Page 28 of Threads of Kindness
“Let’s meet in front of Candy Alley at eleven,” Tim said. “Will you both be there?”
“Gordon has to leave first thing in the morning—” Anita began.
“I’ll change my flight,” Gordon interrupted. He looked directly at Anita. “That is—if you’d like me to be there. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Are you kidding?” Anita said, eyes shining. “I’dlovefor you to see the place with me. I value your opinion. Without your encouragement, I wouldn’t have even thought of opening a sewing machine museum.”
In the background, the sound of barking dogs rose from Tim’s end of the call.
“That’s our family,” he said with a chuckle. “I’d better go. I’ll see you tomorrow at eleven.”
“Thank you, Tim,” Anita said warmly. “And wish Nancy a very happy birthday from us.”
Gordon swunghis rental car onto the long, sweeping driveway leading to Rosemont.
“It’s awfully nice of Maggie and John to invite us to stop by for dinner,” he said. “How in the world did they know I was in town? I didn’t tell them.”
“There’s no such thing as a secret in Westbury,” Anita replied. “Someone must’ve seen us at The Mill last night.”
“But today’s a sleepy holiday,” Gordon said. “Nobody’s been out and about to spread the word.”
“In these days of social media and text messages, sweetheart, news spreads like wildfire. Unlike many places, I thinkgoodnews spreads fastest here.”
He pulled to a stop in front of Rosemont’s imposing stone façade. Leaning forward, he gazed out the windshield. “Every time I see this place, it takes my breath away,” he said. “The chimneys, the gabled roofline, all those mullioned windows … they’re perfectly proportioned. The architect created a masterpiece.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Anita said. “But for all the grandeur of those three stories, my favorite thing about this house is the arched mahogany front door. It’s massive and impressive—but it’s also homey and welcoming. Just like the people living there.”
“I agree with that too,” Gordon said. He got out of the car and walked around it to open her door.
“I wish we had something to bring them,” Anita murmured. “My mother and grandmother would be furious if they knew I was going to dinner without a hostess gift.”
“I grew up the same way,” Gordon said.
Anita looked up at him, her lips pressed into a thoughtful line. Then her eyes lit up. “I’ve got it,” she said. “I’ll offer to give them a private guided tour of the new museum before it opens.”
“They’ll both love that,” Gordon replied. “More than any flowers or bottle of wine we could bring. That’s an excellentidea.”
They exchanged a smile and climbed the wide steps to the front door.
Gordon struck the brass door knocker against the plate, sending a crispwhackinto the quiet afternoon.
They heard a momentary outburst of barking that was quickly silenced. The door swung open, and John ushered them inside. Eve and Roman waited patiently to be released.
Maggie crossed the living room toward them, untying a festive holiday apron and pulling it over her head.
“Hello, you two!” she said, throwing her arms wide and hugging Anita, then Gordon.
“Happy New Year,” Anita said warmly.
“The same to you both,” John said, shaking Gordon’s hand with a smile.
Maggie turned to Gordon, arching an eyebrow. “What’s with sneaking into town without telling me? Have I done something wrong? Are you trying to avoid us?”
Gordon flushed. “Nothing of the kind. I made a snap decision to ring in the New Year with Anita. Everything happened so fast, I didn’t have time to tell anyone. Since I had initially planned to go home tomorrow, I figured there was no point.”
“Youweregoing to go home tomorrow?” Maggie asked, intrigued. “I’d like to hear more about that. Come into the library—I’ve set out a few nibbles before dinner.”
They followed her into the generous room, its wood-paneled walls glowing in the firelight. Late afternoon sunshine filtered in through the French doors, casting a golden hue across the polished floors.
