“It was good. Busy. I spent most of my time getting familiar with the office and computer system and setting up some interviews for the rest of the week. I have my first one this morning as soon as I leave here.”
“How exciting. Who are you interviewing?”
“Connie Day. She just opened a new needlepoint shop downtown and retired from teaching. My boss, Blake, was in her class years ago.”
Lisa nodded. “I remember Connie. The girls all had her. Chase is the only one that had a different teacher. They loved her. I didn’t realize she’d opened a needlepoint shop. I’ll have to go check that out. I haven’t done needlepoint in years.”
“Where’s Rhett today?” This was the first time he hadn’t been with Lisa at breakfast since Taylor arrived.
“He went into work early today to do some ordering. Which means he’ll be home early tonight. I think we may go out for a change. I have a hankering for the fish tacos at Millie’s. Has Abby taken you there yet?”
Taylor smiled. “Yes. Last time I was here. We split a few things. I loved the scallop and bacon tacos. And the margaritas, of course.”
“Of course. I haven’t tried those tacos. Kate mentioned them, too. I always seem to order the same thing. One of these days maybe I’ll try something different.”
Taylor arrived at Connie’s shop five minutes before nine and parked a few doors down. At nine sharp, she knocked on the front door and a moment later it was opened by a petite woman with short, curly gray hair and a big smile.
“You must be Taylor! Come in.” She held the door open wide and Taylor stepped inside.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” Taylor said. She looked around the shop. It was adorable. Small but decorated in soft blue, gray and creamy white. Soothing seascape paintings hung on the wall and were all for sale.
Connie noticed her gaze and smiled. “Those are all done by local artists. We have a lot of talent on this island. They are all different areas of Nantucket.”
“They’re beautiful.” Also hanging on the wall were many finished needlepoint projects, nicely framed and situated by all the materials a crafter would need to do it themselves.
“Did you make all the needlepoints?” There were at least two dozen of them throughout the room.
Connie’s eyes twinkled. “I did. Needlepoint has always been my passion. I miss teaching, of course, but I’m also looking forward to this next chapter of my life.”
Taylor noticed a large calendar near the register that was also a whiteboard, and in bright purple marker, various classes were listed each week.
“You’re doing classes too?”
Connie nodded. “Yes, I thought that might be fun. I’m doing all levels, beginning to advanced, so there’s something for everyone. And then of course they’ll want to keep going and buy more materials!”
Taylor smiled. “My grandmother used to do a lot of needlepoint. She loved it.”
“It’s a wonderful creative outlet. Did your mother do it too?”
Taylor tried not to laugh at the thought. “No. My mother wasn’t the needlepoint type. She could never sit still that long.”
“It might be good for her. It’s very calming. But, of course, it’s not for everyone.”
Connie walked her around the shop and showed Taylor everything. Connie was especially excited about her Christmas section. “I know it’s not the season now, but lots of needlepointers work on holiday projects year-round. Ornaments are especially popular.” A two foot tall artificial tree stood in the corner, covered in assorted needlepoint ornaments that looked both festive and homey at the same time.
“Those are cute. They don’t look too hard to do either. Are they good for beginners?”
“They’re not hard at all. If you’re interested, dear, you should think about coming to my beginners’ class. It covers the basics and everyone will make several ornaments. It’s once a week for two months, starting next Tuesday.”
“Maybe I will.” There wasn’t a whole lot to do on Nantucket mid-week in March, and it sounded kind of fun to Taylor. “Maybe I’ll see if my friend Abby is interested and wants to come with me.”
“Is she a local girl?”
“Yes, her maiden name is Hodges. She has two sisters too, Kate and Kristen.”
“Of course! Lovely girls. Please tell Abby I said hello. Now, let’s go into the sitting room and have some tea and we can chat some more. This is also where the classes will be held.”
Taylor followed her into an adjoining room that had a big round table in the middle and a tiny kitchen area with a small refrigerator, coffee maker, and an electric tea kettle. Connie quickly heated up some water and poured two cups of herbal tea. The flavor was vanilla caramel, and it smelled heavenly. She also set out a delicate china plate with buttery shortbread cookies.
“Please have a cookie, or two. They go so well with this tea.”
Taylor really wasn’t hungry after that big breakfast, but she still reached for a cookie anyway and nibbled on it as Connie told her all about her days as a teacher. It was clear she had loved the job. She was equally passionate about needlepoint though, and Taylor had a feeling she was going to enjoy her new venture.
“So, it’s perfect. I’ll be able to sit out front and do my needlepoint in between chatting with customers and ringing them up. I’ll be getting paid to do what I love.”
“It sounds like it will be fun for you,” Taylor agreed.
Connie looked reflective. “You know, my grandfather told me when I was about to graduate high school that if I could find a way to make money doing something I love, that it wouldn’t feel like work. I think that is very true as I really did love teaching. And now this is just for fun, so if I make a little money at it too, well, that will just be gravy.”
Taylor thought about that. She hadn’t yet had the experience of loving her job, but was hopeful that maybe she’d found what she was supposed to do.
“I’ve heard that before, too. My mother and stepfather are both realtors and they live and breathe real estate. They truly love it.”
“And I bet they do well at it?”
“They do.”
“So let’s talk about you now. You’re new at the paper?”
“Yes, I just started yesterday. You’re my first interview,” Taylor admitted.
“Well, I’m honored. You’re working for good people. Blake and his father have done a nice job with that paper. Blake told me that his father is semi-retired now and Blake is running the show.”
“That’s right. I report to him.”
“He’s a good boy, Blake is. Well, of course he’s not a boy anymore. But I think of all my former students that way. He was a very good student. Always had a lot of questions. So, it looks like he found the right career for himself. He needs to settle down, though, and find a nice girl. I imagine he’s a little gun shy still though.” Connie paused dramatically, and Taylor had no idea what she was referring to. So she said nothing and waited for Connie to continue. She didn’t have to wait long.
“He was engaged for several years and was supposed to get married the weekend of Nantucket Stroll this past December. I’d been invited to the wedding and was looking forward to it. Though I didn’t know Caroline, his fiancée. She wasn’t local. Pretty girl, but I heard that she was from Boston and dumped him a month before the wedding. I don’t know the whole story. Maybe they’d been having problems. I suppose that’s better than a month after the wedding though, right?”