Blossom Street Brides Read online

  “Ah …” Lauren hardly knew what to say.

  “It’s ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. She’s far too young.”

  Lauren sat down next to her friend. “What did you tell her?” Lauren asked, concerned. There’d been a lot of shouting going on.

  “What else? I insisted she come home immediately. There are ways of dealing with situations like this. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t allow my daughter to go through with this pregnancy. A baby now would ruin her life. We’ve got to think about her future.”

  “Isn’t this Katie’s decision?” Lauren asked gently.

  Elisa’s eyes snapped with anger. “Not you, too.”

  “Me?”

  “That’s what Katie said, and she insists she’s going to have this baby. She’s convinced she’s in love with that … that farmer.”

  Now didn’t seem a good time to remind Elisa that at age twenty-two Dietrich was an adult and, from what Lauren had seen, a responsible, kindhearted one.

  “He took advantage of Katie,” Elisa insisted, straightening now.

  “Is that what Katie said?”

  “Oh, no, she wouldn’t admit to anything like that. Instead, she defended him and insisted they were equally responsible.”

  Personally, Lauren felt that this was a matter between Katie and Dietrich and that Elisa would be well advised to let them decide how best to deal with the situation.

  “I insisted Katie come home right away, but she refused.” Elisa took another taste of the coffee and made a gulping sound as though it was difficult to swallow.

  “I wish I knew what to say,” Lauren confessed. She felt at a loss and wasn’t certain she had anything of value to contribute.

  “This is history repeating itself,” Elisa whispered, and wiped away a tear that had spilled out from the corner of her eye. “Garry and I … I was pregnant at nineteen, too.”

  Naturally, Lauren realized Elisa and Garry had married young. They must have, in order to have a daughter in college. Identical twin boys had followed three years later. Tim and Tom were high school sophomores and played varsity on the high school soccer and baseball teams. Lauren had attended their games with Elisa and Garry. Because of their connection, Todd had done a human-interest story on the boys that played on the local evening news.

  “It turned out fine between you and Garry,” Lauren reminded Elisa.

  “Well, yes, but my family always liked Garry. I agree we were young and foolish. Dad wasn’t happy with me—Mom, either, for that matter—but Dad took Garry under his wing, taught him the business. Dad saw to it that when it came time for him and Mom to retire, Garry and I were capable of taking over the store.” Elisa hung her head. “I can’t imagine what my parents will say when they hear about this.” Right away she straightened. “They will never know. I’ll make sure of that. If Katie won’t come to me, then she gives me no other option but to go to her.”

  Lauren resisted the urge to advise her friend not to act on impulse.

  “I’m booking a flight right this minute.” With a look of determination, Elisa reached for her cell.

  “Do you want me to contact Garry?” Lauren asked.

  Elisa looked aghast. “Why would you do that?”

  “To cover for you while you’re away.”

  “Oh.” Elisa set down her phone and exhaled a long, slow breath. She brushed the hair off her forehead while she thought matters through. “I’d better wait and talk to him about this. I swear, if he knew before me I’ll shoot the man for keeping it a secret.”

  “Did Katie tell you how far along she is?” Lauren asked.

  “No. When I asked, she refused to answer.”

  Lauren suspected Katie might have been pregnant when she was in Seattle for spring break the previous month. No wonder she’d brought Dietrich home with her. Lauren had met the young man only once and had immediately liked him. He was polite and respectful and seemed intelligent. She remembered watching him with Katie and feeling a pinch of envy at the way he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

  All at once it hit Lauren. A double whammy. Her younger sister was pregnant, and now her dearest friend, who was only a few years older than Lauren, was about to become a grandmother.

  Without weighing the decision, she retrieved her cell and called Todd. Generally, she avoided contacting him during work hours, but he wasn’t on the set until right before noon. As best she could figure, he would be sitting in a chair in the makeup room.

