panel up the front of both the skirt and bodice, trimming it with strips of small flat lace.
“Far out,” Harriet said.
“Groovy, isn’t it?” she said dryly.
Harriet smiled.
“Thank you for last night,” Jenny said. “I don’t know what I was thinking, not calling nine-one-one right away.”
“I’m sure you were in shock,” Harriet said. “I hope it isn’t too much of a hassle.”
“Actually, I’ve got my car back already. The tire store opens up at six am. They put on new tires and even delivered it before eight o’clock.”
“At least that was nice, I just wish we knew who did it.”
“It has to have been my brother. It’s the sort of thing he’d do.”
It definitely wasn’t her brother, but Harriet couldn’t tell her that without confessing that Lauren’s friends were following him.
“Are you going to the prom tonight?” she asked.
“No. Since it’s Friday, the committee decided we should keep the quilt show open until the dance is over. My group is already down a person, and Sharon really wanted to go to the prom. She’s dating again for the first time since her husband died, so she needs to go. How about you? Have you and Aiden patched things up yet?”
“You say that like it’s a foregone conclusion.”
“Isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure. His sister is a powerful influence. We talked about it again last night, but we never get anywhere. She doesn’t like me—or any other female, really—and she’s making him choose between us, with lots of dramatic gestures thrown in. He doesn’t want to have to decide, so here we are. I’ve suggested he talk to a professional about it, but so far he’s been resistant to that idea.”
“What about Tom?”
“It doesn’t seem fair to get more involved with him while things are still up in the air with Aiden. He’s so easy to be with I don’t want to take advantage of him.”
“If you like him, and he’s easy to be with, maybe there’s a message there.” Jenny smiled at her. “He’s good-looking enough.”
“Maybe,” Harriet said.
“So, if you’re not going to the prom, what are you doing?”
“I’ll be helping Lauren protest the war in front of the entrance.”
“Really? Aren’t you going to freeze to death in that dress?”
“I have a Vietnam-era army coat I found at the surplus store. But since the event is sanctioned by the festival committee, we will be inside the main entry doors in the foyer.”
“Is there any chance you could swing by and give me a potty break partway through? I hate to ask, but I think the rest of the Threads are all going to the prom. It doesn’t seem right to take them from the dance, and the committee volunteers are stretched thin because they have so many events going on tonight.”
“I’d be happy to help. I’m sure I’ll need a break from sitting down myself. We may be indoors, but it’ll still be a hard tile floor we’re sitting on.”
“I’ve got a pillow I use for my back in the car. I can bring it in when I go to lunch. You’re welcome to sit on it for your protest.”
“Thanks, that’ll be great. I better get on to my booth. I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’ll be right here,” Jenny said.
Harriet kept busy all morning with potential customers and even took two orders to stitch queen-sized tops. She was just finishing with a woman who had made her lay out every stitch sample she’d brought and then looked through both of her photo albums of past projects before announcing that she’d have to think about it before making a decision.
“You have my permission to send Diane Frank packing if she comes back,” Aunt Beth said. “She pulls that nonsense every time we have a booth at any sort of show.”
“And never once has it resulted in an order,” Mavis added.
Harriet hadn’t seen the two women come into the opposite end of the booth while she was tending to Diane.
“What are you two up to?”
Mavis held up a brown paper bag.
“Jorge made taco salads for today’s special. I hope you don’t mind, but we got three of them and thought we’d have lunch with you,” she said.
“That’s great,” Harriet said. “Let me make a space on the table here.” She spent a moment packing her samples into plastic storage boxes and stowing them under one of her tables.
“Have you heard anything more from Lauren?” Aunt Beth asked.
“I haven’t seen her.”
“Beth told me what Lauren found out last night,” Mavis said around a bite of salad,