Homespun Christmas (15 page)

Myka reached over and took his hand. “You two loved each other, and that’s all that really matters, Joshua.”

“I know now how hard it must have been for him to walk away from his dream.” He took a deep breath, still reeling from what he’d learned. “When our firm closed its doors, I knew in my gut I’d rebound, but Dad faced overwhelming odds—and he did it with grace.”

“Hemingway defined courage as grace under pressure,” she said.

“That was Dad...”

He lapsed into a heavy silence, lost in thought. At long last he spoke. “I can’t change the past, but there’s still one thing I can do for him. Dad loved this town. To him it was home. I’ll continue to play my part in bringing it back, not just through HMI, but by restoring the buildings on Main.”

“Independence is your home, too, Joshua.”

He shook his head. “No, Myka, this is
your
home...and Dad’s. Sooner or later, I’ll have to leave. There’s just not enough work around here for an architect, and that’s part of who I am. I have to make a living and plan my future.”

“You’ve been working part-time for HMI as an unpaid consultant, but the company can afford to pay you now. It won’t be a lot, but let me see what we can offer. Maybe your future is here and you just don’t know it yet.”

He wanted to say no, but the truth was he needed the funds. He’d agreed to a minimal fee for his consulting work for the town, but the first stage of that was already over, and he’d used most of the money for living expenses and supplies to paint and fix up his father’s house. At the moment he was getting by, but not by much.

“All right, thanks,” he said.

As he looked at her, he realized that their parting was as inevitable as the next sunset. Myka belonged in Independence as much as HMI did, but he’d worked hard to become an architect. He had something of value to offer the world and he wouldn’t let Independence bury his dreams. Myka lived in the here and now, and it would hurt leaving her behind, but his own brass ring was on the horizon, and he had to chase after it.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T
HREE
MORE
DAYS
flew by. Though she still avoided it, the freight elevator had been repaired. The new wool processing areas were in use and work areas were available to their special crafters—like Mr. Gomez, who did straw inlay work. The basement housed the woodworkers and their noisy tools.

Myka walked down the hall, smiling, Robyn at her side. No matter how busy it got, she could always hear the sound of laughter. As they passed the dyeing room, Liza came out holding a sample of dyed roving. “Look at this blue. We used the mixture your contact gave us. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?”

Myka drew in a breath. It was an exquisite blend of violet and indigo. “It’s gorgeous! Let me know when it’s spun. I have a feeling this will fly off our shelves.”

“That’s good news,” Robyn said. “I put a small description online, and we’ve got orders coming in already.”

“You priced it correctly? We need to charge extra,” Myka said.

“Oh, yeah, and the price hasn’t kept people away.”

“That’s fabulous!” Myka glanced at her watch. “I better go, I’ve got to meet the mayor. He asked me to stop by his office as soon as I could.”

“Is there a problem?” Robyn asked.

“I don’t think so. It’s probably just paperwork.”

As Myka headed toward the stairwell, Robyn reached for her arm. “Come on. Let’s take the elevator. I’ll ride down with you.”

Myka shook her head. “No, I can’t go in there.” She hated the way the two women looked at each other but pushed it out of her mind. “It’s only one flight anyway, so it’s no big deal.”

Myka hurried downstairs. People didn’t understand how stubbornly memories could cling to certain places. She couldn’t go into the freight elevator without being overwhelmed by the past. It was far easier to avoid it altogether.

Myka drove down Main Street alone, glad that Bear was with Sophie’s cousin today. Paula had offered to take the big guy on a long hike, so Myka had readily agreed.

Minutes later she parked in the rear lot of the insurance office where Phil worked half days. As she was getting out of her SUV, Mayor Allen stepped outside to meet her. “Good! You’re here,” he said. “Come in.”

He escorted Myka into his small office and offered her a cup of coffee. “I’ve got to tell you, when you first came up with the idea for Handmade in Independence, I thought the business end of it would eat you alive. I gave you a month before you ran away screaming.”

She laughed. “There’ve been plenty of times I wanted to do just that.”

