Home to Sparrow Lake (Harlequin Heartwarming) (16 page)

Kristen was left a little breathless and definitely wanting more.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

T
HE
REPORTER
FROM
Milwaukee showed up midway through the next week to interview Kristen at Sew Fine. She turned out to be a pleasant, middle-aged woman named Sharon Brinkley, who already knew quite a bit about needle crafts—as a matter of fact, her jacket was a piece of wearable art.

They sat near the front desk for the interview.

“I’ve never done quilting, but I’m good at needlepoint and embroidery,” Sharon told Kristen, looking over the brochures Kristen had given her. “Are there quilting classes for beginners, as well as advanced seamstresses?”

“We have two that cater to beginners, but most classes mix students of different levels. The instructor works with each student individually...and students who are advanced enough can help the beginners, as well.”

“Collaborative learning, hmm? Well, I’m a fan of that,” said Sharon, scribbling in her notebook. “Do you ever have a real quilting circle, where everyone works on the same quilt?”

“Some are working on group quilts now, either here in class or on their own time.”

Sharon indicated a couple of Aunt Margaret’s stunning quilts hanging on the wall. “Well, those certainly are beautiful.”

“They’re art quilts involving appliqué and hand-painting, quite a bit more difficult than your average design,” Kristen explained. She motioned toward the back of the store. “There’s a small strip quilt hanging on that column in the rear. You can buy the materials in a packet and finish it in a day.” She laughed. “Well, experienced quilters can finish it in a day. I’ll be doing well if I get through the placemat I’ve started.”

“Oh, so you’re at a beginner level yourself.” Sharon looked pleased. “That’s a good angle for readers who have little or no sewing experience.”

“I had no sewing experience until I started working here with my Aunt Margaret, who owns the store, and my sister, Heather, who runs it.” Kristen nodded toward Heather as she scooted by to ring up a sale.

“Sew Fine is a family affair. That’s sweet,” said Sharon.

The reporter asked several more questions, and Kristen took her for a short tour of the store. Heather was counting some bills up by the front desk when Sharon stuffed her notebook back into her shoulder bag.

“I know someone who runs bus tours of interesting places in rural Wisconsin,” Sharon said. “They visit dairy farms, cheese factories, historical sites. They’re thinking of offering a craft tour. Sew Fine would be a perfect addition for that. You’d probably get some sales, as well as some students. Women who don’t live too far away will be able to take classes.”

“That would be wonderful!” enthused Kristen, thinking her aunt would be pleased.

“Do you have a website where people can order online?”

“I just set it up and I’m working on making additional products available. We’re already getting more orders.”

Behind them, Kristen heard Heather cough.

“That would definitely be a bonus for interested customers. Can I mention the website in the article?”

“Please do.”

“I think covering sewing machines—costs and types—would be good for the website. You could also discuss fabrics suitable for quilting and offer some very nice kits.”

“So it would be educational, as well as geared for business.” Kristen had considered the same elements. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Heather slam the cash register shut. Was something wrong? “I was already thinking about uploading a gallery of quilts created by Aunt Margaret and other women associated with Sew Fine. The possibilities are endless.”

“In this day and age, websites can offer a substantial boost in sales,” Sharon said. “I think this article I’m writing should help. We’re going to put it in the Sunday supplement.”

“Thanks so much.” Kristen saw the reporter to the door. Her smile felt as if it stretched ear-to-ear when she came back to discuss the interview with Heather and Gloria.

“Wow!” said Gloria, clapping her hands. “Maybe I’ll be working more than part-time.”

“Will you be able to do that?” Kristen asked.

“I can rearrange my schedule,” Gloria promised. She turned when a customer entered the store. “May I help you?”

“So what do you think?” Kristen asked Heather.

“Sounds like you’re doing a great job with the marketing.”

“But?” Thinking about the slammed register, she said, “You don’t look happy.”

Heather sighed. “I asked you before who is going to do the extra work. Brian is leaving for college. Not that he’s been in much lately, anyway. I haven’t seen him since Monday afternoon.”

“We’ll hire people. Gloria will work more hours.”

