Once Upon a Craft Shop, page 18
part #1 of Craft Shop Mysteries Series
I squinted, my forehead crinkling in a frown. Hey, that looks an awful lot like Renaissance Man.
Granted, he was dressed in modern clothes and had a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose instead of his old-fashioned getup and blindfold, but…I was pretty sure it was him. It looked like he was carrying the same walking stick.
A jolt of mingled excitement and relief shot through me. I hadn’t been able to find out any more information on him, but apparently he was doing well enough to be released from the hospital. I was really glad to see he seemed to be better.
Physically, at least. I bit my lip, eying Maddie and the man sideways to avoid outright staring. The man’s entire posture radiated misery, and it wrenched something in my chest.
I looked down at my lunch, my appetite suddenly gone. I wonder if he’s regained his memories yet.
Hopefully, he’d been able to find whoever it was he’d lost. A darker thought strayed into my mind and I firmly pushed it away. I was going to be optimistic about this and not assume the worst.
Another glance told me Maddie and the man were still walking my direction. They soon stopped at one of the benches on the edge of the park in the sun and sat down. Renaissance Man immediately tipped his face up to the sun the same way I had earlier.
It only took me a second to make up my mind. If I wanted answers, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opportunity.
Cramming my lunch back into my lunch bag, I walked over to join them. Renaissance Man tilted his head at the sound of my approaching footsteps, but he did not otherwise move.
Maddie, however, met my gaze. Her expression was somber, but it quickly morphed into its familiar, good-natured pleasance.
“Hi,” I said brightly, though my heart had started pounding in my chest like I was running a marathon.
“Hello.” Maddie was dressed in pink today—a lovely floaty floral dress. (She must have a whole collection of them.) She nodded to my lunch bag. “A picnic lunch today?”
“Yes.” I nodded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. I waved to the park in general, though I doubted Renaissance Man could see me. “It’s such a beautiful day I couldn’t bear to stay inside any longer.”
I glanced at the man, hoping Maddie would introduce him, but the town facilitator did not immediately venture any information.
Instead, she raised an eyebrow at me. “Can I help you with something, Celia?”
Inexplicably, for a second, I felt like I was ten again, in trouble at school for daring to have a question about something that wasn’t quite on topic. But then I raised my chin. I was the one who’d found Renaissance Man and surely it wasn’t against the rules to want to see how he—
“I know that voice,” Renaissance Man said, before I could get a word of this out. His head swiveled in my direction, his fingers tightening on the head of his walking stick.
Maddie and I both stared at him. Now that he’d had a shower, and a shave, and the blood had been washed away, I could see that he was quite attractive. He had light brown skin, thick black hair pulled back in a little ponytail, and a narrow mustache. I had no ideas what his eyes looked like, hidden behind his sunglasses, but, then…it was pretty obvious he was blind.
I blinked away the memory of his blood-streaked face.
“I know that voice,” he said again. “Who are you?” His tone was imperious, like he was a man used to commanding answers from people.
I blinked again. Maybe he was CEO in real life and the Renaissance Fair thing was just a hobby.
“Ahem.” Maddie cleared her throat and gave me a measured glance before she placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. He stiffened imperceptibly beneath her touch, like he wasn’t used to being touched. “Cedric, this is Celia. She owns a craft shop on the Square. She is also the woman who found you the night you—the night you arrived in Starhaven.”
The man’s expression did not change, but I felt the tension that suddenly engulfed him.
“You found me?” he asked, in that same imperious tone.
“Yes.” I glanced from him to Maddie and back. “I was visiting the park that night and you…needed help.”
That was one way to put it.
Maddie and I both started in surprise as, in one fluid motion, the man—Cedric—rose to his feet and swept me the most perfect bow I’d ever seen.
“Thank you, Lady Celia,” he said gravely, “I appreciate your help.”
I gawked at him, my cheeks burning with a sudden blush. Lady Celia? Was he for real?
I was so gobsmacked that it took me a second to remember my manners. “Uh, you’re welcome. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Cedric’s mouth twisted into a bittersweet smile. “Comparatively speaking, yes.”
I glanced from him to Maddie, tilting my eyebrows in a silent, unspoken question.
Maddie considered me for longer than I thought she should have before she shrugged. “We are out for the same reason you are—to get some fresh air.”
I smiled and nodded, but I couldn’t shake the sudden—and strong—feeling that something really strange was going on here. Something I did not understand at all.
Why was Maddie walking around with this guy? Was the Starhaven Foundation helping him too?
I opened my mouth to ask him if he was from around here or if he was a newcomer like me—but a sudden warning glance from Maddie stayed my tongue.
The older woman shook her head at me, her gray curls bouncing with the motion. Her green eyes were sharp and her pleasant expression had sharpened around the edges.
My confusion only deepened. She didn’t want me asking him questions. Why?
Cedric continued to stand between us. He might be unable to see our interchange, but he was apparently not blind to the tension suddenly curling through the air. His fingers tightened ever so slightly on the head of his walking stick again.
All at once, Maddie’s expression softened. My compliance with her silent warning seemed to have reassured her about something.
