For the Love of Ivy - Cindy Kirk Page 0,26
tight.”
“Interesting.” Anna placed the plates on the table, barely able to contain her smile. “You’ll have to remember to tell me more about this experience, Lauren.”
Lauren sighed. “Somehow I don’t think you’ll let me forget.”
Anna laughed. “You’ve got that right, girlfriend. You’ve definitely got that right.”
Chapter Eight
Sew-fisticated, the small shop that Anna co-owned with former classmate Miranda Els, buzzed with activity. Ivy, along with Miranda’s youngest boy, Brandon, sat sorting fabric squares while Lauren helped Miranda and Anna man the cash registers. Trenton, Miranda’s oldest, had planned to watch the younger kids, but the twelve-year-old had gotten sick during the night and was home in bed.
Thankfully, Ivy and Brandon hadn’t been very demanding, because the traffic in the store had been incredible. In only a few short weeks the shop had become the unofficial gathering place for women in the community. Though there was more talking than selling going on, the upcoming quilting and scrapbooking classes, which had been half-filled before Christmas, were now full.
Lauren had been waiting all morning for Anna to take a break. She wanted to talk to her privately before Mitch and Seth returned.
Once they got past the kiss, and she confessed to propositioning her best friend’s brother, she hoped Anna would understand why she had to back out of her agreement with Seth.
“Would you mind running over to the Coffee Pot and picking up another pot of apple cider?” Miranda asked, her cheeks flushed with happiness. “I think one more should be plenty.”
“I’d be happy to.” Lauren started toward the door, then stopped. “What about Ivy?”
Miranda glanced toward the back room. “I’ll keep an eye on her. Anna will be here, too.”
Lauren caught Anna’s eye. Her friend stopped talking, er, selling, just long enough to offer a little wave. Lauren could only hope Seth wouldn’t get back early, so she and Anna would have time to talk.
After dropping “the girls” off at the shop, Seth and Mitch had left to do some handyman work at the home of one of the town’s senior citizens. Apparently, doing such good deeds the day after Christmas was a tradition for the men of Sweet River.
Lauren pulled her jacket off the hook. As she wrapped the thin fabric around her, her thoughts drifted back to yesterday. She remembered how Seth had insisted she take his coat so she wouldn’t get cold. He’d been such a gentleman.
Her lips twisted in a wry smile. She should have known better than to think he’d be interested in a fling. But she was through beating herself up over the error in judgment. She pushed open the door and practically stumbled over Loretta Barbee, the pastor’s wife.
“Mrs. Barbee. Merry Christmas.” Lauren tried to step around her but Loretta shifted to block her way. NFL linebackers had nothing on this woman.
“We missed you at church yesterday.”
“The weather was turning bad,” Lauren found herself explaining. “Seth didn’t want to take the chance on getting stuck in town.”
“That explains why Seth Anderssen wasn’t there.” Loretta’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t explain your absence from God’s house.”
“I was with Seth.” The words popped out before Lauren could stop them.
The woman’s hand rose to her chest. Her beady eyes widened. “You spent the night?”
“I spent Christmas with Seth and Ivy.” Lauren lifted her chin. “In the guest bedroom.”
Though she’d answered factually, Lauren immediately regretted the abruptness of her response.
“Tsk-tsk. No need to be so defensive,” the older woman chided. “I was merely making conversation.”
“I’m sorry.” Lauren offered the woman a conciliatory smile. “It’s been a long day. I just meant—”
“No need to explain, dear. I can see you’re in a hurry. I’ll let you get on your way. Have a nice day.” The minister’s wife turned abruptly and opened the door to Anna’s shop.
It took until Lauren reached the Coffee Pot for her embarrassment to ease. She stood for a moment and breathed in the enticing aromas of Stacie’s culinary creations before stepping inside.
The bells over the door heralded her arrival. Norm and Al, two cafe regulars, glanced up from their game of checkers. Lauren returned their smiles, then glanced around the dining area, impressed at how the changes Stacie had made in the past few months were coming together.
The first to go had been the teapot-and-flower wallpaper. It had been replaced by paint in a soft dove gray. Then Josh had ripped the knotty pine paneling off a far wall and left the brick exposed. The wagon-wheel light fixtures were trashed soon after, energy-efficient ceiling fans taking their place.