Chapter 22
I
had just finished dressing when Haley called on my cell.
“Hey, what's up?” I said.
“Nana and I went out for breakfast. Is it okay if I stay till this afternoon to help her with more unpacking?”
“Yeah, that would be fine. I'm helping out at the yarn shop today, so I'll be there till around four. You'll be home for supper?”
I heard a hesitation on the other end of the line before Haley said, “Well . . . ah . . . I was wondering if I could stay one more night. Nana said it's been so long since we got to spend time together like this.”
And whose fault was that? But I said, “Yeah, okay. But I want you home tomorrow morning, Haley. The entire weekend will be gone and you'll be back to school on Monday. I thought maybe you and I could spend the day together tomorrow.”
“Oh, cool. Definitely, Mom. I promise to be home by ten. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I said, before hanging up.
* * *
I walked into the yarn shop to find Chloe attaching price tags to skeins of Cascade yarn.
She looked up and smiled. “Good morning. Thanks so much for pitching in today.”
“Not a problem. Glad I could help.”
“Hey,” Yarrow called from the back. “A cup of tea or coffee?”
“I'm fine right now, but thanks. What time do David and Clive arrive?”
“Just about noon. Henry left for the airport to get them. I'm sure Mavis Anne will be happy to have her guys back home.”
“Yeah, but it was good they could have such a nice trip. So. What can I do here for you?”
“Well, there's a box of needles and accessories over there that need to be unpacked.”
After Chloe and I finished our tasks, she said, “Oh, I want to show you the scarf I finished for you. I've decided to call it Isabelle's Challenge.”
She removed a beautiful scarf from her knitting bag. It was white with a lace edging and little bumps at the center. “Oh, it's gorgeous,” I said. “I love it. But why that name?”
“I feel you've had a few challenges over the past couple years. Losing your dad, the breakup of your marriage, and now your mother. So maybe every time you wear it, you'll remember the obstacles that you overcame and realize there will most likely be more ahead, but you can handle them.”
I wrapped the scarf around my neck. “Thank you so much, Chloe. I just love it.”
We both turned around to see Maddie walk in the door.
“I had a quiet morning at the shop so I closed early,” she said, setting her knitting bag on the table. “Oh, very pretty.” Maddie came to finger my scarf. “Is this the one you designed, Chloe?”
“Yeah. And I'm calling it Isabelle's Challenge.”
“Very appropriate. When does the knit-along begin? I can't wait to make one.”
“I thought we'd start next week. I'll send out an email telling everyone and give them a chance to choose their yarn. Since you're here, you can get yours today. It's the Bamboo Pop cotton over there.” She pointed to the center table, where an arrangement of various colors reminded me of ice cream and cotton candy.
We had a busy morning with sales. I handled the purchases while Chloe tended to the questions or knitting problems from customers.
By two things slowed down and we took time for lunch. Yarrow had made chicken salad sandwiches for us, and the three of us sat at the table in the yarn shop area.
“So how's it going with Chadwick?” she asked.
I took a bite of my sandwich and nodded. “Good. Very good, actually. He's a really nice guy.”
“I just knew you two would hit it off,” Chloe said. “Will he be your escort at the wedding?”
“Yes. I asked him and he accepted. Actually, he hinted first about coming.”
Chloe laughed. “I'm not surprised.”
“Wasn't he ever seriously involved with anybody else? He told me this morning I was the first one to spend the night at his house,” I said, and then realized exactly what I'd said.
Both of them stared at me and waited.
“Oh . . . well . . . no. It's not what you think.”
Yarrow laughed. “No? What is it then?”
“No, I mean, yes . . . I did happen to spend the night at his house last night. But not with him. I mean . . . I slept on the sofa where I fell asleep. I hadn't intended to . . . I just nodded off . . . and next thing I knew I was waking up on his sofa this morning.” I realized how lame this sounded and stopped talking.
“Oh, okay.” A smile crossed Chloe's face.
“So what you're saying,” Yarrow asked and I didn't fail to miss her smirk, “is that you didn't sleep in his bed?”
“Right,” I said, becoming annoyed. “We didn't have sex. If that's what you were thinking.”
Chloe and Yarrow looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.