“Celia,” she said lightly, “I believe we are due for a chat over tea and coffee.”
I blinked at the abrupt segue, but rolled with it. “That sounds lovely.” I tried to infuse my voice with a smile to reassure Cedric that everything was fine.
I’m not sure why I did—he didn’t know me and it probably didn’t matter. And I wasn’t entirely sure things were fine. But…it seemed like the right thing to do.
If anything, Maddie’s expression softened further. “How would eight AM Saturday morning suit you?”
It meant waiting a couple of days and having an earlier morning than I’d intended for Saturday, but if it meant I finally got some answers?
“Sounds good to me.” I smiled at Maddie, before glancing at Cedric. “Nice to meet you, Cedric.”
“And you, Lady Celia.”
I suppressed the urge to shake my head as I turned and headed off to find another park bench so I could eat my lunch. That honorific still sounded odd.
Maybe it was his way of coping with whatever injury had caused his amnesia. I supposed that was better than brain damage, but still…
It was strange.
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
After that awkward encounter with Maddie and Cedric in the park, I felt like I’d gotten sucked into a time warp. The rest of the afternoon seemed like it took years to pass, which wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t been so excited about Zel and Bianca coming for class.
When the clock finally struck three PM and the bell above the door jingled to admit Zel, I looked up with a smile of relief. The short blond was juggling her knitting bag and two frappes, no stroller in sight.
“Hey,” I said brightly. “Where are your babies today? Maddie?”
Part of me had wondered if Maddie would be able to watch them today, since she was out with Cedric. Although it was entirely possible she’d finished whatever she was helping him with and taken him back to…wherever he was staying.
“No.” Zel shook her head, smiling. “Not today. Maddie introduced me to a lady down the street from us who can babysit for me occasionally. She’s quite trustworthy, Maddie assures me, and my little ones will be fine with her.”
A shadow flitted across her face as Zel handed me my usual mocha frappe.
I accepted it, but didn’t take a sip. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zel sighed, reaching up to tuck a lock of golden hair behind her ear. This time, the movement was so natural I didn’t think anything of it. She flashed me a small, rueful smile. “Just…dealing with life.”
We both looked over at the door as the bell jingled to announce Bianca had arrived.
The dark-haired young woman greeted us both with cheerful smiles. “Hello, ladies. I brought snacks.” She produced a plastic container from her black tote bag with a flourish and handed them around. “Oatmeal raisin cookies. Baked them last night.”
I grinned at her, even as I accepted a cookie. “Is this your lunch today?”
“No, although that’s a great idea.” Bianca grinned back at me, before setting the container on the floor between her chair and Zel’s.
We spent a few minutes catching up on our various weeks, and then I reached for another cookie. The sight of it brought Thornfire Books to mind—and its ‘no food or drink’ policy. I turned the cookie over in my fingers. I hadn’t made such a sign for Celia’s Craft Shop, but at some point I might need to.
That man, though…
“Who is the guy who works at Thornfire Books?” I directed this toward Bianca, figuring she was more likely to know the answer to this than Zel. “Really tall? Bright blue eyes? Extremely grumpy?”
Recognition lit Bianca’s dark eyes, and then her mouth crimped in a mischievous smile. “Oh, that’s Killian Thornton. Did you meet him recently?”
“I did.” I shook my head, smiling wryly. “Made the mistake of taking a coffee cup from Starbright Café in with me.”
Bianca made a clucking sound. “Ooh, yes, that would do it.”
“He came up behind me and scared the tar out of me.” A shudder wracked my shoulders at the memory.
“He owns the bookstore, and he’s quite protective of the books.” Bianca’s expression grew sympathetic. “He’s not very good with people, though.”
That was an understatement. I managed a weak grin. “Kind of like Dave?”
Bianca laughed, her dark eyes twinkling. “Maybe.”
I took a sip of my frappe and then picked up my silvery shawl. It took me a moment to retrace my steps in the pattern. Apparently, I had forgotten to mark where I left off the last time I worked on this. Not sure why, but I had.
Bianca ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich and then pulled out the sock she was currently knitting. She chatted away, telling us about a few interesting customers they’d had earlier, but Zel was strangely quiet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I studied the small blonde. I couldn’t help but notice that her gaze kept straying to the cell phone peeking out of her knitting bag.
After a few moments of this, I finally asked gently, “Zel, is everything okay?”
Zel started as though she had been lost in thought, and my words had yanked her back to reality. “Oh, yes, everything’s fine.” Her cheeks pinked a little. “I’m just—well, I’m just waiting to hear back on a job application.”
She twitched her shoulders in a shrug. “Part time, you know. I can’t afford a babysitter to watch my children the entire day, but I also need to work.” Her expressions softened. “And really, I don’t want to be away from them. I love them, and I want to give them the best chance in life they can have.”
“That is an admirable aspiration for a mom.” I smiled at her over the top of my knitting needles.
“Where did you apply?” Bianca paused mid-stitch to fix Zel with a curious look.
A darker blush tinted Zel’s cheeks. “Thornfire Books, actually. Mr. Thornton is looking for part-time help, and I like books.”