“You’ve proved that your greatest strength is the ability to work around obstacles. That’s why I wanted to speak with you,” he said, leaning over and resting his elbows on the desk. “Municipal revenues are still hurting, and when our fire chief asked me for sixty-five thousand to repair and purchase essential equipment I had to turn him down. Unfortunately, that means our fire station will close. We’ll have to depend on County and a much longer response time, so our insurance rates, both business and residential, are going to skyrocket.”

She sat back, dismayed by the news and desperately trying to come up with a way around this new hurdle. “So you called me here to give me a heads-up?”

“Yes, but also because you always manage to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, and that’s what we need right now.”

She ran a despairing hand through her hair. “I don’t know what to tell you except we’ve got to find a way to save our fire department.”

“I’ve been looking for alternate funding sources, but I keep coming up empty.”

“There’s an answer to this, Phil, I’m sure of it.”

“That’s exactly why I came to you. You believe there
is
an answer and, somehow, I know you’ll find it.”

“You have more faith in me than I do. I’m not a miracle worker.”

“Actually, Myka, I think you are.”

* * *

A
N
HOUR
LATER
, Myka was walking down the long hallway to her office when she noticed the doors to the freight elevator had been screened off with a band of pink fabric. She knew yellow was the color of crime scene tape, but what was pink?

Passing Sara Chase, one of their most experienced spinners, Myka pointed to the closed doors. “What’s going on?”

Sara hesitated. “The electrician is double-checking the new controls. Molly needed to block off the elevator while testing the system,” she said. “We put a pink ribbon across it because Liza had several spools in her purse—she’s using it for baby afghans.”

Sara hurried off, but figuring that the woman was as pressed for time as she was, Myka quickly put it out of mind.

She entered her office, and after leaving voice mails asking Joshua and Robyn for a morning meeting, Myka stood by the window staring at her reflection in the glass. Now that she was running HMI, everyone seemed to look to her for answers. Yet she was still just Myka. Did they see more?

“What’s up? I got your message,” Joshua said, stepping into her office.

“Sit down. I was hoping we could do some brainstorming. Robyn’s coming, too.”

“I’m here,” Robyn said, hurrying inside. “Sorry, the website crashed when I rebooted the system. Too much traffic.”

“So we’re off the air?”

“We were, for about twenty minutes. Now we’re up and running and better than ever. I got J.R. to redesign our site and it looks amazing! You can click on any item, then hover over it with your mouse to see the details. He’s also standing by to set up a widget that’ll lead customers to instant live help during business hours instead of the email question-response system we’re using now.”

“Live help from whom?” she asked.

“I wanted to talk to you about hiring someone full-time to take those calls. During business hours, of course.”

“We can’t afford it,” Myka said.

“Part-time then, and not live, but responding no later than next day?” Robyn pressed.

Myka considered it, then nodded. “Okay, let’s try next day and see how it works out.” She reached up and adjusted the collar on her blouse. “Right now we’ve got a more immediate problem.” She told them what the mayor had said about the fire department.

“Myka, that’s really bad news, not only for us, but for everyone in town, especially all the new businesses still in start-up mode. Most are operating on a shoestring and a prayer. Look at Sophie. She and her mom used all their savings to open that bakery. They figured if we could do it, so could they, and they’ve been counting on lunchtime business from our workers,” Robyn said.

“No one realizes just how close to the margin we’ve played things,” Myka added.

“HMI is taking the place of Independence Vehicle Accessories in people’s minds, but this time, it’s a success they’ve helped create, and some of them want their own chance to dream big,” Joshua said.

She drew in a sharp breath. “IVA was a
huge
corporation with manufacturing facilities all around the country. We’re a tiny dot on the map, with barely a hundred workers.”

“You started a company in a town that was all but dead, and now it’s showing a profit. When the people around us look at HMI, they see...possibilities...for themselves and Independence,” Joshua answered. “They see their future.”

“I’m more worried about the present. We have to keep the momentum going, and right now, that means finding a way to save our fire department,” Myka said.

Robyn paced around the room as a heavy silence descended.

“This won’t work, Myka,” Joshua said at last. “When you try to force an idea, you get nowhere. We need to go about our jobs and see what comes to mind as the day goes on.”

