Elm Creek Quilts [06] The Master Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini Read Free Book Online

first.”
    Sharply, she asked, “Why would I want to do that?”
    He shrugged. “To see if she approves. Or more accurately, to see if she disapproves too much.”
    “There’s a guy sharing my apartment now.”
    “Yes, but you’re not dating him, and there are two other women.” He grinned. “Anyway, I don’t think she’ll object, do you? From what you’ve told me, your mother was pretty wild when she was younger. I don’t think she’d argue about propriety.”
    No, Gwen would object on entirely different grounds. “Whatever decision I make, my mother will have nothing to do with it.”

    Summer’s copy of the bridal quilt letter arrived three days later, the same day she met Jeremy for coffee and told him she would move in at the end of the month. She could use a change, anyway; the neighborhood of fraternities and undergraduate apartments had seemed exciting when she was a student, but now that she was almost five years out of college and holding down two jobs, the party atmosphere was more of a nuisance than a pleasure. By moving, she would save almost seventy dollars a month on rent for a newer building with its own laundry and free parking. And the company was much better.
    Jeremy wanted to start packing at once, but Summer laughed and reminded him that he had to study and she had to work.
    “Elm Creek or Grandma’s Attic?” asked Jeremy.
    “Both. Grandma’s Attic until two, then I’ll be at home working on some lesson plans for camp.”
    “Did you tell Bonnie yet?”
    “Not yet. But I will.”
    “The sooner you tell her, the more time she’ll have to find someone else.”
    Summer knew that, but she also knew circumstances were more complicated than Jeremy thought. She had worked at Grandma’s Attic since she was sixteen, and Bonnie had hinted that since none of her children were interested in running a quilt shop, she intended for Summer to take over upon her retirement. Once, Summer would have been happy to do exactly that, but her responsibilities at Elm Creek Manor had expanded more than she had anticipated. She could no longer divide her attention and remain sane, and since Elm Creek Quilts was without question the more promising opportunity, she had chosen it.
    Grandma’s Attic would be fine without her, Summer told herself. If, despite their diminishing sales, Bonnie thought she needed the extra help, she could hire one of her loyal customers or expand Diane’s job to full-time. But telling Bonnie would be much easier if Summer didn’t feel as if she were abandoning her friend when Bonnie needed her most.
    Bonnie was in such good spirits when Summer arrived that she immediately decided not to spoil it. “Holiday sales were better than we thought,” Bonnie told her. “We made a profit for the month of December.”
    “That’s fantastic.” Summer tucked her backpack away on the shelf beneath the cutting table. “How much of a profit?”
    “Enough to pay off all the overdue ninety-day invoices and some of the sixty-day.”
    “Great,” said Summer, with somewhat less enthusiasm.
    “If this keeps up, we’ll be able to get out of debt by March.”
    Summer nodded and began straightening bolts of fabric. It wouldn’t keep up, and if Bonnie weren’t so indefatigably optimistic, she would admit it. The year-end rush of quilters seeking materials for holiday projects and husbands seeking gifts for quilting wives had ended with Christmas. “We could get out of debt faster if you pressured some of our delinquent customers to pay their bills.”
    Bonnie shook her head and began cutting a remnant bolt into fat quarters. “We’ve been through this.”
    “If they want to buy on credit, they should use a credit card.”
    “And pay seventeen, eighteen percent interest if they can’t pay off their cards in full?”
    “If they can’t pay off their cards, they shouldn’t buy more stuff.”
    “Summer …” Suddenly Bonnie looked tired. “Customers expect that kind of service from a