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in Seattle?" Andrew asked after casting his sister a hard look.
"A couple of weeks. I'm living with my grandmother." Courtney talked about her dad's work situation for a few minutes, and the importance of this Brazilian bridge. She said her brother was in graduate school and her sister in college and working in Alaska for the summer. She told them that she'd hated to leave Chicago and her friends. She was sure she'd given them more information than they wanted, but it was just so good to be with her own kind.
"Are your parents divorced?" Annie asked from the backseat.
Courtney went still. "My mom died in a car accident four years ago."
"Bummer," Andrew said sympathetically.
"Yeah." All of a sudden, she didn't have anything more to say and Andrew and Annie didn't, either. The silence in the car seemed to vibrate.
"I wish Dad had died." Annie spoke in a low voice.
"Don't say that," Andrew barked.
"I mean it!" Her anger was explosive.
"Our parents were recently divorced, but I suppose Mom mentioned that," Andrew said by way of explanation.
"Just in the first class." The other thing Courtney knew was that Bethanne needed to find a job.
"Our father's a jerk!" Annie said in a near-shout.
"My sister didn't take it well," Andrew added under his breath.
"I can hear you," Annie snorted from the backseat.
They parked on a side street and climbed out of the car. Annie stared at her and Courtney held her breath, praying the other girl had forgetten where she'd seen her. No such luck.
"I know you," Annie said, eyeing her.
Courtney's heart fell. "Maybe you saw me when your mother came to knitting class," she suggested hopefully, but a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach refused to go away.
"I know," Annie said triumphantly. "You were at the swimming pool, weren't you? The early-morning session with all the old ladies." Then she leaned close and said in a loud stage whisper, "You don't need to worry about running into me again. I quit the team last week. Mom doesn't know yet and Andrew won't tell her because we have a deal."
Andrew's gaze narrowed on his sister.
"He wanted to be sure I came along when he took you to the game," Annie gleefully reported. "He was afraid his girlfriend would find out."
"Shut up, would you," Andrew snapped at Annie. He threw Courtney an apologetic glance.
"It's not a problem," she assured him, and it wasn't.
CHAPTER 14
"There's magic in pulling loops through loops, whether between the limbs of a knitted tree house, or shaped to fit the geography of a foot."
- Cat Bordhi, author of Socks Soar on Two Circular
Needles, A Treasury of Magical Knitting & Second Treasury of Magical Knitting.
LYDIA HOFFMAN
I could hardly wait for Brad to make his neighborhood deliveries and come to the store. I've read my share of romance novels, so I can say with authority that if ever there was a romantic hero, it's Brad. Because I've lived with cancer from the time I was sixteen, I've been absorbed by threats and fears. But despite my terrible scare last year, my life had never been better and for someone like me that's a little frightening - as though feeling confident and happy is testing fate, somehow.
I think I mentioned that Dr. Wilson found something on a routine checkup and I was convinced the cancer was back. My attitude was fatalistic. It was during this time that I broke up with Brad. Without giving him a reason, I shoved him out of my life with the flimsiest of excuses. He didn't walk away easily. I loved how he fought for me, how he stood by me until I made it too painful for him to stay. Then, naturally, I learned I was fine, but at that point, I couldn't blame Brad for not wanting anything more to do with me. Thankfully he was willing to listen when I came to my senses. Once again, I had Margaret to thank; without her encouragement I don't know what would've happened. That was all in the past now, and I felt so grateful to have Brad in my life.
On the phone the night before, he and I had talked about our Fourth of July plans. He wanted to wait until he saw me before we confirmed the barbecue at Margaret and Matt's. I always get as excited as a kid about this holiday. Mostly I was looking forward to being with Brad and Cody - and away from work, because I could