“It wasn't what
I
was thinking. Were you?” Chloe asked Yarrow.
“Not me,” she said emphatically. “You sure sex isn't on
your
mind, Isabelle?”
“Okay, enough,” I said, putting my hand in the air. “Enough with the kidding. No, we haven't taken our relationship to that level.”
“Yet,” I heard Yarrow say under her breath.
Chloe laughed again. “Sorry for teasing you. I'm just happy for you, Isabelle. Wherever this goes with Chadwick, I'm glad you two found each other.”
“I'm happy for you too. Now on to the mother subject. How's she doing?” Yarrow asked. “Getting settled in okay?”
“I guess so. Haley spent the night with her last night and will be staying there again tonight helping her unpack.”
“Oh, that's good.” Chloe took a sip of iced tea. “Isn't it?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Do you feel left out?” Yarrow asked.
“No. Not at all.” And I didn't. “At least not now. But I guess it ticks me off that when I was Haley's age, that's when my mother decided to leave. She didn't choose to spend these teen years with me . . . but now she wants to be with Haley.”
Chloe nodded sympathetically. “I can understand your feelings. So you'd rather have your mother be punished and not get to spend time with her granddaughter?”
“Well . . . no. Not exactly. I don't know how I feel.” Maybe Chloe was right. I was glad for the distraction of Mavis Anne walking in the door.
“They're back,” she said, settling herself at the table. “My boys are back home.”
“Did they have a good flight?” I asked.
“Yes, and they landed a little early. They'll be over shortly. Oh, Henry said to tell you he'll see you at home later, Chloe. He wanted to get back to let the dogs out.”
A few minutes later David and Clive walked into the yarn shop carrying assorted tote bags.
“Welcome home,” we said in unison.
“These are for each of you,” David said, passing us each a bag.
“When the owner of the yarn shop in Lake Como found out that David's sister owned a yarn shop in the States, she gave him a nice discount on this yarn,” Mavis Anne said. “And she said if we liked the yarn, she'd be more than happy to ship it to us to sell here.”
I peeked inside my bag and removed a skein of soft, squishy beige yarn. “Oh, this is really nice.”
Mavis Anne nodded. “Yes, and we each have enough to make a cowl and a pair of socks. She even gave David a nice pattern for each.”
“I really like this,” Chloe said, fingering her skein of what appeared to be an alpaca in a gorgeous shade of lavender.
“Me too,” Yarrow said. “Well done, David.”
He laughed. “Well, I knew I couldn't come back without yarn. I spent over an hour with Maria, the owner of the shop, talking. Poor Clive was such a trooper waiting for me.”
I saw a smile cross Clive's face as he waved a hand in the air. “Not a problem. She had a very comfortable shop. Much like this one. So I found a comfy chair and relaxed. David had me going from morning till night doing this and that.”
I laughed. “So you had to return home to get a vacation, huh?”
“Oh, please,” David said. “You loved every minute of it.”
Clive laughed. “Hmm, I can't lie. You're right. Okay. Well, I need to go get started on dinner. I want you all to come. Chloe, call Henry and tell him he's invited too. I'm going to try out one of the Italian recipes I learned in my cooking class.”
David rolled his eyes. “I swear half of his luggage is filled with assorted spices and pasta that he brought back.”
“And don't forget the wine,” Clive said. “Wait until you try some of the Italian wine I got over there.”
“Are you sure you're up to cooking tonight?” I asked. “Aren't you exhausted from your trip?”
“Not at all,” Clive said. “We had a good night's sleep at the airport hotel in Newark last night. So I'll see you for dinner at six.”
David shook his head and laughed. “I'm not sure where Clive gets all his energy. Oh, and Isabelle, feel free to invite your mother and Haley to dinner also.”
That wasn't going to happen. “Oh, thanks, but they have plans for tonight. I'll be there at six, though.”
I wondered if this was how it was going to be now. That my mother would automatically be included in various events right along with Haley and me. Well, it wasn't going to happen as long as I had something to say about it.
Chapter 23
T
wo weeks later I began to breathe a sigh of relief concerning my mother. Haley had spent time with her, but my mother had only called me twice, and each time we had a short and superficial phone conversation. Maybe she really was going to back off about having a relationship with me.
