Unraveling Midnight. Stephanie Beck
away a tear, a smile on her face. “You and your daughter, very empathetic. Jessie asked me last night why I was sad, but I managed to distract her with purling. Now, what can I do for you, Scott? I’m sure you had a reason for coming in.”
The mess of yarn he’d thrown away came to mind. “Yes, I did have a reason. Jessie’s yarn was ruined last night by one of her brothers. He asked me to come pick something new out for her.”
“Aw, what a sweet brother to try to fix his mistake.” Lucy held her hand to her chest. For a young woman, she had a lot of gentle, old-fashioned mannerisms. “I have a nice wool blend that will be good for Jessie. Oh, and maybe a little carrying case for her so there aren’t more accidents.”
Scott nodded and followed her deeper into the shop. It was a bit eclectic and, though things were clearly labeled with some semblance of organization present, Scott still figured people could get lost looking at and touching all the different colors and styles. He stopped at a case when he saw the same blue as Lucy’s eyes. He picked up a skein. It was supple, but not nearly as soft as she’d felt in his arms.
“You found my new favorites,” Lucy said, suddenly beside him, reaching for a chocolate brown color. “I like this one best.” She held it beside his face with a thoughtful expression. “You know, I think it’s the same color as your eyes.”
He lifted his skein. “I was thinking the same thing.”
She blushed slightly and set aside the yarn. She didn’t seem to mind the compliment, but he kicked himself. Flirting on the anniversary of her husband’s death was probably not what she had planned for the day. Still, it pleased him mightily that she’d noticed the color of his eyes, and coincidence or not, it happened to be a shade she liked.
“Um, what I had in mind is right back here,” she said and he followed, trying to give her more room.
She was sweet and he wanted to cuddle her, yet at the same time, he respected her and her feelings too much to crowd her if she didn’t want it. He hadn’t been rebuffed at all, but he hadn’t been invited for more either. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be. He grinned at her slim back. Well, not too slim. Tiffany had been a stickler about her weight and size. Lucy definitely had a softer side, her shoulders and arms in her knitted tank-top strong but also soft.
Her waist was clearly defined under the purple top, and flared out very nicely to a generous bottom. He’d never defined himself as a male who saw value only in a single feminine attribute, but Lucy had all the makings of turning him into an ass man. No doubt her lovely backside would join her freckles and smile on his mind later.
“Here it is.”
She didn’t turn until after she said it and Scott was grateful he hadn’t gotten caught ogling her bottom.
“What color do you think Jessie would like?” Lucy asked.
“Pink.”
Lucy smiled. “She is quite the girly girl, but if she’s in a house full of boys, I can understand why. I lived with my grandmother and my foster brothers were always around. I probably overcompensated too.”
“Grandma, huh? Did she teach you about all of this?” He picked up a skein of bright pink yarn.
“Yes, she did. It was always her dream to have a shop like this. She passed away the year after Brad and between the insurance from him and the small inheritance she left me, I decided to make a go of this place. She would have loved it and my only regret is not getting it started sooner so she could work with me here.”
He should have been used to getting hit by bricks around her, but Scott was floored by how genuine Lucy was. He wanted to know her whole story. What else had her grandmother taught her? What happened to the rest of her family? Did she like to sit on her male’s lap and watch movies late at night while sharing ice cream? He hoped she wasn’t a popcorn kind of girl. Popcorn dried out his mouth and proved an obstacle for other things.
“Scott, are you okay? You seem really distracted today.”
Her beautiful eyebrows were drawn in concern and because he knew he couldn’t kiss that wrinkle yet, he smoothed it with his thumb. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just thinking, I guess.”
“About knitting?”
“Well, kind of,” he said. “I think this will work for Jessie.”
“I think you’re right, Dad.” Her reply made him feel ten feet tall. “And it’s twenty percent off today, so Jessie’s big brother won’t break the bank on yarn.”
Scott laughed. “Charge him full price, please. It’s good for him.”
“Well, I certainly can’t do that in good conscience,” she said and picked up a sparkly tote. “How about this for a case? I always found that the pinker and more glittery my things were, the less likely my foster brothers were to play with them.”
“Brilliant. You obviously know kids.”
“I watched my niece and nephew last month while my sister finished up her master’s program at Penn State. I learned little things go a long way.”
He nodded. “Yep. Little kids, little problems. Well, usually. I did have to pry Jessie off of Ross’s back last night after the yarn incident. She might be cute and small, but she’s stronger than she looks.”
“I bet. Follow me again and I’ll get you all rung up. Do you need anything else?”
“You don’t happen to have any magical tools to make it so I’m able to actually knit before the next class, do you?”
She chuckled as she entered codes into her cash register. “Well, not really. You know what? I’m open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Stop in and I’ll give you and Jessie some private lessons until you get the hang of it. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like I’ll owe you ice cream when we finish,” he said, not offering a date, but while it sounded innocent enough, he hoped it at least planted a seed of interest.
Subtlety wasn’t usually a trait males had when it came to females. In fact, the plant analogy was horrible since werewolves weren’t exactly known as farmers. He’d heard in Pennsylvania quite a few Weres actually made good livings off the land.
The Pennsylvania air might be having a nurturing effect on him. Maybe if he joined the Haven pack he’d get a chance to learn about plants and making things grow. Getting a new appreciation for cows beyond enjoying them rare and wrapped in bacon might not be so bad either.
“Well,” she said, smiling as she slipped the yarn in the tote. “I am a fan of a chocolate cone from the shop down the street after a long day. I’m sure we could work something out.”
So, he hadn’t been too forward and perhaps a seed would start to sprout. He handed over Ross’s money and bit back his reply to tell her to keep the change. She wouldn’t.
“Thanks for helping me with this. I’ll call before I bring Jessie to make sure we aren’t overloading you,” he said and paused as he slipped his wallet back in his pocket. Instead, he pulled one of his business cards from it. “Here’s my number if you need to get ahold of me before we talk again.”
“Oh.” She frowned at the card, but when she looked up, a twinkle of mischief sparkled in her eyes. “You mean, like if I have an ice cream emergency and can’t possibly go by myself?”
Sweet as brown sugar-dipped bacon and a sense of humor to match. Scott grinned. “I’m good in an ice cream emergency. Also, my height helps with cans on high shelves and, while I’ve got a ways to go in knitting, I can roll a ball of yarn like nobody’s business.”
She laughed and tapped his card on her counter. “I will keep that in mind, Scott. I hope you have a really nice night.”
“Yeah,” he said, wishing he had a hundred more reasons to stay in her presence. “You too, Lucy.”