Dakota Love (23 page)

“Thanks.” Mark knew Rodney meant well trying to build his confidence, but Mark was a Sanders. Sanders men were solid on the outside but not so much on the inside where it really counted.

“At least you know you’ll see her five more times. You can build up to asking her out.” Rodney peeked over the counter. “Got a trash can?”

Mark motioned for Rodney to hand him the cup and pitched it into the trash under the cutting counter. “Maybe. I’d hoped to speak with Caroline before class, but everyone seemed to arrive at once. I found out tonight that Sarah doesn’t know how to sew.”

“And she enrolled in a quilting class?” Rodney frowned.

Dread poked at Mark’s heart as if it were a pincushion.

“She thought all quilts were sewn by hand. I know Caroline won’t kick Sarah out of class and will try to teach her to sew, but I’m afraid she might get frustrated and quit the class. Job’s Tears isn’t a hard quilt pattern, but for a beginner it might be.”

Rodney rubbed the back of his neck with his hand then smiled. “I guess if she does, you’ll have to offer basic sewing classes. I know a really good teacher.”

“Does Caroline pay you a commission to be her agent?” Mark finished folding the last of the fabric before he grinned at Rodney.

Rodney laughed at Mark’s teasing. “Guess my pride in Caroline overflows.”

“Sure does, but that’s a good thing.” Mark wrapped a paper strip with the Granny Bea’s logo printed on it around a square of fabric. He pulled the protective paper from the adhesive on the strip and secured the ends together.

“That’s why I’m encouraging you to ask Sarah out.”

Mark stuck a price sticker on the fat quarter and picked up another square to package. He didn’t really need encouragement. He planned to ask Sarah out. Would she accept was the question.

“I’m not looking for a serious relationship.” History proved Sanders men weren’t good at commitment.

“Are you sure? Having the love of a good woman makes life complete.” Rodney pulled a weekly ad-filled paper from his pocket. “I’ll just sit over there and leave you to your work.”

Rodney and Caroline were the quintessential happy couple. Like all couples in love they wanted everyone else to be in love, but sometimes attraction was enough.

Sarah said she’d enrolled in the class to fill some free time. He’d seen her features darkened when she thought no one was looking as she browsed the store. Something troubled her. It didn’t take much to put two and two together—a bad breakup.

He’d been the interim guy many times. It worked for him. Mark told the ladies up front he wasn’t looking for anything serious. After he helped rebuild their self-esteem and he refused to get serious, they’d break it off with him. It was a win-win situation for everyone involved. The ladies regained their self-confidence, and he dated a beautiful woman for a few weeks before they went their separate ways. No strings. No hard feelings. No broken hearts.

He glanced over at Rodney studying the paper. A stand-up guy like Rodney wouldn’t understand Mark’s dating philosophy. Mark wasn’t a love-them-and-leave-them type, but he was his father’s son, so short, no-strings-attached relationships were in the best interests of both him and the ladies he dated. He’d never been wrong about that before.

S
arah gathered all the handouts Caroline gave the class, tapped them to straighten them, and then laid them on the end of the table in a tidy pile. Hopefully this stalling tactic would ensure Sarah would be the last to leave the workroom. She needed to confess her inability to sew to Caroline. After a few polite good-byes and see-you-next-weeks among fellow class members, attendance finally dwindled down to just Caroline and Sarah.

“Did you enjoy the lesson?” Caroline picked up papers and the Job’s Tears quilt block templates and tucked them into her tote bag.

“Very much.”
When I could stop worrying about not being able to sew or see Mark again
. “I do need to talk to you, though.” Sarah walked to the front of the room and stood beside Caroline.

Caroline stopped gathering her supplies and devoted her attention to Sarah.

Sarah bent her neck to look up at Caroline. She almost came to Caroline’s shoulder. Sarah moved back a step to allow for a more comfortable conversation.

“Shall we sit?” Caroline slid a folding chair away from the table for her student then grabbed the office chair and rolled it closer to Sarah.

After they were seated, Sarah looked Caroline in the eyes. “I have a problem.”

“What is it?” Caroline’s blue eyes searched Sarah’s face before returning to Sarah’s gaze.

“I don’t know how to sew.”

Caroline’s jaw dropped.

“I thought quilts were hand sewn, like in old movies that show quilting bees.” Sarah hurried through her excuse, not giving Caroline a chance to respond. “Will my inability to machine sew mean I need to give up this class?” Sarah fingered the earring on her left ear.

Caroline pursed her lips together, not in an angry or annoyed way, but more like she was trying to stifle a giggle.

Embarrassment snapped out and wafted down over Sarah’s heart like a blanket being thrown on top of a bed. How could she have been so naive about this?
Because, Sarah, you weren’t really doing it for the right reason
.

Caroline gave into her grin. She reached over and squeezed one of Sarah’s hands. “I guess I have an authentic quilter in my class. I don’t run across many of those anymore.”

Sarah knitted her brows together but smiled back at Caroline, some of her discomfort fading. “I don’t know if I can be called authentic or a quilter, right now.”

“In six weeks you’ll be both. I promise you. Now, if you’re more comfortable sewing your quilt together by hand that’s fine with me. Sewing quilts on the machine is so much faster that it never crossed my mind that someone might want to make a quilt the old-fashioned way. I may offer that option to everyone.”

Caroline withdrew her hand and rose from the chair.

“Keep in mind, though, that sewing the blocks by hand takes longer, so you may fall behind during class and have to catch up on your own at home.”

Sarah stood then pushed her chair under the table. “Mark did offer to let me practice sewing on one of these machines.” A small thrill shivered through her as she remembered his touch during the demonstration of the sewing machine. “So I’m not sure which way I’ll go with the project, but at least I know I can sew the quilt by hand, and I don’t have to drop out of the class. See you next week.”

