Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(55)

“Mom. You do, too. I bet Grandma kept your paper. She kept everything having to do with you and Margaret.”

Her mother might have saved all her and Margaret’s schoolwork, but she didn’t have it any longer. It seemed best to let her mother assume that she did rather than to upset her with the fact that a good part of the useless memorabilia that she’d collected through the years had been tossed into the trash.

“I believe I aced it,” Lydia finally admitted.

“I knew it,” Casey muttered. “I just knew it. Do you realize how much pressure that puts on me?”

“Pressure?” Lydia echoed.

“Yes. I’m your daughter, and now the teachers expect me to be as brilliant as you.” She grinned then, just so Lydia would know she was teasing.

Lydia laughed and impulsively hugged Casey. It was hard to believe this was the same teenager who woke terrified from a nightmare so frightening that she was barely able to function in its wake.

At four o’clock the table started to fill up with the group, who enjoyed knitting together twice a week. For whatever reason, the Thursday-afternoon group was larger than the one that met on Tuesday. By four-fifteen every chair was filled and a second table was added.

Bethanne and Lauren sat side by side, and when she had a chance Lydia joined the two.

“How are the baby blankets coming along?” she asked. Bethanne appeared to have made significant progress, whereas it didn’t look like Lauren had knit more than a few rows beyond the border stitch.

“So far so good,” Bethanne answered.

“I’m only getting started with mine now,” Lauren admitted.

Bethanne grinned and seemed to enjoy teasing her newfound friend. “That’s because she’s been on the phone two and three hours every night this week, talking to Rooster.”

Lydia could have sworn Lauren blushed.

“I like Rooster,” Casey inserted, joining them with her crochet hook in hand. With Margaret’s help, Casey had taken to crocheting, much easier than a pair of knitting needles.

“Lauren likes Rooster, too,” Bethanne casually mentioned.

“Okay, I’ll admit it. I like him, too, but he’s leaving soon, so we’re making as much time for each other now as we can.”

“Leaving?” Casey quizzed. “He’s not orbiting the moon, is he?”

“No, but he’s on his way to New Zealand.”

“You can still talk every day if you want, you know?” Casey assured her, as if she were an expert on matters of long-distance communication. “I can help you set up an account that will enable you to chat for hours for mere pennies.”

“Pennies?”

“Sure. Give me your cell.” Casey plopped down next to Lauren and reached for the cell, which Lauren had removed from her purse. The teenager worked her magic and then asked for the phone number where she could reach Rooster. Lauren gave it to her. Right away, Casey punched it in, and within a couple of seconds, Rooster was on the line.

“Lauren?” His voice came over the speaker, and everyone at the table paused to listen in.

“Hi, Rooster, it’s Casey.”

“Hi. How come you’ve got Lauren’s cellphone?”

“Because I’m showing her how the two of you can communicate via the Internet by phone while you’re in New Zealand.”

“Oh. Where are you now?”

“A Good Yarn.”

“Okay, take the phone off speaker and give it to Lauren, okay?”

“Sure.” Casey handed the phone to Lauren.

Lydia was fairly certain Lauren was well aware of how best to stay in touch with Rooster and appreciated the fact that the other woman hadn’t squelched the teenager’s enthusiasm.

While Lauren was on the phone it pinged, indicating she had a text message. After a whispered farewell to Rooster, Lauren checked her phone. Her reaction told her the text came as a surprise.

“Problems?” Lydia asked, remembering that she’d recently broken off with the television reporter.

“No, it’s from my employer’s daughter. I didn’t know she had my cell number.” Lauren set the phone back inside her purse. “I’ll answer it later,” she said, and then frowned again and looked toward Casey. “Would you happen to know what ACORN means?”

“Sure. That’s a texting acronym for A Completely Obsessive Really Nutty Person.”

“Got it,” Lauren said, grinning now. “I don’t think Katie is too far off base with that.”

With a jingle, the door opened and Evelyn Boyle walked in. Lydia saw Casey tense as if she fully expected Evelyn to instruct her to pack her bags because she’d be taking her to another home, another family. Leaning next to her daughter, Lydia reached for Casey’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Frowning, Casey looked at Lydia, her eyes round and expectant. “Is she here for yarn?” Casey asked.

Her daughter’s hands made a nervous twitch Lydia had never seen them make before, as if she were clawing at some invisible object.

“That’s what most people are looking for in a yarn store, silly,” Lydia said, making light of Evelyn’s visit. She stood to greet the social worker, but Casey, who was normally so outgoing and gregarious, remained at the table, silently looking on with her spine as stiff as a broomstick.