Kate Jacobs by The Friday Night Knitting Club - [The Friday Night Knitting Club 01] Read Free Book Online

popped in after school to snoop around the
Little Debbie cakes." Anita took a sip of her coffee.

"If I know Marty, he probably put in an order with my kid! No wonder she's
upstairs making a double batch!" Georgia laughed. "That man is the
best—I don't worry so much knowing he's just down the stairs."

Anita nodded, seemingly preoccupied with her gloves.

"You missed your cue!" Georgia chided, hanging up Anita's coat for
her. "That's the part where you tell me something funny Marty said today,
or tell me how he donates his leftover bagels to City Harvest, or how he's
really a very good-looking man…Anita? Don't worry so much about that kid on the
stairs—I don't think she'll be back. Do you want to sit down for a bit?"

Anita turned to Georgia. "I don't need to sit," she said. "But
Marty asked me out to dinner. On a date. I think. A dinner date. I don't know
how it happened. He just said it and there it was."

"Did I just hear you? Oh my God, Anita, that's fantastic!" Georgia
gave her a quick squeeze. "What did you say?"

"Oh, Georgia, of course I said no! We have club tonight, and I'm talking
about Continental style." Anita turned so Georgia couldn't see her face,
wouldn't notice the look of excitement mingled with fear, wouldn't sense the
flip-flops in her lower abdomen.

"People eat dinner every night of the week, you know," Georgia teased
gently; she wasn't about to be put off. "And you've never really dated
since Stan passed."

"That's not true, I shared a subscription to the Met with Saul Ruben back
in ninety-six, and we had a lovely time." Anita turned to face Georgia,
her expression stern, her eyes troubled. It was clear to Georgia that time to
discuss Anita's private life was running out fast.

"It's one thing to share an evening with another heartbroken widower—and
quite another to be asked out by the man who's so perfect for you!"
Georgia spoke quickly. "Marty's a great guy—and seriously, the two of you
have been flirting with each other like two teenagers for years now!"
Georgia held her breath, worried she had crossed the line. Even though they
were close, she felt uncomfortable, as though she had just asked Mom if she
wanted to get it on with Dad. Anita looked her full in the face, her eyes
moist.

"Stan was a great guy, too." Her voice was higher than usual.
"And if it didn't work out with Marty, where would I get my afternoon
coffee?" She flashed a small, tight smile and turned to the table in the
center of the room, where a few customers sat around, trying to decide between
yarns. "Becky, are you still working on that scarf?" She spoke
loudly. "Just wait until tonight. I am going to show you a much faster way
to get going on those stitches. Let me come over and take a look…Georgia, don't
you have a call to make?"
    * * *

Georgia headed to the back of the shop as
though being sent to the principal's office. " Aaaaagh !"
She screamed as loudly as she could. Well, inside her head, anyway. On the
outside, she was just as competent and disheveled as ever. Georgia stuck her
tongue out at her desk, then plopped down in her seat. There, on top of the
month's bills, lay a large, too-brown cookie, a yellow Post-it stuck to the
top. "My first batch!!!!!" The " i "
was dotted with a smiley face. Georgia felt the ball of tension in her heart
begin to release; she peeled off the sticky note and broke off a piece of the
cookie to nibble. Not bad. Then she moved the cookie off the bills, rolled her
eyes at the big, greasy patch left on the papers, and sighed. She touched the
phone but hesitated. Then she swirled her chair around to face her PC. She'd need
to check her e-mail anyway, she told herself. Why not now? Then I'll call that
woman. She popped open a window on her screen and got ready to do her daily
airfare watch, plugging information into a flight search on the Internet. Then
she opened another window, scanning her messages. "Can this really be my
life?" read one subject line, sent from one of her closer