“Yes, that’s it. Will the woman who researched that quilt and wrote the pattern book be there?”
“You mean Maggie Flynn. Yes, she’ll be there—in fact, she’s teaching the hand-piecing classes.”
“I’d love to talk to her about a quilt I want Sadie and Charity to collaborate on in season six, episode five.”
“Sadie and Charity, quilting together? But they’re practically sworn enemies.” Julia gave herself a little shake. Exploring that intriguing tangent would have to wait. “I’m sure Maggie would be delighted to share her expertise.”
Nodding, Ellen picked up her fork and poked at her salad, but her thoughts were elsewhere. For a long moment, Julia let her mull it over, sipping her sparkling water with feigned nonchalance and resisting the impulse to beg her to say yes.
Finally, Ellen spoke. “You said it’ll be during the second week of November?”
“That’s right.”
“I might have to move some things around on my calendar, but okay, I’m in.”
“Wonderful,” Julia exclaimed. “We’ll have a fabulous time. Please pass on the invitation to anyone else from the writers’ room who should join us.”
Ellen’s eyebrows rose. “You’re brave, but sure, I’ll invite them.”
“Excellent.” Julia leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “Now, what’s this about Sadie and Charity collaborating on a quilt?”
Ellen had only twenty minutes to spare, so she gave Julia a quick sketch of the narrative arcs she hoped to work into the final season. Julia winced at the word “final,” but Ellen didn’t seem to notice.
Two days later, Julia was working on her Cock’s Comb block in anticipation of her weekly conference call with the Cross-Country Quilters when her phone rang. She was going to let the answering machine take it when she glanced at the phone and saw that it was Donna calling. Quickly she picked up. “Hi, Donna,” she greeted her. “I wasn’t expecting you for another ten minutes.”
“I wanted to speak with you privately before everyone else joined in.” Donna inhaled deeply. “So. You spoke to Lindsay a few days ago about your series possibly ending.”
“I did,” Julia confirmed. “She was expecting it. Apparently I’m the only person who missed the meetingandneglected to read the email.”
“I’m sure Lindsay will be sorry to see the show end, but she never expected it to last forever. Elm Creek Quilts, on the other hand—” Donna’s breath caught in her throat. “Lindsay said you told her it’s in financial trouble? That it might go bankrupt?”
Julia closed her eyes and muffled a groan. She should have anticipated that Lindsay would share the alarming news with her mother. “Summer didn’t say anything about bankruptcy. It’s serious, but I don’t think it’s quite that dire yet.”
“?‘Yet’?”
“It sounds like a short-term cash flow problem. Revenues are down—”
“Of course. It’s their offseason.”
“Exactly. What’s worse, they recently found out that they have to replace the entire roof of the manor.”
“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of roof. And you think your actors’ quilting boot camp will bail them out?”
“Our fees will pay for the roof and then some. Trust me, I offered them far above the standard summer rate.”
“I should hope so. Oh, Julia, I can’t imagine what I’d do if Elm Creek Quilt Camp closed.”
“If my plan works, you won’t need to worry about that. Sarah and company are working on other revenue streams too.” Julia told her about Elm Creek Orchards, which was surely just one of several plans the exceptional creative team at Elm Creek Manor had in the works.
“I’m worried that won’t be enough,” Donna fretted. “Maybe we should start a fundraiser for them. A capital campaign.”
“I know your heart is in the right place, but tread carefully,” Julia warned. “Sylvia won’t accept anything that looks like a handout, and she doesn’t want the world to know that Elm Creek Quilts is struggling. She didn’t want Summer to tell me, and I really shouldn’t havetold Lindsay. It can’t go any further. If the Elm Creek Quilters decide to go public, that’s their choice, but it isn’t our story to tell.”
“But I can tell the other Cross-Country Quilters, right?”
Julia didn’t suppose there was any way she could stop her. “Only if you swear them to secrecy.”
When their conference call began a few minutes later, the conversation quickly turned to the plight of Elm Creek Quilts, even though, as they all readily admitted, they had more concerns and speculation than actual facts. They all wanted to do something to help, but they agreed that it would be unwise to launch a fundraiser without Sylvia’s blessing. And they couldn’t secure that without confessing that Julia had shared with her friends confidential information Summer shouldn’t have disclosed in the first place. By the time they wrapped up their weekly call, one truth was abundantly clear: Julia’s actors’ quilting boot camp absolutely must be a rousing success. If this first effort to expand quilt camp failed, Sylvia might not be willing to risk another bold move to raise funds, regardless of the need.
