The Healing Quilt (37 page)

“Well, don’t expect too much,” Mike said. “I’m all thumbs when it comes to a needle and thread. Even with Emma’s help, my quilted project doesn’t look nearly as good as it would if you had made it.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Phyllis squeezed his fingers. “The important thing is that you were willing to take the class in my place and did your best.”

Mike’s cell phone rang, interrupting their conversation. “I’d better get this, honey. It could be a work-related call.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “And while you’re doing that, I’ll go inside and fix our lunch.”

When Mike answered the phone, a man came on, asking if Mike could take him and two other men fishing on Saturday. Mike was on the urge of saying yes when he remembered his promise to go to the quilt class with Phyllis. “Sorry,” he said, “but I can’t take you out on Saturday. If you can wait till Monday morning, I’ll be free then.”

“That won’t work,” the man said. “Saturday’s the only day the three of us can all go. If you can’t do it then, we’ll call another charter boat service.”

“I understand.” Mike hung up the phone, struggling with mixed emotions. It had been hard saying no—especially when he really wanted to go out on his boat—but he knew it wouldn’t be right to let Phyllis down. Besides, he’d promised himself that he would spend more time with her and less time on the boat and that he’d limit his work to just five days a week.

Guess learning not to be such a workaholic is gonna take some time
, Mike thought as he leaned back in his chair.
But if spending more time with Phyllis will strengthen my marriage, then it’ll be worth every minute
.

Noreen had just checked the roast warming in the oven, knowing Todd and Kara would arrive soon, when she heard a car pull up. Peeking out the window, her heartbeat picked up speed when she saw that it was them. Any other time, Noreen would have been full of excitement having her son and his wife come for a visit. But today she felt a bit rattled and full of apprehension.
Please let this all work out
, she prayed as she removed her apron and stopped by the hallway mirror to take a quick look at her reflection.

“It’s sure good to see you, Mom,” Todd said when he and Kara entered the house a few minutes later.

Noreen hugged them both. “It’s good to see you, too. How are the children?”

“Doing well,” Kara replied. “Since the boys are in school right now, they’re staying with friends while we’re gone.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing them the next time,” Noreen said.

Todd, looking more handsome than ever with his dark hair and brown eyes, looked at Noreen and blinked. “What’d you do to your hair? It’s darker than I’ve ever seen it before.”

Noreen’s face heated. “It’s a long story, and I’ll explain later. Right now, let’s get your things brought into the house, and we can visit while we eat supper. You haven’t eaten yet, I hope.”

“We knew it was getting close to supper, and Todd said he was sure you’d have something waiting for us.” Kara pushed a strand of her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ear and smiled.

“From what I can smell, I’m sure it’s gonna be good,” Todd said, sniffing toward the kitchen. “My mouth’s watering already, Mom.”

While Todd brought in their suitcases, Kara and Noreen set the table. When Todd returned, and they were all seated around the dining-room table, Noreen offered thanks for their meal, and for Todd and Kara’s safe travels. Then she passed the food.

“If this roast is half as good as it smells, I’m definitely having seconds.” Todd winked at Noreen.

“The potatoes and carrots look yummy, too,” Kara commented. “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, Noreen.”

“It was nothing, really,” Noreen said, almost dropping the basket of rolls as she handed it to Kara. “Cooking a roast in the oven with potatoes and carrots doesn’t take much effort, but it’s one of my favorite supper dishes. Of course, I don’t have it much anymore,” she added. “Cooking for one isn’t much fun, so I either eat something simple like salad, soup, or a sandwich, or I sometimes go out for a meal.”

“It has to be lonely for you living here by yourself,” Todd said. “Why don’t you reconsider and move to Texas so you can be closer to us?”

Noreen shook her head. “We’ve had this discussion before, Son. Sarasota is my home, and I’m not ready to leave it right now. Maybe someday. We’ll see.”

“Okay, Mom, I understand.” Todd reached for the salt shaker. “Just remember, you’re welcome to come visit us anytime.”

“Yes, and I will.”

As they continued their meal, they talked about other things—the weather, politics, and what Todd and Kara wanted to do while they were visiting Sarasota.

When everyone was done, Noreen got up from the table to clear the dishes, but Kara said she would take care of that so Noreen could visit with Todd while they enjoyed some coffee.

“What’s new in your life these days, Mom?” Todd asked, before taking a sip of his coffee.

Noreen shifted uneasily in her chair. Was this a good time to tell Todd about B.J., or should she wait a few days?

“Is something wrong? You’re squirming around like you’re nervous, Mom.”

Noreen drew in a deep breath, unsure of how to begin. “There’s something I need to tell you, Todd.”

“What’s that?”

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “You’ve known you were adopted ever since you were a boy. Your dad and I never kept that from you.”

“Right. You both said you thought I ought to know.”

Noreen grabbed a napkin and balled it up in her hands, damp with perspiration. This was much harder than she’d thought it would be. “There’s…um…something else that you don’t know.”

He leaned slightly forward. “What’s that?”

“Your birth mother, whose name was Judy, died giving birth to you, and…well…Judy was my sister.”

Todd’s forehead wrinkled. “My birth mother was your sister?”

Noreen nodded slowly.