“And who will train the new people? I’m the current so-called manager. I want to take a full course load starting in the fall, and I’ll have to do an internship next summer.”

So-called?
What did that mean? Did Heather think she was trying to steal her job or something? She was just trying to find ways to improve business, the way Aunt Margaret asked her to. Now Heather was upset, sounding both like her job was being taken from her and also like she feared the work Kristen was creating.

Kristen thought she could get some work off Heather’s back. “I can come back on weekends to help you.”

“Come back on weekends?” Heather’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “Have you got another job already?”

Oops. “Not yet.”

But Kristen had heard back from the company to which she’d sent her résumé in less than twenty-four hours. They’d set up an interview in Chicago for next week. The vice president had already done a preliminary phone interview with her, and they’d spoken for a whole hour. It really sounded like they might want to hire her.

Tears pooled in her sister’s eyes, nearly breaking Kristen’s heart.

“I can’t deal with all this stuff,” Heather said. “You won’t come back on weekends. And weekends aren’t enough anyway. I love my family. I care about this store. But I also love landscape design, and it looks like I’m never going to get a chance to pursue it. Maybe I should just quit school and be done with it!”

That was the last thing in the world Kristen wanted to have happen. She tried to reassure Heather. “You’re not going to have to do that. We’ll find a way to work things out. You have my word on it.”

She didn’t have to leave Sparrow Lake that soon, she told herself. Should she get the new job, she could tell her bosses that she’d start in September, which would give her time to find solutions to the problems. She only hoped the company would be okay with that.

“But you
are
going, one way or the other. And you can’t be sure that everything will work out.” Heather grabbed her purse from beneath the counter.

“Heather?”

“I’m sorry. I hate hearing myself whine!” Her sister headed for the door but stopped for one last word. “Both of us have our own interests and our own obligations. I guess sometimes they’re just at odds!”

“Heather, wait a minute!”

The door slammed and Kristen stood there, immobile. Now both her siblings had walked out on her.

After Heather left, Kristen felt distracted. She tried to take care of a customer who wanted two yards of cloth and ended up measuring incorrectly. Gloria stepped in. Then Kristen found herself at the cash register looking at the same receipts over and over, not knowing what she was supposed to be doing with them. It would help if there were more than two people to take care of the store. Although Wednesday was not usually a busy day, there had been one phone call after another and a steady stream of customers coming in. Kristen hadn’t even had time to check Sew Fine’s email.

Where on earth was Brian?

Heather said she hadn’t seen Brian since Monday. Kristen had argued with him on Sunday evening and he hadn’t spoken to her since. In fact, she hadn’t seen him or heard him moving around in his room.

“Was Brian here yesterday?” Kristen asked Gloria.

“No, he wasn’t. Is he sick?”

“Probably.”

Kristen wasn’t so sure of that. When Brian was sick, he usually moped about and wanted everyone to wait on him and feel his forehead for fever. He didn’t keep to himself. Was he just avoiding her or was he getting himself into more trouble with his buddies? Irritated and wanting to focus on something concrete, Kristen called her brother’s cell. It surely would help if Brian would do his part, whether or not he was only filling in for the summer.

No answer.

She sighed. Maybe he was asleep. Thinking she wasn’t about to promote any more laziness or peevishness, whichever it was, she reluctantly called her aunt. However, Margaret had not seen Brian and couldn’t find him, though she checked his room.

“Are you worried about something, Kristen?” Margaret asked.

“No,” Kristen lied, since she had begun to feel uneasy. “Did you see him yesterday?” She had the car herself, so he wasn’t driving around.

“I haven’t seen Brian at all. I know he keeps late hours. Are you sure you’re not worried?”

“Everything’s okay, Aunt Margaret. He’s probably just hanging out with his friends. What are those two guys’ names again?”

“Andy Eccles and Matt Stapleton. Do you want me to look up their phone numbers?”

“I can do that myself. I have a phone book right here.”

Thanking her aunt, she hung up. The phone book for Sparrow Lake was combined with a couple of other towns in the area. Kristen could find no listing for anyone named Eccles but she located a couple of Stapletons and called both residences. An elderly man answered the first call and said he was not related to Matt. The second call went to voice mail, so Kristen left a message. Now what?

