Page 151 of Close Knit

I’ll win her back.

Chapter 44

Daphne

April13

At Daphne Quinn’s Insistence,Lust IslandAgrees to Donate 1% of Season’s Profits to The Kindness Coalition Ahead of New Season’s Wardrobe Collab

[email protected]

Subject: Patterns for Review

Georgia and Lust Island Team,

Thanks again for your decision to contribute to The Kindness Coalition. We’re really making a change! Attaching some of my concept designs for this coming season. I kept the patterns very easy—I promise a squad of football players could do it. Let me know what you think!

[email protected],[email protected]

Subject: GW’s Favorites and Bikinis!

Miss girl, you are blowing me away! Mugged Off Miniskirt—screeching. Let’s do the Casa Amor Cover-Up in three shades. Love that it could fit a range of body types.

Attaching what I was thinking for the bikinis, let me know. Still workshopping names, don’t think the Bully Bikini has the right intentions.

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Subject: Color Palette Galore

What about the Band Together Bikini? Lust Island team, this one’s up to you. Here’s a first pass on color palettes. Thinking we could include some golden thread through these oranges and pinks?

pr@lustisland,[email protected]

Subject: Approval Granted, Production Is Starting!

Ladies, you are blowing us away. These designs, patterns, and colors are just what we need for this season. Would love to have some finals to sign off on by the end of the month so we can get them into production. Appreciate the quick turnaround.

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Subject: Final Touches

Amazing. I’m wrapping up location scouting for my next retreat and will get the finals to you by the end of the month. So excited for the season premiere next month!

For the past month,this tiny bungalow, just a ten-minute walk from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, has been my home. It’s a far cry from the comfort of my place back in London, but it’s mine. Yarn, patterns, andLust Islandcolor palettes are spread across every available surface. Nearby, my little window nook is set up for hosting livestreams. In the corner, there’s a stack of agendasfor my upcoming San Francisco knitting retreat at a yarn store in Presidio Heights, happening at the beginning of May—this one was much quicker to plan. I used a lot of the same sponsors from my first retreat, and the yarn store is allowing me to host for free in exchange for promotion.

Sure, my bedsheets no longer have the scent of grass on them. And, sure, there isn’t a teeming amount of men’s hair pomade on my sink or glass containers of meal-prepped veggies in the fridge. My Saturdays are quieter now—I watch Premier League matches on the rattan couch without Bea’s banter in the background. But we FaceTime once a week, and she spills all the team gossip—even updates on Cameron, which always make my heart ache.

But here I am, not living on pause.

I slip on my jelly Mary Janes, throw my crochet bag over my shoulder, and head out the door. I’ve been making it a goal to get out at least once a day—whether it’s walking on the beach, dinner with my moms, or driving up to the city each week for a milkshake at the St. Claridge with Juni. I stick around for an hour every time, partly hoping Cameron will walk in and sit in my booth again.

I sigh, locking my door.

Time to face the day, one stitch at a time.

Spring is doing its thing in Santa Cruz, with poppies popping up on every corner like they own the place. The morning air is crisp on the short walk to the boardwalk. I hang a left, heading to my favorite bench. The heat is picking up, and I can’t fake it—I miss London’s gloom. I miss my friends’ faces. The life I pieced together, bit by bit.

I kick off my shoes, sink my toes into the sand, and watch the morning sun battle the fog. The sea lions bark near the pier, and seagulls screech above me. The salty air twists my hair, and my mind drifts to his hands tangling in my waves.

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