The room became deathly quiet. Kara stopped doing the dishes and moved closer to the table. “So you’re actually Todd’s aunt?” she asked Noreen.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Todd’s voice sounded strained, and a vein on the side of his neck bulged. “Did you think I couldn’t handle it?”

“It wasn’t that. I was afraid if I revealed the truth that your father might somehow find out.”

“Dad didn’t know who my birth mother was?” Todd’s eyebrows drew together.

“Oh, he knew alright. It was your flesh-and-blood father I didn’t want to know about you.”

“I’m confused, Mom. Who is my real father, and why didn’t you want him to know about me?”

Noreen squirmed under Todd’s scrutiny as she explained about B.J. “And now, after all these years, B.J., whose real name is Bruce Jensen, made a sudden appearance. He’s been attending the quilting classes with me, but I didn’t know it was him at first. The truth of his identity came out later on.”

“Does he know about me?” Todd asked, sitting back in his chair, while Kara came and stood behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. They were obviously quite shocked by this unexpected news.

“He didn’t know Judy was pregnant or that she’d given birth to a son until I let it slip during one of our quilting classes.” Noreen drew in a deep breath to help steady her nerves. “The thing is, B.J. has cancer, and according to him, he doesn’t have long to live. So I was wondering if…Would you be willing to meet B.J. after the quilt class this Saturday?”

Todd sat several seconds, reaching back and touching his wife’s hands. “I—I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”

W
hen the quilting students arrived on Saturday morning, Emma was happy to see that, with the exception of B.J., they’d all finished with the quilted part of their wall hangings and were ready to put the bindings on. She was also pleased that Mike’s wife was with him.

“It’s good to have you back with us, Phyllis,” Emma said.

Phyllis smiled. “I’m glad I could be here for the last class. From what Mike has said, he’s enjoyed getting to know all of you and has learned a lot while taking the classes.”

Emma felt relieved because at first Mike hadn’t seemed comfortable.

She glanced at Erika and noticed that the young woman wore a genuine smile this morning. Apparently, she was happy to be here as well.

Maybe Lamar and I have done some good while teaching this class
, Emma thought as she placed several pairs of scissors on the table, along with the material each person would use for their binding. At least everyone had learned the basics of quilting, and they all seemed to have enjoyed the class.

Emma looked at Kim, who was chatting with Jennifer. She was probably still hurting over her breakup with Jan, yet she tried to remain cheerful and interested in what the others were saying.

What a shame
, Emma thought.
I had hoped things would work out for her and Jan. I wish Star would have given herself the chance to get to know Kim better. I’m sure she would have realized what a sweet person she is
.

“Emma, did you hear what I said?”

Emma jumped at the sound of Lamar’s voice, close to her ear.

“Uh…what was that?”

“I asked if you were going to explain to the students how to put their bindings on, or would you rather that I do it?”

“Oh, I was just going to do that,” Emma replied, feeling a bit flustered. She knew better than to let her mind wander like that—especially during one of their quilting classes. It was important to stay focused, and for the rest of the class, that’s what she planned to do.

First Emma explained how to cut, pin, and sew the binding to the edge of the wall hangings. Then, since B.J. had fallen behind last week because he wasn’t feeling well, Emma offered to help him finish his quilting, while the others took turns using the sewing machines to put their bindings on.

B.J. smiled, although it appeared to be strained. He was obviously not feeling well again this morning, and Emma’s heart went out to him. She knew that illness, injuries, financial problems, and many other painful things were a part of life, but it was hard to see people suffer, and she wished there was something she could do to make things better for B.J. She hoped, too, that as soon as today’s class was over, the poor man would make plans to return to Chicago to be with his daughters. He really needed their support during a time such as this. His illness was not something he should have to face alone.

Noreen worked quietly at one of the sewing machines, every once in a while glancing at her watch and wondering if Todd would show up. This morning he’d agreed to see B.J., so she’d given him Emma and Lamar’s address and said he should come by at the end of class. She didn’t want to interrupt their final lesson, and knew that Todd meeting B.J. could end up to be quite an emotional experience.

Maybe it would have been better if I’d suggested some other place for Todd and B.J. to meet
, she thought. She’d chosen the Millers’ home because she knew they were good people and would have wise counsel to offer should things get sticky or too emotionally charged.

How different things would have been for me and Ben if Judy had married Bruce Jensen and they’d raised Todd themselves
, Noreen continued to muse.
Judy and Bruce were really young back then, so marriage and raising a child would have been a struggle for them, but Ben and I would have helped in any way we could
.

Noreen had always wondered why things happened the way they did. Was there some big master plan for everyone’s life? It was true Judy would have struggled even if B.J. hadn’t been informed and she’d tried to raise the baby alone. Noreen knew that she and Ben would have given Judy a home and helped to make things easier for her and the baby.

But Noreen was certain of one thing: she had no regrets about raising Todd. She and Ben had been able to give their son a stable home. And if they hadn’t adopted Judy’s son, they would have missed out on the privilege and joy of raising him.

She lifted her gaze from the strip of material she’d been sewing and looked at B.J., who sat at the table beside Emma. She was pinning B.J.’s binding in place while he watched. Lines of fatigue etched his forehead, and the sparkle that had been in his eyes during the first quilt class was gone. The poor man probably wasn’t feeling well and wished he was home in bed.