Lia chose the chair next to Daphne’s cushion as she usually did so she could reach down and pet her once in a while. It had been a while since she’d had a cat of her own, and Daphne helped fill that void a little. Lia also loved the feel of Daphne’s thick, silky fur and knew her yarn was safe next to that calm, contented creature. When questioned about how she came up with Daphne, Jen said it was the name of one of her grandmother’s shrubs in North Carolina, a plant she’d always loved for its sweet aroma. To her mind that translated to the perfect name for her sweet southern belle of a pet.
“So, Lia,” Jen asked as she began to work on a ribbed green hat with cabled trim, “will the craft fair go on and will the Ninth Street Knitters have a booth to knit for?” Jen was the oldest of the group by just a few years, though she didn’t look it with her still-dark hair and a figure kept trim by years of yoga and wise eating.
“I hope so!” Tracy Kaufmann, blond, petite, and the youngest, was also the fastest knitter in the group. Her hands fairly blurred as she worked at a small pink-and-white cardigan. “I’ve made so many fun things since you took that booth, Lia, pieces I wouldn’t have a reason to do otherwise. My boys have been turning up their noses at anything handmade. You’d think I was forcing ugly Christmas sweaters on them!” Tracy had twin sons in middle school, an age where wearing anything without the proper logo was out of the question. Lia had gone through that with Hayley and understood.
Maureen Evert and Diana Reynolds both started talking at once, something they often did. Lia was only surprised that they’d waited this long. The two were usually bursting with opinions and stories to share first thing at the meetings. Lia loved them both and often found their chatter soothing as she knitted, especially now that she lived alone.
“Girls!” Jen called out, clearly not finding it as soothing. “Let Lia answer the question.” She turned to Lia. “Well?”
“Sorry, but I don’t have an answer about the craft fair yet. All I can say is I’m hopeful it will reopen.”
All four added their fervent hopes, too, which confirmed how important the Ninth Street Knits booth at the craft fair had become to them. The conversation then turned to other topics, as needles clacked and rows of stitches grew, giving Lia the breather she’d wanted and needed. She admired the beautiful raspberry yarn Diana was knitting into a sweater that looked luxuriously soft and smiled at the delicate flower-decorated baby cap Maureen was working on.
When she’d caught up with the others’ lives, Lia brought up Hayley’s situation. “She’s just not giving me a good reason why she wants to leave her job. I could sympathize more if it was something I could understand.”
“What has she said?” Maureen asked. Maureen worked in the personnel office of a small business and so had a particular interest.
“Very little. Just that it’s not working for her. I don’t know if it’s the work itself or the workplace.”
“If it’s the workplace, it’ll be an easy fix,” Maureen said. “Or at least easier. She can probably find a situation that’s better for her. If she’s found she just doesn’t like the work, that’ll be trickier.”
“I know. She’ll be coming to stay with me for a few days to think. I’m really hoping she’ll open up more during that time. I can’t offer advice if I don’t know what the problem is.”
“She might not be looking for advice,” Jen said. “Just support.”
Lia sighed. “True. And I realize she’s old enough to make her own decisions. It’s hard, though, to hold back.”
“Hayley’s a smart girl,” Diana said. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. When I was twenty-three there were so many things I wanted to do. It was awful to have to pick just one.”
“That’s something she threw out,” Lia said. “That she wasn’t sure it was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.”
“If she wants to try something different,” Maureen said, “this is the time to do it. But I wouldn’t go too far afield if I were her. Or jump ship too soon. She’s been at this first job less than a year, right? That might not look too good on her résumé.”
Lia nodded. All things she’d thought of herself and agreed with. But would Hayley?
They moved on to other topics, Tracy happy about her twins’ apparent preference for playing baseball instead of the more injury-prone football, and Diana asking for any book recommendations—and getting several. During it all, Daphne stayed contentedly by Lia’s side, ignoring occasional invitations from the others to come over for a petting.
When Lia set aside her afghan squares—which were adding up nicely—to give her fingers a rest, she lifted the large cat onto her lap. In true ragdoll mode, Daphne went almost totally limp during the move, as if to say, I’m yours. Do with me what you will. Jen had apparently taken notice over time of Daphne’s and Lia’s particular connection, because at the end of the evening, as everyone was packing up and saying good-byes, she asked Lia to stay behind for a minute. When they were alone, she sprang her surprising request.
“I have a huge favor to ask. Would you take Daphne for a while?”
“Take her? You mean take her home? Now?”
“I know, it’s last-minute and a terrible imposition. But the neighbor who was going to take her got sick. We have painters coming to do our hall, stairway, and bedrooms. Daphne needs to be away from the hassle. She’d be upset to be shut away from it all, but if she wasn’t, she’d only get herself into trouble. I wouldn’t ask except I see how comfortable Daphne is with you. And you like her, too, right? It would just be a few days. You could bring her back next week, or I could come get her when things are back to normal. How about it?”
Lia looked at the desperation in Jen’s eyes. As a former cat owner, she understood the need to keep pets safely out of the way during certain home projects. Hayley was coming the next day, but that shouldn’t be a problem. And Daphne was an awfully sweet cat.
“Sure,” she said, and soon found her car loaded with a litter box, litter bag, food and water bowls, cat cushion, and toys, along with a Daphne-loaded carrier that was buckled safely onto the back seat. Lia had come to her knitting group for a respite and was going home with a cat.
“Hang on, Daphne,” Lia said as she took a deep breath and pulled away from Jen’s house. “This will be a change for both of us. But it’ll be a temporary one. No matter what you think of it, keep that in mind. You’ll be back with Jen before you know it.”
Chapter 6
You got a cat?” Hayley, two bulging totes in hand, stood at Lia’s front door and stared at Daphne, who blinked her electric blue eyes back from her place on the sofa.