Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(31)
There were definite issues with the transfer, she thought. The program was very literal, overlaying a grid over the picture and assigning each square of the grid a color value. The size of the grid, and therefore the quilt squares, could be large or small. The smaller the grid, the more detailed the picture and the more complicated the quilt.
Turning something like a simple design into a quilt was relatively easy but the more complex the original picture or pattern, the more difficult the translation. Heather saw that she would have to do some work on the shading to make the cat recognizable. There was also the issue of making the quilt. Offering custom quilts was possible but she knew the cost would be very high and out of reach for most people. But a kit was something different. The program she used generated a pattern. Then it was just a matter of having the right number of squares for the different colors of fabric to put in the kit. It would still be pricey but not cost prohibitive.
Or so she thought. Heather didn’t have any experience in creating quilt kits. She had used the program to make a few patterns. She liked to quilt. It was something she and her mom had done together, when Heather had been young. They’d taken scrap fabrics and had created something beautiful. She couldn’t remember when they’d stopped doing that together, but it had been a long time ago. These days Heather didn’t have the time to do much of anything but work. But one day, she thought wistfully. One day she would like to have a quilting room with cubbies filled with beautiful fabric. And a dog. She chuckled softly, making a mental note not to mention a dog to Sophie. She didn’t think the owner of Clandestine Kitty would approve.
Chapter Nine
Kristine blew kisses at the retreating SUV. “Bye! I’ll miss you.”
All three boys had their arms out the windows as they waved at her. There was no wave from Jaxsen. They weren’t speaking much yet. Not a surprise, given their last fight. Two days ago he’d asked if she was ready to be done being selfish and she’d told him he was a jerk and that had been it.
Things would be better when they got home, she told herself. A week was a long time to be apart. They would miss each other and that would help the situation. Not that either of them was willing to bend on the subject, she thought as she hurried to her own SUV and headed for the waterfront. She wouldn’t let him spend her inheritance on a tent trailer and he seemed unwilling to understand why she wanted to keep the money for herself. A problem for another time, she told herself.
She found a parking spot at the far end of the lot. Water’s Edge Park overlooked Blackberry Bay. Dozens of boats were moored at the marina, and even more were out on the Sound.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning and she hadn’t wanted to miss the rush of sales that always came when the tasting rooms opened. Normally, she would have manned the cart herself, but she’d wanted to see the boys off, so had asked Amber to help. She would have preferred to leave Heather in charge, but Heather was working at the winery, so wasn’t available.
“Finally,” Amber said when she spotted Kristine. “It’s been really busy. You never said it would be so busy. Plus, the card reader’s not working right.”
Kristine glanced at the little square attached to a cell phone and saw the screen was blank. When she pushed the home button, nothing happened. She pressed a button on the top and the phone came to life. “Amber, the phone has to be turned on.”
“You never said that.”
Kristine pressed her lips together, telling herself not to engage. It wasn’t worth it. Still, she couldn’t help saying, “With most pieces of equipment, if you want them to work, you need to make sure they’re on.”
Amber sighed. “Am I done here?”
“You are. Thank you so much for your help.”
Amber held out her hand. “I was here two hours. But I had to travel from my house to the cart so you should pay me for three.”
Kristine knew that Amber had probably eaten close to an hour’s wages in cookies, but again, not a winning topic. She passed over forty-five dollars.
Amber stuffed the money in her jeans pocket. “You’re not going to give me any cookies?”
“Didn’t you already eat several?”
“Fine. Keep your stupid cookies. My God, you wouldn’t want to part with one. They’re not gold, you know.”
The rant was familiar. Kristine waited it out, knowing that Amber would wind down eventually. Before that happened, a car parked and two couples got out and started for the cart.
“There you are!” a woman said with a laugh. “We’ve been looking for you all morning. Someone said you’d be by the inn but you’re not and I told Ralph I was not leaving the island without your cookies.”
“Here I am,” Kristine said cheerfully.
The man next to her pulled out his wallet. “I wish you’d ship your cookies. It would make my life easier.”
“I’m working on it,” Kristine said, hoping that was the truth and not just wishful thinking on her part.
“I’m leaving,” Amber announced.
“Thanks again.” Kristine ignored the pointed stare and turned to her customers. “What are you in the mood for today?”
She sold them three dozen cookies and spent the next hour selling the rest of her stock. By eleven, the cart was empty. She hooked it up to her SUV and towed it back to the house. She spent an hour rearranging the freezer in the basement to give herself maximum storage space. Ruth was going to let her use her extra freezer, as well. Kristine planned to be at Costco first thing in the morning to load up on ingredients. Then she would start the great Spring Break bake-off. But first...