“I can see you’ve got something distracting going on,” Gloria said, having finished with a customer. “If you need to leave, I can handle this place.”

“Will you? I hate to leave you alone. It’s been kind of busy today.”

“The phone calls and emails can wait. I know most of the people who come in here and they can wait, too. Go on and do what you have to do.”

Thank goodness, Gloria didn’t seem to want to pry. “You’re wonderful.” Kristen hugged the other woman warmly. “If we can hustle up more business, I’m going to get you a raise.”

Kristen left and drove off, wondering where she was going. She decided to drive by the second Stapleton address, not that it was going to help her if no one was home. Which proved to be the case, she found out ten minutes later. She had a bad feeling.

Should she call Alex for help? He had indicated he was willing and, though the teenager had only been gone for perhaps twenty-four hours, she thought Brian could be classified as “missing.” Yet, she remained reluctant and drove on, turning into the convenience store where she’d once seen Brian hanging out with his pals. She also stopped by FamilyMart to check their small food court. She didn’t see any teenagers at all.

Getting back into the car, Kristen sped out onto the highway bordering the town. Where to go? She glanced at the gas station and fast food restaurants she passed, but saw no sign of Brian or his friends. This was crazy. How could she expect to find anyone just by driving around?

Suddenly, up ahead, she spotted the familiar black-and-white police car. Alex? She took off after it.

As soon as Kristen got close enough, she recognized Alex in the driver’s seat. She flashed her lights until he pulled over then parked behind him.

“Yes?” Alex stepped out, looking handsome in his black uniform and sunglasses. “Was I speeding?”

She’d like to say yes, that she was making a citizen’s arrest but this was no time for joking.

He put his hands on the roof and leaned in to look her in the eye through her open driver’s window.

“Brian is missing,” she blurted out.

“Brian? Hmm.”

“I don’t know if he ran away or headed back to California...or what. We haven’t seen him for at least twenty-four hours.”

Alex looked thoughtful, then said, “See that lot with the farm equipment over there? Park there and get into the cruiser with me. I may know where he is.”

“Really?” She wanted to sigh in relief, but Alex hadn’t said whether or not Brian was safe.

Kristen started up and waited for traffic to pass before turning into the lot Alex had indicated. She locked up and jumped into the cruiser’s passenger seat.

She was still upset but feeling better now that she wasn’t searching alone. “I’ve been beside myself. There hasn’t been an accident, has there?”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?” she asked, her worry increasing.

“We got a call. A farmer named Anderson discovered some teenage boys bothering his cows in the wee hours this morning. He thought they had gone, but just now he saw them hiding out on his property.”

A farm? “Brian doesn’t have a car.”

“Matt Stapleton does. An old beater. Anderson says it’s stalled out on a country road.” He looked at her. “Don’t worry. He’s physically safe. The farmer didn’t shoot him.”

“Shoot him?” That didn’t help her nerves any. “Are there guns involved?”

“Anderson says he fired a couple of shotgun blasts to scare them off. In the air, not at the boys.” Alex went on, “They must be plenty scared and uncomfortable by now. They’ve been there for hours.”

“Well, at least they’re in one piece.”

“I agree that’s a plus. Did you just notice that Brian was gone?”

“He doesn’t check in with us, especially not with me since we had a talk about the break-in at the diner. And his bedroom is in a different wing of the house.”

“You had another talk, huh?”

“I had a strong feeling that he and his friends were involved. But he just got defensive again and even more sarcastic. He said you must have stolen that pie when you ran out of doughnuts.”

Alex laughed softly. “What a mouth. I guess wisecracking runs in the family.”

They drove on, Alex turning off the highway onto a gravel road.

“He was always a good kid, at least when I lived at home,” Kristen told him. She had been ten years older, however, and left for college when he was still pretty small. “I don’t understand what’s happened to him. Resenting a stepfather is one thing but acting like a twelve-year-old is another.” She shook her head sadly. “He’s smart, too. He took accelerated classes and graduated from high school a year early.”