  He answered on the third ring. “Hey, honey, what’s up?” Todd sounded rushed and a bit distracted. She half expected him to remind her that it wasn’t good practice to contact him while he was at work.

  “Can you meet me tonight?”

  “Tonight?” he repeated. “Can’t. I’m taping a story for the eleven-o’clock report.”

  “What about Thursday?” Any night was fine for what she had in mind. Lauren had made her decision.

  “Thursday it is,” Todd agreed. “Be sure and watch the noon news. And I’ve got a lead on a great story. I’ll tell you about it later. We’ll talk more about it on Thursday. Gotta go.”

  With that, the line was disconnected. It wasn’t until she heard the buzz in her ear that she realized she hadn’t had time to ask where they should meet or what time.

  Chapter Two

  Bethanne Hamlin Scranton waltzed into A Good Yarn wearing one of the biggest smiles of her life. This happiness felt as if it would explode right out of her if she didn’t share it soon.

  “Lydia, oh, Lydia,” Bethanne cried, so full of joy it was difficult to hold still. “I’ve got the most wonderful news.”

  “Max is coming for the weekend,” Lydia guessed.

  “No, it’s even better than a visit from my husband.” Max was living in California, where his wine-distribution business was located, while she lived in Seattle because of her party company. It meant weekend trips from either him or her, which was a ridiculous way to be married, but Bethanne didn’t want to think about that now, not when her heart was this full.

  “Okay, I give up,” Lydia said, laughing. “Tell me.”

  Bethanne practically skipped to the front of the store near the display window and gestured toward the baby blanket artfully draped over a bassinet.

  Lydia’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with both hands. “You’re pregnant?”

  “Not me. Courtney. I’m going to be a grandmother.”

  “Oh, Bethanne, that’s wonderful news.” Lydia laughed and briefly hugged her. “I remember when I first met Courtney and what a shy, withdrawn teenager she was. And now she and Andrew are going to have a baby?”

  “Max doesn’t know yet, but I guarantee he’s going to be as excited as I am.” She already suspected what her husband would say. He’d claim she’d be the sexiest grandma he’d ever known. Bethanne nearly blushed at the thought. They’d been married more than a year now, and while it was a strain to live apart, they remained deeply in love. While it sounded like a bit of a stretch for her to be pregnant—an impossibility, since her tubes had been tied—it wasn’t from lack of bedroom activity. Fifteen months out and it was as if Max and she were still on their honeymoon.

  Love the second time around had come as a surprise to Bethanne. Grant, her first husband, had been her college sweetheart. They’d married, had two children a year apart, and then, after twenty years, without warning, Grant had left her for a younger woman. As a stay-at-home mom, Bethanne had been sent reeling, facing an uncertain future.

  She’d needed to reinvent herself, and with trepidation, she had. Not once did she expect to fall in love again. But then life seemed to be filled with surprises, and some of those surprises, mainly Max, were simply wonderful.

  “I want the pattern and yarn for that baby blanket,” Bethanne told her friend. “I can hardly wait to start knitting.” The thought of her first grandchild filled her with excitement and joy. She’d knit the baby blanket, but already she was thinking of two other patterns she wanted to tackl
e. This child would lack for nothing.

  The smile left Lydia’s face. “Oh, Bethanne, I’m sorry. I’ve sold out of that particular yarn, but I have a new shipment coming in on Thursday. I can put five skeins aside for you if you want.”

  “I do. I’ll stop by Thursday afternoon and pick it up. Can I come around five?”

  “That would be perfect. The shipment is sure to have arrived by then. Lauren Elliott is stopping by around that time, too.”

  “Lauren Elliott … Lauren Elliott,” Bethanne repeated. “Why is her name familiar?” She tapped her index finger against her lips. Generally, she was good at remembering names, a necessity in her party business, with so many repeat customers.

  “Lauren works at John Michael Jewelers.”

  “Oh, yes. I was in the shop not long ago, and she was helpful.”

