She grabbed the quilt tighter around her, and then just let it drop to the floor.
'I think,' I said softly, wanting not to speak but too caught up to stop. 'I think Marc grabbed Grace's quilt thinking he was leaving us a message.'
Eleanor looked at me. 'What message?'
'I kept telling him that if those quilts got dusty, Nancy would kill him.' I stopped, looked down. I didn't mean to use those words. 'I just kept telling him that Nancy would be upset if those quilts got dirty. He must have thought they were all her quilts. When he grabbed one, he must have thought…'
I was looking at the floor, but out of the corner of my eye I could see Eleanor nodding. Nancy had her face in her hands and everyone else was stunned into silence.
'I guess I can get that quilt back to you pretty soon, Mrs. Cassidy.' Jesse's voice was low and it seemed almost as if he would cry.
Eleanor was already crying. 'It's not important.'
Jesse took Nancy's arm. 'I'm going to take you down to the police station now, Mrs. Vanderberg. Someone here should call you a lawyer.'
I looked at Jesse. 'Isn't it kind of self-defense?'
'Maybe. Just get her a lawyer.'
Maggie took Natalie's cell phone and called one of her sons. 'He'll do it for free, or he'll regret it,' she said as Nancy and Jesse walked out of the shop.
I'd gotten so caught up in following clues that I hadn't thought about where it might lead. I walked out of the shop and stopped Jesse and Nancy.
'I'm sorry,' I said to Nancy. Jesse let go of her arm and she gave me a long hug.
'If you can get my quilt bag for me and bring it over to the jail, I'd like to do some hand sewing tonight.' She smiled weakly and I nodded.
Jesse and Nancy walked across the street and turned a corner toward the police station. Inside the shop, I could hear the women creating a plan of action to help Nancy. I didn't think they would want me there, so I started to walk to the river.
'It's over with me and Amanda.' I saw Ryan walking toward me and I stopped.
'I don't care,' I said wearily. I really didn't care, and that saddened me. 'What was wrong had nothing to do with you or Amanda.'
'Then let's fix it.'
I shook my head slowly as if it weighed fifty pounds. 'The women here, they have these things they call UFOs. Unfinished projects. Sometimes you start something and in the middle decide it isn't worth finishing. The trick is not to get stubborn about it. If it doesn't work, you have to let it go.'
'I don't know what that means,' Ryan stammered.
'I do.'
I took one last look at the face I had loved for so long, then turned and walked away.
CHAPTER 58
'Unlock the door,' Eleanor directed me from her spot at the register.
'It's not seven o'clock yet.'
'Are the girls out there?'
I lifted up one of the quilts that blocked the picture window. Outside I could see Maggie, Natalie and Susanne. Bernie was holding a plate and chatting with someone I couldn't see.
'They're out there.'
'Then open up the door.' I did as I was told, opening the door of the new Someday Quilts for the first time.
'Finally,' I heard Maggie say.
Each woman walked into the shop in single file. After they had all entered, Jesse walked through the door. He smiled shyly at me and I smiled back, just as shyly. Then he looked around the room, just as the others were doing. After the initial wows, everyone turned in a complete circle to take in all the changes. Gone were the overstuffed shelves and baskets of quilt tools. There were now three aisles of fabric, arranged by color, that made a sort of rainbow effect. On the back wall books, tools and threads were organized and hung securely.
I led them through the opening into what had once been the run-down diner. Now it had specialty fabrics, an office, a bathroom and classroom with a large rectangular table. On the wall above the table were three quilts-one made by Eleanor, one by Nancy, and the repaired quilt made by Grace, the woman who had taught my grandmother to quilt.
'Just as it should be,' Susanne said, almost in a hushed tone.
'This is where you can have your meetings,' I said, waiting for the applause.
'But we won't be in a circle,' Bernie frowned. 'Why can't we meet in the other room like we always did?'
Each woman mumbled something in agreement and then dragged a chair from the classroom into the original quilt shop. After they had arranged the chairs in the same circle as they had in the old shop, everyone sat down. Barney took his place in the middle, going from woman to woman for a pat on the head.
'Change is good,' Maggie said sternly. 'But tradition is good too.'
'Well, you'll have plenty of both with Nell helping to run things.' Carrie smiled at me.
Jesse looked at me and I shrugged. 'She's signed up for art school over in Peekskill,' Eleanor explained.
'Part time,' I explained. 'I'll help out at the shop the rest of the time.'
'Well, it's cause for celebration.' Bernie unwrapped a plateful of pecan squares and set them on the counter. 'God knows we need a little something to celebrate.'
Eleanor looked at Jesse. 'We're having the meeting for the Friday Night Quilt Club,' she said. 'Are you staying?'
'No ma'am,' he said. 'I'll leave you to it.' He grabbed a pecan square and nodded toward me. 'Can we talk a minute?'
Outside the shop Jesse stared at his feet. 'I'm sorry about, you know…'
'Our fight? Me too. I was out of line,' I acknowledged. 'I just was having so much fun working with you.'
He looked into my eyes. They were warm and kind, and a little unsure. They were nice eyes. 'I was too,' he said. He took a few steps away from me. 'If you'd like to get dinner sometime, when you're ready…'
'I'd like that.' I smiled. 'I just can't get into a new relationship until I'm over the things that happened in the last one.'
He nodded. 'You let me know.' Then he turned and walked away and I headed back into the shop.
Inside the ladies were sitting in their circle, with Barney in the middle wagging his tail.
'Are you staying?' Eleanor turned her eyes on me.
'I'm staying.'
'Well, then, sit down.'
So I sat, pulled out the small squares of fabric I'd painted and started my first quilt.
CLARE O'DONOHUE
CLARE O'DONOHUE is a freelance television writer/producer. She has worked worldwide on a variety of shows for the Food Network, the History Channel, and truTV, among others. An avid quilter, she also was a producer for HGTV's
