Rocky into the library. The place was relentlessly cheerful, with yellow-painted cinder-block walls festooned with lots of kid art. A number of other book club members had already arrived. They stood around the refreshment table eating red velvet cupcakes.
“Oooh, I forgot that Arlene was responsible for refreshments this time,” Rocky said. “She always buys cupcakes at the bakery over in Allenberg.”
Rocky pulled Savannah into the knot of women by the table and started making introductions. Someone handed Savannah a paper plate with a red velvet cupcake. She taste-tested it. The icing was excellent, but the cake was a skosh dry. Granny’s cake recipe was better.
“Come meet Jenny,” Rocky said as she dragged Savannah away from her thoughts.
Jenny wore one of those shapeless flowered dresses that came down below her knees. Her brown hair sat atop her head in a messy bun, and she wore a pair of big eyeglasses.
“Savannah was just telling me how much she enjoyed the pies you baked for Harry’s wake, Jenny,” Rocky said.
Jenny gave Savannah a shy smile. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t make Mr. Randall’s funeral. We had school that day.”
“The pies were much appreciated,” Savannah replied, stunned that this wallflower of a woman had captured the male population of Last Chance by their taste buds. Heaven help the female population if Jenny ever got a makeover. Because despite the specks, bun, and dress, she was attractive—with golden skin and amber eyes.
Savannah was about to ask Jenny about her piecrust recipe when Rocky grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. “C’mon, you need to meet Molly Canaday, her momma runs the yarn shop and her daddy is the coach of the football team. She wasn’t at the funeral either, because she’s a mechanic at the Grease Pit.”
“Really?”
“Yup. You shouldn’t ever take your car any other place, because Molly and Bubba are the best mechanics in Allenberg County. And if you ever decide to take up knitting and need a teacher, go to Molly, not her mother. Molly has a gift with yarn and cars.”
Molly had a beautiful mane of curly black hair that had to be the envy of everyone in that room. But her hair was her only concession to her gender. She wore no makeup, her jeans had holes in the knees, and her gray T-shirt said, “I love the smell of gasoline in the morning.”
Jane Rhodes, Rocky’s sister-in-law, was standing next to Molly. Savannah remembered the pregnant woman from the funeral. Jane worked at the Cut ’n Curl and was married to Rocky’s older brother, Clay.
On the desk in front of them, Jane had spread out the ugliest, most misshapen sweater-in-progress Savannah had ever seen. The yarn was a pretty shade of pink, but the stitches were a mess.
“Well,” Molly was saying to Jane as Savannah and Rocky approached, “you clearly lost count of the decreases for the raglan sleeves.”
“I did?” Jane said.
“You’ll have to frog it back to here.” Molly pointed to a place in the knitting.
“I’m never going to figure this out. If the baby wasn’t due so soon, I would start something new.” Jane looked up. “Oh hi, Rocky, Savannah.”
Rocky snorted a laugh. “Jane, honey, how many unfinished sweaters do you have now?”
“A few,” Jane said, and then turned toward Savannah. “I think what you’re planning to do with the theater is really great.”
Savannah gritted her teeth. How on earth was she going to tell everyone that she’d abandoned her plans for the theater? Her stomach felt queasy. There were too many new people here.
One of them came up carrying a Vera Bradley bag. She dropped it on the table and pulled out a knitting project. “Molly, honey, you have to help me. Where have I gone wrong?”
Molly sighed. “Cathy, why don’t you take your knitting to Momma? She’s the one who owns the shop.”
“I do, but her instructions never make much sense to me. On the other hand, you are a natural-born teacher, not to mention that you’re a yarn whisperer if I ever saw one. Now, how exactly do I do that three-needle bind-off you were telling me about?”
The newcomer was introduced as Cathy Niles, and within a few minutes Cathy and Molly were bent over the project in deep consultation. Rocky pulled Savannah away, and in the space of the next few minutes Savannah was introduced to half a dozen other women whose names went right out of her head.
Hettie Marshall was the last to arrive. She strolled in ten minutes late dressed in