  “Buying diamonds, are we?” Lydia teased.

  Bethanne sighed. “Max wanted me to pick out something for our first anniversary.” It saddened her that he hadn’t been with her, but their weekend time together was limited. There were far more important matters that needed attention, mainly each other. From the way they acted, one would think they were twenty-year-olds. Max made her feel loved and cherished.

  The shop doorbell jingled as Margaret, Lydia’s older sister, came inside. It was hard to picture the two as siblings. Margaret was big-boned and tall, while Lydia was petite and delicate. That wasn’t the only difference. Their personalities were polar opposites. Lydia was warm and welcoming, and Margaret was a bit gruff, with ragged edges.

  “The weirdest thing just happened,” Margaret said, frowning. “When I got off the bus I saw a woman knitting, but then she left the knitting on the bench to get on the bus.”

  “She left her knitting behind?” Bethanne asked.

  “Yeah, so I stopped her and pointed out that she’d forgotten her knitting, and she said it wasn’t hers.”

  “She was knitting on someone else’s project?” Lydia asked. “Well, that’s odd.”

  “I thought the same thing,” Margaret said. “I mean, really, it’s pretty nervy to just pick up another person’s project and start knitting, don’t you think?”

  Bethanne had to agree.

  “So what did you do?” Lydia asked. She walked around to the cash register and made a notation on a tablet. Bethanne saw that she was noting the baby blanket yarn for her to collect on Thursday. Lauren Elliott’s name was on the list as well.

  Margaret fiddled with the large buttons of her light jacket, slipped it off, and hung it over her arm. “It really wasn’t any of my business, but I couldn’t help myself.”

  “You looked at the knitting.”

  “It was in a basket. A really nice one. It sort of reminded me of one Mom had years ago. I’m sure we sent it to some charity when we moved her into the assisted-living complex. Remember the woven basket with the purple stripe?”

  Lydia shook her head. “No. Mom had all kinds of baskets.”

  “True. Well, never mind, that isn’t important. I lifted out the yarn and needles, and there was a note inside with big letters that said: KNIT ME.”

  “Knit me?” Lydia repeated.

  “Yes. Apparently, someone left this project there on purpose, wanting people to work on it while they wait for the bus.”

  “What is it they’re supposed to be knitting?” Bethanne asked.

  “A scarf. The note said that once it’s finished it will be given to a homeless shelter.”

  Bethanne found this all rather interesting, and, looking at Lydia, asked, “You haven’t heard of anyone doing this before now, have you?”

  “Not a word,” Lydia replied. “But I think it’s a great idea. It’s a wonderful way to help others, and as a bonus, it might get more people interested in knitting.”

  “I hadn’t heard of it, either,” Margaret said, “and here’s the thing. While I was looking at the project on the needles, a woman came up to me and said she saw another basket in the park with the same message.”

  “You mean there’s more than one project out there?”

  “Apparently so.”

  “I wonder how many?”

  Bethanne was amused. “For all we know, they might be all over the city.”

  “I wonder who’s doing this?” Lydia asked. “I mean, I think it’s great, but I’d like to know who came up with this idea.”

  Margaret nodded her head. “Me, too, and whoever it is shops here.”

  “What makes you think that?” Lydia asked, smiling now. “Was the yarn a brand we sell?”

  “We apparently did at one time,” Margaret said, “but it must have been before I came on staff, because I didn’t recognize the name.”

  “Then how did you know it was from A Good Yarn?” Bethanne asked, her curiosity mounting.

  “Easy. The price tag had A Good Yarn stamped on it.”

  “Really?” Lydia’s eyes rounded in surprise. “I wonder who put this together.”

  “Can’t tell you,” Margaret returned, “but I wish I’d been the one to think of it.” She started toward the office and then abruptly turned back. “I nearly forgot. When the yarn runs out, the project is finished and the last person knitting needs to bring the scarf to the shop.”

  “Here?”