Sarah practically bounced out of the workroom. Things seemed to going her way, and it showed by the spring in her step. Whether she sewed by hand or came in and tried to learn to machine sew, both would occupy her free time.
And I’ll get to see Mark
. Sarah’s thought widened her smile.

“What did you do that the teacher punished you by keeping you after class?” Mark stood by the cutting table in the center of the store.

Sarah chuckled at Mark’s teasing and walked over to his work area. “Staying after was my choice. I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t be holding the class back with my lack of sewing abilities. Caroline assured me that I could be an authentic quilter and sew the blocks by hand if necessary. So I’ll need to get my fabric picked out.”

“No time like the present.” Mark held his arms out wide. “You can have your own private shopping spree.”

“Don’t you close in fifteen minutes?” Sarah asked as she noted the only person in the store was Rodney, who rose from a chair in the sewing machine display area and walked to the back of the store.

Mark glanced at the clock that hung above the full glass door. “Yes I do, but if you know what you want, you can pick it out, and I’ll get it measured and ready for you to pick up another time.”

“Well…” Sarah paused, weighing her options. She did have the fabric narrowed down to two different patterned pieces and the solids to coordinate, but she hadn’t quite decided between the two. “I think I’d better wait until I have more time to decide. I’ll stop by after work some night this week.”

“I’ll be here. Unless it’s Thursday. I’m on a men’s bowling league that night.”

Was that a subtle hint to come in the store when he was working? “I’ll probably stop in tomorrow night after work, then.”

“Where do you work?” Mark slipped a pair of scissors under the cutting counter.

“I’m employed by Card Leasing. I manage an office building in the new development area close to the junctions of Interstate 229 and Louise Avenue.” Sarah adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder. “My office is in that building, not their downtown location.”

“That area built up fast, didn’t it?”

“Yes, Sioux Falls’s landscape keeps growing and growing.”

“Maybe if you stop by tomorrow night you’d—”

The door buzzer sounded, interrupting Mark. Sarah turned to see a frazzled-looking woman rush into the store.

Mark stepped around the cutting counter. “May I help you?”

“Thank goodness you’re still open. Do you carry crochet thread? One of my children just told me they need it for a project at school tomorrow.”

“I have a small supply over here because some quilters use it to tie their quilts together.” Mark pointed to an area that held various types of thread.

He turned to Sarah with an apologetic expression, as if he’d broken a date, not left a thought dangling.

Sarah waved him off with her hand. “I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”

“Good night.” Mark’s eyes held hers for precious seconds before he turned to follow his customer. Had disappointment flickered in his eyes? She’d been reluctant to leave, and now that reluctance was magnified by the emotion Mark conveyed with his eyes. Had he wanted to tell her something important?

Even though she didn’t want to, Sarah knew it was time to go. It was too late to choose fabric, Mark had a customer, and he needed to close the store. Pivoting on one heel, Sarah turned and walked to the exit. She pushed through the door, triggering the buzzer that became muffled by the traffic noise as she crossed the threshold.

Pressing her key fob, her compact’s headlights welcomed her as she walked toward the parking space. Once she opened her car door she couldn’t resist one last glance at Mark through the plate glass windows of Granny Bea’s.

To her surprise he stood by the door, visiting with Caroline and Rodney but watching her. He lifted a hand and waved good-bye.

She’d definitely stop by Granny Bea’s to purchase her fabric tomorrow night. Slipping into her car, Sarah began to choose or eliminate outfits that she could wear tomorrow, a mental activity that still occupied her thoughts when she arrived home.

Sarah managed to make the early bird Bible study at church even though she changed outfits three times before leaving her house. She’d settled on a short-sleeved royal-blue sheath that she accessorized with a black-, royal-, and white-striped silk scarf. Her black pumps polished her look and added height to her five-foot frame. Her wardrobe indecisions left her feeling rushed, and she couldn’t shake it even though she’d pulled into the office parking lot with minutes to spare.

As Sarah walked toward the entrance, the mock-cherry trees surrounding the office building greeted her with their soft pink flowers. The light spring breeze wafted the petals’ fragrance through the air, and their pollen-filled centers buzzed with activity.

She entered the building and unlocked her office door. The plush carpet cushioned each step as she walked across the short space to her cherrywood desk. After dropping her tote bag onto her office chair, she hurried to the adjacent room and worked her way down the wall lined with office equipment. She turned on the photocopy machine before checking the fax for any messages received after business hours. She straightened the staplers, paper clip holders, and pens on the counter then readied the postage meter for use that day.

The workroom doubled as a kitchenette. Once the business machines were ready, Sarah turned to the opposite wall and prepared a pot of coffee. Her company provided a photocopier, postage meter, conference room, coffeemaker, and a vending area for the business suites housed down the hall from her office. Of course, the cost to use the office machines was in addition to their rent, but for some start-up businesses this was a very attractive service since it kept their equipment costs down.

Sarah usually arrived about fifteen minutes early to get these tasks completed before the eight o’clock workday started for her clients. She had barely gotten everything up and running and her tote bag and purse into her desk drawer when Ashley Vetter burst through the door.

“Is the coffee ready?” Ashley stopped short and teetered on her stiletto heels. She inhaled. “It is. Remember those case study articles I told you about? My deadline is today at noon, and I was up half the night trying to finish them. I’m not complaining. Those writing gigs are paying the bills while I get established and start attracting clients. I just need to stop procrastinating until my deadlines.”

“I think you mean socializing.”

Ashley grinned over her shoulder as she strode toward the workroom.