Page 9 of The Weekend Crashers
Maggie’s thinking the same thing, and that’s why she’s not going to bother trying to register online. “Let’s see about that.”
She dials the number for the inn, and a man answers.
“New Hope Inn.”
“Oh, hello,” she says, glancing at Piper. “I’m calling about the knitting retreat? Are there any spots left?”
“Hold on,” he says. “That’s my wife’s domain.”
Maggie hears the thunk of a landline receiver hitting a hard surface. Across the aisle, The Dragon Lady gets up and grabs hold of her walker.
“Hello, Belinda speaking.”
The woman’s voice is warm and mellifluous.
“Oh, Belinda, hi, my name is Maggie Hodges. I’m calling to see if you have any spots left for your retreat this weekend.”
The woman asks how many people are in her “party.”
“Two. Just me and my daughter.”
“I have space in my workshops,” the woman says. “The only issue is... I’m looking at my occupancy now... you’d have to share a room. We have a deluxe twin available.”
Sharing a room is even better. It will be just like the old days when Piper lived at home and they ate popcorn on the couch and watchedGilmore Girls.
“We’ll take it.” She looks at Piper and gives her the thumbs-up.
They’re going to have the perfect mother-daughter weekend.
Friday
New Hope Knitting Retreat: Day 1
Noon:Welcome Tea & Yarn Market
Course Offerings:Intro to Crochet; Intro to Knitting; Know Your Yarn; Color Theory and Stranded Knitting; Lacework; Reversible Knit-purl Color Combinations; Classic and Cozy: Shetland Hap Shawl
Evening Activity:Group dinner at Bucks Tavern
Chapter Six
Piper kisses Ethan goodbye. He’s on his way to work, and she’s waiting with her packed bag on Columbus Avenue for her mother. New Hope, here they come.
Ethan agrees the getaway is a good idea. He knows she’s upset about the fashion show, but he has no idea she’s also wondering if Ethan’s changed his mind about getting married.
Last night, while Ethan was in the shower and she was packing for the trip, she checked under the dresser for the ring box. It was gone.
So she’s happy for the excuse to get away for a few days. She needs to process this, figure out what it means. And she’s annoyed with herself for feeling this way, because she never thought of herself as the kind of woman who would freak out trying to read the tea leaves of a relationship. But the minute they started talking about a future together, something changed.
Maggie arrives at the pickup spot in front of the apartment, and Piper opens the trunk to stash her suitcase. It’s already full. Piper manages to cram her bag inside.
“How much did you pack?” Piper says, climbing into the passenger seat. “I thought you said it’s only three nights?”
“It is. But I have one suitcase for the clothes I’m wearing,and one suitcase full of clothes I knit. It says in the info that sharing your work is part of the retreat. Oh, that looks adorable on you!” she says when Piper shrugs off her coat.
She’s wearing a sweater that Maggie knit for her last winter. It’s cobalt blue, with a fitted bodice that flares out at the waist. She’d been deliberate in packing it, hoping her mother hadn’t noticed how rarely she wears it. It’s cute but feels like something she would have worn in middle school. But she put it on today to make Maggie happy.
Sometimes, she wonders if she thinks more about her mother’s happiness than her own.