I finished dressing and headed downstairs to see if Haley was ready to meet Chloe to go dress shopping for the wedding.
I found her in the kitchen on her iPad.
“All set? We're picking Chloe up at the condo.”
“Yeah. Hey, Mom. Remember you said I could get a dog? I know we're not in our own place yet, but who knows when that will happen. I found this website where they need people to adopt dogs in the area.”
Not the dog thing again. “Hmm, gosh, I don't know, Haley. I'm not sure Mavis Anne would want us having a dog here.”
“Why not? She had no problem with Chloe living here with Basil.”
Leave it to my daughter to be right.
I grabbed my keys and handbag. “Okay. Right. Well, we'll talk about it later. We have to pick up Chloe in ten minutes.”
* * *
Chloe was outside her condo building when we arrived.
“Hey,” I said when she got in the car. “All ready to find that perfect dress?”
She laughed. “I only hope I find something.”
Haley leaned over the backseat. “Are we going to a bridal shop?”
“Ah, no,” Chloe told her. “I'm well beyond the proper wedding gown phase. We'll hit the shops at the mall. I'm thinking more along the lines of a cocktail dress.”
“Perfect,” I said.
By the end of the afternoon the three of us were happy with our purchases and enjoying a stop at Starbucks before heading home.
“I think that dress was made for you,” I told Chloe. And it was. I knew the moment Chloe came out of the dressing room it was the one for her. It fell to the knee, the beige color complemented her tan, and the fit showed off her slim figure. With the tiny seed pearls sprinkled across the dress, it was ideal for a late-afternoon wedding.
“I have to agree,” she said. “I just love it. And your dress and Haley's are also perfect.”
She was right. I'd chosen a simple sheath style, sleeveless, in a dressy black-and-white design. Haley finally decided on a mint green dress with spaghetti straps that fell just above her knees. All three dresses were simple but elegant.
“I can't wait,” Haley said. “I've never been in a wedding before. What will I have to do?”
Chloe laughed. “Your duties are minimal. You just have to look pretty and walk to the trellis where we'll be married. Solange will have a little basket of flower petals and she'll walk in front of you.”
“Sounds pretty easy,” Haley said. “I think I can manage that.”
“Has Henry arranged for the caterer and the tents?” I asked.
Chloe took a sip of her iced coffee and nodded. “Yeah. He's right on top of things and working with David and Clive. He also arranged for a little three-piece combo to play music before the ceremony and when we walk to the pond area.”
“Will we have dancing after the ceremony?” Haley asked.
“Absolutely. Henry even hired a DJ to play when the reception begins and then after for dancing.”
“You must be getting excited about going to Hawaii,” I said.
“I am. But we still have so much to get done in the next seven weeks. We have to meet with the DJ to choose our music and also with Maddie to finalize the floral selections. Oh, and we have to interview the pet â house sitter that Henry found.”
“I told you that we'd keep Basil and Delilah for you,” I said.
“I know you did and I appreciate that. But you have enough going on in your life. We were fortunate to hear about Carol through our vet. She's single, in her forties, and is able to stay at the condo while we're gone. So I think this will work out well.”
“Oh, Mom, I forgot to ask you. Is it okay if I spend the night at Nana's? I haven't stayed over for a couple weeks.”
I saw the look of expectation on my daughter's face. I had to admit that my mother had managed to keep her distance from me and also wasn't smothering Haley.
“Sure,” I said. “I guess that'll be okay.”
“Oh, cool. She told me to come for supper around five. Will you be with Chadwick tonight?”
I shook my head. “No, he had to go down to St. Pete on business and won't be back till pretty late. But I'll be fine on my own.” I gave my daughter a smile and ruffled the top of her hair to assure her.
* * *
When my mother came by to get Haley, I noticed she didn't bother to come into the house. She gave a short toot of her horn, Haley kissed me good-bye, and they pulled out of the driveway.
“Well, isn't that what you wanted?” I said out loud as I watched the car drive away.
Yeah, it was. I had made it perfectly clear to my mother that she could have a relationship with Haley but I wasn't the least bit interested. Then why did I have a nagging sensation in the pit of my stomach?
