Boxed In(62)
“It will be gorgeous. Expert handwork runs in your family.” Annie smiled.
“As it does in yours.” Gwen smiled back. “Bye, Annie.”
Annie walked back to the common room. Cecil’s eyes were closed, and he was breathing deeply. Not wanting to disturb him, Annie left the jelly with the resident concierge attendant to be delivered to Cecil when he awoke.
As Annie drove past the harbor she realized the fog was gone.
21
The next month whirled along for the residents of Stony Point in a flurry of activities. Fishermen brought the ocean’s bounty for cauldron-size pots of chowder. The ladies held a chowder cook-off to decide whose recipe would be used on the big day. Todd Butler and his crew strung the lobster shacks with orange and white lights. Fathers worked alongside their teenagers, demonstrating how to build sturdy booths. Doc Witham and Chessey Cushman sharpened their knives to expertly carve pumpkins. Gardeners nurtured pots of flowers until they exploded with autumn colors. The members of the Hook and Needle Club cross-stitched, knitted, quilted, and crocheted until their fingers were numb.
The day of Harvest on the Harbor arrived. Mary Beth had instructed the club members to bring their handcrafts an hour and a half before the festival’s opening to the booth manned by A Stitch In Time. She, of course, had come even earlier and had unpacked a variety of fabric remnants, boxes, and table stands for displaying every piece to catch the shopper’s eye and wallet. Peggy was the first to drop off her quilt before hurrying to help set up and serve at The Cup & Saucer booth.
“Gotta hurry, Mary Beth,” she said, thrusting a large bag into Mary Beth’s hands. Her fingernails were painted dark green with bright orange pumpkins in the middle of each nail. “I hope you can get a decent amount for it.”
Mary Beth drew the red and yellow quilt from the bag. “Peggy! Are you kidding me? I wish you’d had time to make five more. We could have sold all of them easily.”
“You’re a love, Mary Beth.” Relief rang in every syllable. “Take a break sometime and come by our booth, OK?”
Mary Beth leaned over the table and hollered after Peggy as she hurried to help her boss. “I am not a love, either! I’m a good businesswoman!” Then, she shook her head with a smile and got back to work, draping the quilt with that secret technique she had until the cattails on the quilt looked like they were gently swaying in a breeze.
Alice and Annie walked together to the harbor, Alice sipping the coffee Annie had brought to her door in a travel mug. “The coffee is so good, I can almost forgive you for calling me at such a disgusting hour,” said Alice, stifling a yawn.
“Hey, Mary Beth set the time for us to bring our projects, and the committee set the start time for Harvest on the Harbor,” Annie reminded her. “I’m just an innocent bystander.”
“Hmph! Need to have a discussion with the mayor about this.”
“You can give it a try,” Annie said as they approached the docks. “But remember, Ian still keeps military hours. I’m not sure he’ll understand your pain.” She lifted the big bag she was carrying that bulged with pillows. “Personally, I’m glad we had to come early before the crowds. I’d be knocking people into the water with this.”
“Easy for you to say, Little Miss Sunrise.” Alice tilted her head back to retrieve the last precious drops of her coffee.
Annie nudged her friend’s arm. “There’s Mary Beth. Look at Peggy’s quilt! That’s not going to last long.”
Mary Beth saw them coming. “Ah! More merchandise. Let me see what you’ve got.”
“A pillow fight’s worth of pillows, that’s what I’ve got,” Annie said, laughing.
“Well, hand ’em over so I can get them arranged. The opening will be here before we know it.” Mary Beth walked around the booth to take the bulky bag from Annie. “Thank you both for volunteering to help today. I think it’s going to be our busiest year yet, and Kate will only be here part of the time. Vanessa’s volleyball team is sponsoring a booth, and all the parents have to take a time slot.” Mary Beth pulled out a pillow and then another, holding them out to get a good look. “Annie, these are wonderful. The colors are neutral enough to fit almost every decor and the sea-urchin shape and the stripes give it both a whimsical and sophisticated feel. That’s not easy to do, you know.”
“The hardest part was getting them stuffed and sewn together right!” Annie laughed. “But I really enjoyed using the Tunisian technique again.”
“And the shoppers will enjoy buying your pillows today, no doubt about it,” Alice said, starting to look perkier now that some caffeine was in her system. She set her bag on the table. “Here are my Micmac-inspired place mats.”