The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love - By Beth Pattillo Page 0,41

care issue. Though if she were honest with herself, some of her reluctance to work full time came from what she knew other people would say about Hunter being in day care. The group of moms who had been her mainstay since Courtney was a baby would look at her like she was Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac on the stone altar.

These women e-mailed one another articles about the evils of warehousing children in day care. Many of them had their children in the Mother’s Day Out program at the church, but in their minds, nine o’clock until two in the afternoon didn’t count as day care, not when it was only two or three days a week. It gave them enough time to play some tennis at the country club, do their shopping, and maybe have lunch with friends without feeling as if they were depriving their children. But the moms who used the extended care hours were a different breed entirely, and Merry was about to cross that great divide. A traitor to the sanctity of motherhood, a—

Okay it wasn’t that bad. Most of her friends would understand. Only a very few would be as judgmental as she feared, and they weren’t people whose opinions she valued. Still, she dreaded the whispers and the sidelong looks. Or maybe her concern about other people’s opinions was just a smoke screen to keep her from focusing on the real issue—how incredibly difficult it would be to drop Hunter off at the church each morning and know she wouldn’t see him again until dinnertime.

“So what projects did you come up with?” Eugenie asked, breaking into Merry’s reverie and deftly turning the disagreement to a more productive vein. “I thought that limiting ourselves to garter stitch might stimulate us creatively.”

“I’m afraid I wasn’t very original,” Merry said, opting to go first. “Just a shawl.” She reached into her bag and retrieved the dark blue garment, laid it out on the table in front of her. “I thought it might suit the Nurse character. Sturdy. No-nonsense, kind of like her.”

Eugenie nodded her approval, which always made Merry feel like she’d accomplished something. “Other projects?” the librarian asked. “Camille?”

“I did a little cap. For Juliet.” The sparkly pink yarn didn’t look particularly Shakespearean, but Merry could see Camille wearing the small hat come wintertime.

“Very nice.” Again, Eugenie nodded in approval. “Esther?”

Esther shook her head. “I’m sorry, Eugenie. I wasn’t able to finish mine.”

Merry hated seeing Esther look so pinched and pale. She hoped Eugenie would go easy on the new widow.

“I know you’ve had a lot on your plate,” Eugenie said, and Merry relaxed a little. The librarian’s recent marriage had definitely softened her a bit. “Maria?” Eugenie asked, diverting everyone’s attention to the newest member of the group.

“I made a pillow, scented with lavender. For Romeo, I guess. To give him sweet dreams about Juliet.”

Hannah snorted, but Eugenie silenced her with a look. Merry watched with interest as Maria blushed like a schoolgirl. Who would have known that beneath the guise of a thirtysomething spinster beat the heart of a romantic?

The pillow was pale blue. Merry reached out to run her fingers over the soft wool. “It’s lovely, Maria. Very impressive.”

“Thank you.” She shot Merry a grateful look.

“Hannah, why don’t you show yours?” Eugenie prompted. Merry watched with interest as the girl pulled a bundle of deep red wool out of her bag.

“It’s no big deal,” the girl began, but Eugenie interrupted her.

“I think it’s quite accomplished. You should put it on, to give the full effect.”

Hannah looked like she’d rather eat dirt, but she complied with Eugenie’s request. She whipped the garment about her shoulders. It was a little elbow-length capelet, at once charming and sensuous. Much like Juliet herself, Merry thought. The color suited Hannah very well.

“You worked very hard on it,” Eugenie said. “And your effort paid off. I’m very proud of you.”

The girl blushed to the roots of her hair, but Merry could tell she was pleased by the librarians approval.

“What about you, Eugenie?” Merry asked. “What’s your project?” No doubt the librarian had read the play forward, backward, and sideways. She was sure to have found the perfect project for Romeo and Juliet.

“Actually…” Eugenie paused and cleared her throat. “Actually, I’m not quite finished with mine.”

A dead silence fell on the group. Merry suppressed a chuckle. In all the time the Knit Lit Society had been meeting, she’d never known Eugenie not to be fully prepared. Sometimes she