everywhere for signs and portents, and she had frequent conversations with God. Without a doubt she knew she'd been sent to this shop. It was His way of letting her know He was about to answer her prayers. When she went in for the fertilization process this third and final time, she would be successful. In the not-too-distant future she was going to need a baby blanket for her child.
CHAPTER 4
ALIX TOWNSEND
A lix Townsend smashed her cigarette butt into the cracked concrete sidewalk with the toe of her knee-high black combat boots. The manager of Blossom Street Video frowned on employees smoking in the break room and rather than put up with his snide comments, she chose to smoke outside. The man was a prick, anyway, constantly complaining about the staff, the economy and life in general.
Lloyd Fund was right about one thing, though - all this construction was killing business. Alix figured it was only a matter of time before she got her RIF notice, followed by word that her apartment building had been sold. It was inevitable with all the changes taking place in the neighborhood. Either that or she was in for a big rent hike. Thanks a lot, Mr. Mayor.
She burrowed her hands in her black leather jacket and glared down the street at the dust and debris. She wore the leather coat rain or shine, summer or winter. This jacket had cost her big time, and she wasn't taking it off so someone could conveniently walk away with it. Someone like her roommate, the overweight Laurel, although it was doubtful anything Alix owned would fit her. Leaning against the building, knee bent, one foot braced against the wall, she concentrated on the other side of the street.
All the storefronts were newly painted. The new florist shop had already opened, as well as a beauty parlor. Those were a real boon to the neighborhood - as if she had use for either one. The shop situated between them remained something of a mystery. A Good Yarn. Either it was a bookstore or a knitting shop. In this neighborhood neither would last long, she suspected. On closer inspection she decided it was a yarn store. The people who lived in her building weren't exactly the type who got off on a ball of yarn.
A knitting shop did bring up an interesting prospect, though. With another five minutes left of her break, Alix crossed the street. She peered through the window and saw a handmade sign offering knitting classes. If she started knitting, it would get the court off her back. Maybe she could do something about those community-service hours Judge Roper had thrown at her.
"Hi," Alix said, letting her voice boom when she walked in the front door. She liked making an entrance.
"Hello."
The proprietor was a dainty woman, fragile-looking with large brown eyes and a ready smile.
"You own this shop?" Alix asked, giving the other woman a cool glance. She couldn't be much older than Alix.
"This is my shop." She rose from her rocking chair. "How can I help you?"
"I want to know about that knitting class." Her case worker had once suggested knitting as a means of anger management. Maybe it would work. And if it allowed her to meet her community-service obligations at the same time...
"What can I tell you?"
Slowly Alix walked around the shop, her hands shoved inside her pockets. She'd bet this knitting lady didn't get many customers like her. Recently a notice in the courthouse had caught Alix's attention - all about homemade quilts and blankets for kids who'd suffered domestic violence. "You ever heard of the Linus Project?" she asked, thinking this yarn lady probably hadn't stepped inside a courtroom in her lifetime.
"Of course." The woman joined her hands and followed Alix as if she was afraid Alix might try to lift some yarn. "It's a police-instigated project that involves knitting blankets for children who are the victims of violence."
Alix shrugged it off as if it were merely a passing thought. "That's what I heard."
"I'm Lydia, by the way."
"Alix, spelled A-L-I-X." She hadn't expected to get on a first-name basis with the woman, but that was all right.
"Hello, Alix, and welcome to A Good Yarn. Are you interested in knitting for the Linus Project?"
"Well..." Her thoughts on the subject had been pretty vague. "I might be if I knew how to knit," she finally muttered.
"That's what the classes are for."
Alix gave a short, humorless laugh. "I'm sure I wouldn't be