Secrets in Summer(68)

Susan set her empty glass on the table with a definitive thump. “I would like to work in a yarn shop,” she announced defiantly.

Darcy waved the waitress over. “Another round of drinks, please.”

“Really? Why?” Mimi asked.

Susan ran her hands through her blond hair, changing the carefully tidy locks into a wild tangle. “I enjoy knitting. I always have. I made the sweetest sweaters for my boys when they were babies. You should see the yarns they have now, I mean you should feel them. They’re not all itchy like yarns used to be. They’re silky. And so many colors!”

“But why not have your own yarn shop?” Willow asked. “Why work for someone else?”

“I don’t want the responsibility. I am so tired of being responsible, for my children, for my husband’s meals, for balancing a household budget. It’s exhausting! I want to work for someone who has to keep the records and place the orders. I’ll unpack the yarns and work behind the counter, selling and helping women choose the right color and weight. If the shop isn’t busy, I’ll work on knitting something intricate and unusual that will inspire other knitters.” As she spoke, Susan’s face flushed, and her entire personality seemed to transform from shy and quiet to bold and beautiful.

Mimi laughed and patted Susan’s hand. “It seems you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Oh, well, I suppose, when I try to fall asleep at night…” Susan deflated a little.

“Three young boys are a lot to deal with,” Darcy remarked. “I don’t know if I could do it without going crazy.”

“If your husband helped, you could,” Mimi said, facing Darcy but floating the suggestion to Susan.

Susan shrugged and continued to shrink back into her old self. “Otto is far too busy to help with childcare. What he does is important. I’m fortunate that he agreed to come to the island with us. He couldn’t do it, if it weren’t for technology, the computer, the Internet.” Blushing, she added in a whisper, “Plus, he makes an enormous salary. That’s why we were able to come here.”

“Well, then, you needn’t worry about money,” Mimi concluded. “You could work part-time, for the pleasure of it—”

“And I could babysit!” Willow chimed in. Quickly she turned to the others. “I would still help with story hours, too. And read to you in the afternoons, Mimi.”

“Have you seen Flock yet?” Mimi asked. “The yarn store on Orange Street? You could walk there in five minutes.”

“It’s so late in the season,” Susan countered. “I’m sure they have all the help they need.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Darcy said. “Lots of people will leave the island in August—kids going back to college and so on.”

“You could at least stop in,” Mimi said.

Susan’s face glowed and she broke into the prettiest Mona Lisa smile.

“OMG,” Willow whispered, leaning in. “That guy over there is totally checking you out!”

“Who?” Susan asked.

“Well, not me,” Mimi joked. “And Darcy’s back is to him.”

“He’s cute,” Willow said. “Take a look.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous.” Susan shook her head and laughed. Then she looked. Then her neck and face flooded with a highly becoming blush. Then she jerkily moved her head and sat as if paralyzed.

Darcy glanced quickly over her shoulder. “He is cute.”

“Please,” Susan said, her lips scarcely moving, “stop it. I’m married.”

“But not dead,” Mimi told her. “For heaven’s sake, Susan, a little flirting is not going to turn you into a scarlet woman.”

“If Otto knew…” Susan paused, worried.

“Personally,” Darcy said, “I think it would do your husband a lot of good to remember how attractive you are.” She knew she could say more. She could tell Susan that she’d seen Otto “visit” Autumn at night and also the weekend that Susan and the boys were in Boston. But after all, maybe the visits were innocent. And this moment, while Susan was all flustered and blushing and happy, was not the time to bring Susan’s high spirits crashing to the ground. Plus, Willow was there. She didn’t need to hear Darcy’s suspicions.

The waitress arrived with a fresh round of drinks. “These are from the gentleman at the far table. The man in the red rugby shirt.”

“Thank you,” Darcy said. “And give him our thanks.” She turned to Susan, who was staring at her drink as if it materialized right out of the air. “Susan,” she hissed, “you need to lift your glass, smile at Red Rugby Shirt, and mouth the words thank you.”