I managed to control my astonished expression with an effort, while Bianca made a humming sound.
Zel shrugged again, a trifle self-consciously. “He strikes me as grumpy, but not mean. I—I think it’ll be all right.”
“I think you’re right.” Bianca offered her an encouraging smile.
When Zel’s green eyes flicked to me, I offered her a smile as well. “Just don’t take coffee in with you unless you get permission.”
We all shared a laugh, and the conversation moved on.
Over the course of the hour, I had to get up a couple of times to help customers, but I didn’t mind. For one, it meant I had business, which was fantastic, and for another… Every time I looked over and saw Zel and Bianca laughing together while they both worked on their individual projects, it made something warm bloom in my chest.
This was what is so amazing about the world of crafts. Apart from being a wonderful outlet for stress, things like knitting and crocheting bring people together. They give shy people who might have trouble with conversations (more Zel than Bianca, for sure) something to do with their hands so that they don’t feel so awkward.
And they definitely make life a little brighter.
Beaming, I settled back into my chair and picked up my never-ending silver shawl. Starhaven might be a little odd around the edges (and I was really looking forward to my upcoming chat with Maddie), but I could say without a shadow of a doubt that Celia’s Craft Shop and I were both meant to be here.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
Saturday morning dawned cool enough that I regretted not grabbing a lightweight hoodie on my way out the door. The morning air had a crispness to it that promised fall was on its way, even if it had been a little delayed so far. The poplar, oak, and maple trees along the Square still held their lush green color, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before they became a blaze of red, orange, and yellow.
I made it to the Starbright Café ten minutes before eight—only to discover that Maddie had beaten me there. When I walked in the door, relishing the warmer air laced with the delightful aroma of brewing coffee, I glanced around and immediately spotted her ensconced in our usual corner.
Either she really wants to talk to me, I thought wryly, or she’s got a busy day planned.
I waved to Maddie and the older woman waved back, before holding up an iced coffee clearly meant for me. The fact that she’d bought me coffee warmed something in my chest…but it also made me think she felt a little guilty about Wednesday.
“Good morning,” Maddie said briskly as I approached her. She handed me the iced coffee and barely waited until I’d settled into my armchair before she fixed me with a piercing look over her teacup. “Thank you for not asking Cedric questions the other day. He’s settling in well, all things considered, but he still has a little difficulty handling reminders of the night he arrived here in Starhaven.”
I matched her piercing look. “Is he from here? Starhaven, I mean.”
For a second, I didn’t think Maddie would answer. Then she shook her head, smoothing the front of the lacy white cardigan she’d paired with her leaf green dress. “No. And he doesn’t remember where he is from.”
Sympathy welled in my chest. I clutched my iced coffee, the cold seeping into my fingers, and contemplated again how terrible it would be to not know who I was or where I was from.
It was my turn to shake my head. “Did he not have any ID on him?”
“No.” Maddie sipped her tea. “The police department has made inquiries, of course, but they don’t currently have anything to go on. As far as we can tell, he is alone here in Starhaven.”
“Which is where you and the Starhaven Community Foundation come in.” I nodded slowly, already putting the various pieces together.
Maddie’s only response was a slight smile. She took another sip of her tea, a faraway look in her green eyes. I could only imagine what was running through her mind right now.
I stifled a grin. Probably sifting options in her mind for half a dozen people, strategizing the best ways to help them all. Helping Zel take care of herself and her babies, helping Cedric cope with amnesia… Helping me settle into town and deal with the strange intricacies of local politics…
“You know, Maddie, I’m not sure calling you a ‘town facilitator’—” I made air quotes with the fingers of my free hand, “—does you justice.” I shook my head, laughing as a whimsical thought occurred to me. “You’re more like a real-world fairy godmother.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt the truth of them settle around us. My eyes widened. That was the perfect analogy for her!
Across from me, Maddie froze, her teacup halfway to her lips. “What?”
I was too excited to notice the strange tone in her voice. Straightening in my armchair, I beamed at her over my iced coffee. “Yes! That is exactly what you are. A real-world fairy godmother!”
When Maddie just stared at me, I leaned forward. “Can’t you see it?” I waved a hand, nearly sloshing my coffee all over myself in the process. “Zel needs babysitting. You provide it. I need help with Dave and—” I dropped my voice, “—Agnes, and you help me. Cedric—” I motioned in the general direction of the park, “—gets stranded in Starhaven without his memory and you figure out what he needs and help him too.”
Maddie finally lowered her teacup, though I couldn’t read her expression.
“Maddie, you have a knack, or a talent, or whatever you want to call it, for knowing what people need and getting it for them.” I flourished a hand in her direction. “Hence, the reason you’re a fairy godmother. Only a real-life one,” I added, still smiling.
I was not prepared for her reaction.
Maddie drew in a sharp breath—almost like she was in pain— and then she squeezed her eyes shut as a shudder wracked her shoulders. Her teacup rattled on its saucer as her hands trembled.
I froze in mingled shock and alarm, dismay coursing through me. What was going on? Had I said something wrong? But why would that—