“Ah, well,” I said, and headed to the kitchen.
I poured a glass of wine and debated what to make myself for supper. Opening the fridge I saw leftover chicken, a few slices of quiche, salad in a plastic container, and plenty of turkey breast and cheese for a sandwich. But nothing appealed to me.
Taking my wineglass, I went to sit on the patio. It was a beautiful March evening with the scent of lantana in the air. I glanced toward the fishpond and realized I hadn't had a dream with Emmalyn in quite a while, which convinced me that all of it was merely coincidence and meant nothing. My mind wandered to Chadwick. I did love being with him. He was easy to talk to and had a good sense of humor. Not to mention he was also a pretty good kisser, which led me to wonder if we would progress beyond kisses. He certainly didn't take advantage of me the night I fell asleep at his house. Instead he got me a pillow and covered me with a blanket. A definite gentleman. But what did
I
want? Did I want to take it a step further and develop a bona fide relationship? I honestly wasn't sure.
I let out a deep sigh and headed back into the house. Instead of another glass of wine I opted for some ice water with lemon. Opening the fridge again and glancing inside, I reached for the covered bowl of onion dip and a block of Muenster cheese. Reaching into the cabinet, I pulled out a bag of chips and box of crackers. After placing everything on a tray, I carried it into the family room, where I settled myself on the sofa and reached for the television remote. I skimmed the channels and found one showing a marathon of
Bones
reruns. Dead bodies and bones seemed to match my mood.
By nine o'clock I had binged on both the TV episodes and the junk food. As I brought the empty tray into the kitchen, a feeling of loneliness crashed over me. How pathetic was I? Here I was in my mid-forties, home alone on a Saturday night, confused about a relationship with a really great guy and a mother who showed no interest in me.
But that wasn't really true. I knew I was feeling sorry for myself. I might have no idea where Chadwick and I were headed, but I was pretty sure that if I gave my mother half a chance, our relationship would improve.
I walked back into the family room and plunked down on the sofa to turn off the TV. I'd had enough of Bones and Booth, and clicked the remote just as my cell phone rang.
“Hey, girlfriend,” I heard Petra say. “I wasn't sure I'd catch you home on a Saturday night.”
“Oh, yeah. Here I am. All by my lonesome.”
“Well, don't you sound cheery. What's up?”
I blew a breath of air into the phone. “Nothing. Really. It's just me. Chadwick is out of town and Haley is spending the night at my mother's house.”
“Ah. Feeling sorry for yourself, huh?”
Petra was famous for not coddling me. I smiled.
“Hmm,” was all I said.
“Well, cheer up. I'll be down there in a little over two weeks. I plan to whip you back into shape. I take it things haven't improved with your mother?”
“You could say that. But in her defense, I made it crystal clear to her that she could visit with Haley but I wanted nothing to do with her.”
“Be careful what you wish for. So how is everything else going? Are things moving along with Chadwick? I can't wait to meet him. You do know you're not allowed to get serious until I give my approval, right?”
I laughed. “Yes. I wouldn't dare to let things progress till that happens.”
“Good. Well, I just wanted to touch base with you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go have a big bowl of ice cream.”
I laughed again. That had always been another solution to life's problems for Petra and me since we were kids.
“Will do,” I told her. “Love you, and we'll talk again soon.”
I had just piled a bowl with Rocky Road when my phone rang again. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was Chadwick.
“Hey,” I said. “I thought you were in St. Pete.”
“Just got back a few minutes ago. I wanted to see how you are. Did you have a good evening?”
I could definitely add thoughtful to this man's attributes. “It was okay. Quiet. Haley is spending the night at my mother's.”
“Oh, gee, if I had known, I'd have asked you to go with me today.”
“Thanks, but I couldn't have gone anyway. We spent most of the day shopping for dresses for Chloe's wedding.”
“That makes me feel better. But I'm sorry you had to spend the evening alone. I know it's short notice, but is there any chance you and Haley would like to go out on my boat tomorrow afternoon?”
“That sounds like fun. I definitely would love to go, and I'll check with Haley.”
“Great. I'll call you in the morning.”
I hung up with a smile on my face. I was feeling decidedly less lonely than I had earlier in the evening.