“All right,” Myka said. “We’ll meet back here sometime tomorrow.”

“Just don’t forget this weekend,” Robyn said. “It’ll be good PR.” She glanced from Joshua to Myka. “Are you two going together?”

“Huh?” Myka said. “You’ve lost me.”

“I hadn’t gotten around to asking her yet,” Josh said.

“Then get busy!” Robyn shook her head as she strode out.

“What’s she talking about? What did I miss?”

“Nothing yet. Mayor Allen wanted to hold a town social this year as a sign that bad times are over. He’s found a band that’ll play for free, too. The Heartsongs. Have you heard of them?”

Myka laughed. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t exactly call them a band. It’s more like one senior gentleman with a fiddle, his retired son who plays guitar and Mabel at the piano.”

“Good enough for me,” he said. “We should go together.”

Myka hesitated. “As colleagues, or are you asking me on a date?”

“Whichever one will get you to say yes,” he answered with a grin.

“Okay, but let’s keep it informal. I’ll meet you there.”

“What are you worried about, Myka?”

“Headaches,” she said. “Will, for one.”

“Let me handle him.”

She shook her head. “He’s
my
problem and I have to deal with him. You’re just caught in the middle.”

“Maybe, but I can take whatever he throws at me.”

“There’s something else you should keep in mind, Joshua. What you do, or don’t do, matters more than ever. You’re working as an architect for the town and helping HMI. You’ve got to ignore Will’s negativity. People see you as part of the solution. You’ve earned their trust.”

He grew serious. “I know, Myka. These days, when I look at the faces around me, I see respect. That means more to me than you know.”

“It’s what you’ve always wanted...”

She started to say more, but just then she heard a loud commotion outside her office.

“What on earth—” Myka hurried into the hallway. A large wheeled cart filled with supplies slated for the dyeing room was blocking the doors of the freight elevator.

“What’s going on?” she asked, seeing Sophie and Liza.

“Myka, good! I was about to find you! Can you and Josh take that upstairs?” Liza asked, pointing to the cart. “Sophie and I are running late. We’re supposed to pick up some supplies at Painted Canyon and we have to get there before the vendor closes.”

“Go,” Myka said without hesitation.

As the women hurried off, she suddenly realized what she’d agreed to do.

“Come on,” Joshua said. “I’ll pull the cart into the elevator, you maneuver it.”

“I...” She swallowed hard. “I’ll help you roll it in, then meet you upstairs.”

“It’s not the same elevator anymore, Myka,” he said gently. “It belongs to HMI now and it doesn’t even look the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come see for yourself.”

Curiosity got the better of her, and she followed him. Joshua pushed the button, the elevator dinged and within a few seconds the doors opened.

Myka stared at the interior, blinked, then continued to stare. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but this...

Pink was her favorite color, and the interior of the freight elevator had been painted a light rose. Beautiful, small butterflies had been hand drawn over its metal walls, and each had a name inscribed below it.

“All the people who work here have a butterfly, including you, but you’ll have to sign your own. It’s the pink-and-lavender one at the center, below the quote.”

As she read what was written there, tears welled up in her eyes.

“‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams’—Eleanor Roosevelt,” she said. “When did they...” Her voice wavered.

“Everyone knows how hard it was for you to use this elevator and they wanted to help. They asked me to come up with a design that would welcome you.” He took her hand and pulled her farther inside. “So what do you think?”

“I love it. It’s beautiful, and thoughtful and... I’m speechless!”

He placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. “In almost all cultures, butterflies represent renewal and transformation. It seemed fitting for HMI.”

“It’s lovely,” she said, signing her name below the central butterfly with the special pen he handed her. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I do.” He pulled her into his arms, then took her mouth tenderly. The warmth of his body and the power of his kiss wove a spell all their own, pushing the past away and welcoming the present.

After a brief eternity, she stepped back, but left her hand in his. “What an incredible gift this is, Joshua.”

“It’s from everyone. I just gave it form.”

She smiled. That’s what drew her to him most—his belief that imagination was the doorway to new realities. “It’s just perfect.”