Page 16 of Sew Matcha in Love
“Good. All right, let me get changed, and then I can take you into the house for a tour. And I’ll show you girls my collection of tiaras.”
The girls chatted happily while I tried to get the picture of Arwyn in that dress out of my head. She looked like a bride.Better than any I’d ever seen, including Viki. It was Arwyn’s quiet confidence that leveled her up. No need to meet or outdo a trend, nothing flashy, just … calm.
I wasn’t used to calm. We’d never been friends.
Chaos, on the other hand, I thrived with.
Calm had always felt lame, boring. But Arwyn made it seem classy and peaceful.
God knew I could use some peace.
Once everything was restored, we donned our coats and walked over to the house. Most of Beck’s workers had left for the day, and our visit was mostly uninterrupted. The girls were excited to move into the ‘real live dollhouse,’ especially when Arwyn let them try on her tiaras.
“We have a home game tomorrow night,” I said. “Would you like to come?”
Arwyn looked at me like I’d just asked her to suit up and join me on the ice. “I don’t think so.”
“Not your thing?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Loud, lots of people, cursing, fighting…”
“Those are the best parts!” Isla interrupted. “Right, Amelie?”
My youngest daughter’s eyes widened. “Um, sure.”
Huh. That was new.
“Okay, then. We’ll see you here Tuesday for move-in, I guess?”
“See you then.” She smiled. “And good luck tomorrow night.” She tucked a handful of auburn strands behind her ear, and my fingers twitched.
I slid my hands into the pockets of my puffer jacket and curled my fingers into fists so they didn’t move on their own accord. “Thanks. We’re playing Seattle. We should win, easy.”
“Great. Bye, girls.”
“Bye, Wynnie!”
Lately, I’d felt the urge to cause some trouble. Monty had it coming to him after turning my hot tub into a koi pond. Something big…
As I drove up the mountain, it hit me. A prank so epic, the entire arena could witness it.
It was time to start paying back Ridgie the Bear for all the fun he’d had at my expense. I’d start small and warm up. Then I’d strike.
And I already knew the perfect date to do it.
CHAPTER 5
Arwyn
With the help of Beck and her crew, the girls’ rooms were ready by dinnertime on Monday afternoon. The second-floor front room, formerly a sitting area, had been transformed into a winter-inspired playroom/study area. Beck had found a child-size table and chairs at a yard sale and painted them white. A shag carpet underneath the table looked like snow over the blue carpet, a fjord, if you will. The old books had been boxed up and taken to the third floor so empty shelves could be filled with their things.
I’d given them my childhood bedroom, adjacent to the sitting area. When dad died, I’d moved downstairs to the former housekeeper’s room. It was spooky and lonely upstairs at night, and having all my stuff on one level was easier to manage. I’d used my old room like a closet these last few years, keeping most of my lesser-worn period clothing, hats, and accessories there. It was easy enough to move it all out to the garage for the girls.
The room was small, a tight fit for two twin beds, so Beck got creative and built a pop-out daybed into the window seat. The bedding Zaki rush-ordered had arrived earlier in the day, and I’d washed the comforters and sheets while the crew ensured the safety of the bed. A fresh coat of powder-blue paintand chevron-patterned drapes over the windows brought the formally wallpapered room into the twenty-first century.
Since the closet was tiny, Beck’s dad had added a row of hooks to the wall next to the free-standing wardrobe.
All that was left to do was get my dad’s stuff out of his room.
