Page 99 of The Weekend Crashers
“I already had a little chat with Belinda. It seems there’s nothing more to discuss. They’ve decided not to sell the inn.”
Maggie’s stunned.
“Well, I’m sorry to have called you out here today.” Elaine had closed Denim for this. “I didn’t mean to waste your time.”It’s the outcome she wanted—Belinda is staying in New Hope—but it didn’t happen the way she expected.
The winds pick up and she wants to go back inside. But Elaine makes no move to leave. Instead, she fixes her gaze on her and says, “Why are you out here this weekend, Maggie?”
Elaine knows her too well. Maggie has never taken a day off from work last-minute, leaving her in the lurch. And she owes it to her to be honest about her future at Denim.
There’s a reason stitches can be unraveled.
“I want to relocate here and open a knit shop.” Admitting this to Elaine makes it feel more real than even yesterday’s talks with Belinda.
Elaine seems to consider this. “Do you have a spot in mind?”
Maggie nods, telling her about the yellow building on Mechanic Street.
“I’d love to see it,” Elaine says.
“Now?” She glances back at the inn, thinking of the party still inside. But it’s Belinda’s party now. Her work here is done.
“Sure. Why not?” Elaine gives her a wink. “Maybe I won’t go back to New York empty-handed after all.”
Chapter Forty-Six
It’s three in the afternoon by the time Piper and Ethan pull up to the inn. She’s concerned about her mother. There’s no question: Maggie ran back to New Hope to escape into knitting instead of dealing with their problems. She kinda gets it; they’ve never gone nearly a week without talking. If Piper’s being completely honest with herself, she’d been trying to escape by running off to elope instead of having a calm, rational conversation. She’s grateful Ethan encouraged her to take a step back in the moment. It was that kind of thoughtfulness and care that had made him cautious about proposing, something Piper hadn’t appreciated fully until now, with hindsight.
“So, I’ll go find a coffee place in town,” he says, the car idling in front of the inn. “Just text me when you’re ready for me to pick you up.”
It was what they’d discussed during the car ride over. But now that they’ve arrived, it doesn’t feel right.
“Come inside with me to say hi. Then I’ll ask my mother to sit somewhere private to talk.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods. “We’re engaged. We’re a... package deal. This is the right way to handle it.”
They pull around to far side of the building, where the parking lot is busy.
“Popular place,” Ethan says.
They hold hands, walking past the spot on the front patio where they’d reunited less than a week ago. Her stomach rumbles, reminding her she forgot to stop for lunch.
Inside, she’s greeted by the familiar sweet and spicy aroma of the lobby, as if the Sip & Stitch is still going on just as she left it. But the room is quiet except for a staffer she doesn’t recognize behind the front desk. When Cole last messaged her, he said there was a knitter’s group in the Purl. But when she and Ethan check the room, it’s empty except for tables covered with discarded cups and mugs, and few left-behind balls of yarn, and scraps of torn labels and tags littering the ground. No Maggie.
“I’m going to have to call her. Let her know we’re here.”
Piper hadn’t given a ton of thought to showing up unannounced. She’s not even sure why she felt so compelled to justgo. Maybe she was a little afraid Maggie would have told her not to come. No doubt she’s hurt by the way Piper handled things.
Her mother had begged forgiveness for the dishonesty and interference in her relationship. Now it’s Piper’s turn to say she’s sorry for shutting her out. They both have to do better.
“Hey,” Ethan says, seeing the tension in her face. “It’s going to be okay. You said there’s a restaurant on-site? Let’s go get something to eat while we wait for her. You can call her from there.”
“Good idea.” She takes one more look around the room, then walks closer to the window, gazing out at the river. “It feels good to be back here. I kinda fell in love with it and didn’t get a chance to say a proper goodbye.”
He moves to stand next to her, and puts an arm aroundher shoulders, sharing the view. “It’s beautiful,” he says, then, “You know what I think?”
“What?” she asks, wondering if he’s thinking what she’s thinking.