  “Here,” Margaret answered. “It specifically says to deliver the finished project to A Good Yarn. Kind of fun, isn’t it?”

  “Kind of. I just wish whoever thought of this would’ve taken the time to clue me in.”

  Bethanne glanced at her watch. It’d been a long day at the office and she was ready for her tea break. Besides, she was waiting for Max to return her call. “I better head home. I’ll stop by on Thursday for the yarn for the baby blanket.”

  “Do you mind if I tell Margaret your news?”

  “Please do.”

  Bethanne drove home to the very house where she’d raised her children, the home she loved. At one point, not long ago, Grant had tried to lure her away from the house and from Max. He seemed to think that if they could start over and put the past behind them the world would right itself again.

  She loved this colonial-style home with the green shutters and the spacious rooms. It was much too large for her now, but she couldn’t bring herself to sell it. After Grant moved out, she’d struggled to hold on to the house. At the time it had seemed an impossibility, but she couldn’t let it go. Her children had already lost their father, and she was determined they wouldn’t lose the only home they had ever known. It wasn’t their fault their father couldn’t keep his pants zipped. Bethanne was proud that she’d survived those first torturous months following her divorce. At the same time, she realized she’d never have been able to do it without the encouragement and emotional support she got from her friends.

  Once inside the kitchen, she put on water for tea. She’d found that she enjoyed a few minutes’ respite at the end of the day. The house was quiet, and she turned on the television for the early news broadcast simply for the noise. When Andrew and Annie, her children, had lived at home, they seemed to be constantly coming and going, music blaring, cellphones ringing. These days there was silence. It was more peaceful, but she missed the chatter of her children. Within a few months she would again hear the noise, only this time it would be from a newborn.

  A baby.

  It’d been a lot of years since this house had heard a baby’s cry. A lump filled her throat as she carried her tea to her preferred spot in the family room off the kitchen. Her favorite chair sat close to the fireplace, and a container with her knitting rested on the Oriental rug next to the overstuffed chair and ottoman. She automatically reached for it. While she currently had two or three projects going, she would put them all aside and immediately start the baby blanket once the yarn arrived.

  She hadn’t taken more than a sip of tea when her cell rang. Seeing that it was Max, she eagerly grabbed the phone. She’d left a message with Rooster, Max’s friend and business partner, for Max to call her as soon as he
was available.

  “Honey, what is it?”

  “Andrew called me this afternoon, and Courtney’s pregnant,” she blurted out in one quick breath.

  “She’s pregnant? Well, congratulations to Andrew and Courtney. I imagine you’re walking on cloud nine.”

  “That doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. When I heard the news I wanted to laugh, and at the same time I had to hold back tears. It’s been so long since there was a baby in the family.”

  “You’re gonna be one sexy grandma.”

  “I knew you’d say that.” A warm, happy feeling stole over her. “I wish you were here right now.”

  “So do I.” His voice dipped low. “This makes the decision all the more difficult for you, doesn’t it?”

  Bethanne didn’t need clarification. They’d gone round and round about her selling her party business so she could move to California. Over the years it had grown and prospered. Bethanne had a huge emotional investment in it. Still, it went without saying that it would be far easier for her to sell her company than for Max to move his wine-export business to Washington State.

  While Washington was the second-largest wine-producing state in the country behind California, it wasn’t anywhere close to competing.

  “I … I don’t know.” The thought of selling her business was one thing, but to move away from a grandchild was something else entirely.

  “Do you regret marrying me?” her husband asked.

  “Max! How can you even ask that?”

  “You’re right. It’s a ridiculous question. We belong together. I knew it the minute you climbed on the back of my motorcycle and held on to me so tightly you nearly crushed my ribs.

  “You’re smiling.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “I know you, my love. You’re thinking about the two of us riding down that road in Nevada shortly after we met.”

  Bethanne laughed, remembering all too well being stuck in the middle of the Nevada desert with a broken-down car.