and emailed them to the magazine as well as posting them on the community Facebook page.
Adele took his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to him.
“What do you want me to do?” He glanced at Shona, hoping she realized why he was asking Adele an obvious question.
Adele’s big blue eyes moved between his face and the phone, pleading with him to look at the Facebook post.
“Tell me what you’d like me to do.”
Adele changed tactics and looked at Shona. When she didn’t respond, she took a deep breath and, as she exhaled, said, “Look at the photos on Facebook.”
Joseph opened the app. Instead of having to search for the photos of the pincushions, they popped onto his screen immediately. “They look amazing.”
Adele beamed with pleasure.
She handed Adele a folder. “Here’s the pattern for the pincushion. There’s enough fabric in the folder for another one. Next week we’re starting to make quilted cushion covers.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you next week.” Shona hugged her, then looked at Joseph. “I have something for you.”
Somehow, he doubted it was her heart. When she handed him an envelope, he frowned.
“It’s a check for the five thousand dollars I won in the competition. I want to pay it off the loan your trust gave me.”
That was one way to stab him in the heart a thousand times. Or, to be more precise, five thousand. “You don’t have to do that. You might need the money for an unexpected expense, or to buy something for yourself.”
“I’d sooner use it to pay back the loan.”
Shona didn’t have to use sign language to tell him she wanted him to leave. Her eyes were every bit as expressive as Adele’s except, this time, they were full of hurt. “I’ll send you a receipt in the morning,” he said. “Thanks for looking after Adele. We’ll see you next week.”
And before he said or did something stupid, he wrapped his arm around his daughter’s shoulders and walked out of the store. Hopefully, by next week, he could show Shona why he hadn’t told anyone in Sapphire Bay how much he’d donated to the church.
And, if he was lucky, she might give him a second chance.
CHAPTER19
Paris handed Jackie, Shona, and Andrea a T-shirt each. “They’re not the most creative gifts, but we didn’t have much room in our luggage.”
Shona grinned when she saw her “I Love Hawaii” T-shirt. “It’s perfect. I like the rainbow over the islands.”
“I hope they fit.”
Andrea held hers against her chest. “Mine’s perfect. Tell us about your honeymoon. Did you spend all your time on the main island or did you visit the others as well?”
“We stayed in O’ahu for the first two nights, then in a resort in Waikiki for the last four days. It was wonderful. Richard and I walked for miles along the beach. When we were tired of the beach, we headed inland to see the waterfalls.”
“It sounds like a busy honeymoon.”
Paris’ smile softened. “We weren’t busy all the time. It was a perfect mix of quiet times, exhilarating adventure, and communing with nature.”
Shona had never been to Hawaii, but it sounded amazing. “It would’ve been a lot warmer than Sapphire Bay.”
“We were walking around in shorts and T-shirts most days. What did I miss while I was away?”
