The Secret of the Quilt Read online

  Also from Lirios Publishing

  Blooms, Bones and Stones Cozy Mysteries

  By Olivia Swift

  Book One - The Secret of Chestnut Hall

  Book Two - The Secret of the Jewel Shop

  Book Three - Almost Picture Perfect

  Sea Oak Mysteries

  by Adele M. Cooper

  Book One - Witness in the Park

  Book Two - Tilted Justice

  Book Three - Murder at Woodruff Mansion

  The Sampson’s Quarry Mysteries

  by Sophie Tucker

  Book One - The Road to Sampson’s Quarry

  Book Two - Escape to Sampson’s Quarry

  The Secret of the Quilt

  A Blooms Bones and Stones Cozy Mystery - Book Four

  Olivia Swift

  Copyright © 2017 by Olivia Swift

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also from Lirios Publishing

  1

  Kim Summers rocked her baby niece as she watched her sister, Jazz, devour one of her special cakes. They were relaxing in what had been their family home, which was attached to the garden center. Since Jazz had married and moved into Chestnut Hall, the house was all Kim’s. The sisters were both slim with dark-blond hair, but despite the slender figures, both of them liked to tackle almost anything that came along. Their father had always grown plants for sale and Kim continued in that vein, but Jazz had opted to restore other people's gardens.

  The house had taken on Kim’s personality since Jazz left and was largely given over to sewing and quilting. The living room had a large, old, quilting frame that took up a huge amount of space. The tiny stitches making the pattern, all done by hand, were testament to her sewing skills.

  “When does the extension start?” Jazz asked, and Kim’s eyes lit up with excitement.

  “Tomorrow. I am excited and worried at the same time. The little shop will still operate for as long as we can, and the machinery will stay away from the public. If it gets dangerous we will have to close the shop for awhile.”

  “Then you will be able to have a grand opening for the new garden center,” Jazz observed as she brushed her crumbs away. “Can I have a look to see where everything will be?”

  “Of course,” her sister replied, and Jazz took her daughter back to wander out into the nursery. It had expanded, ever since Jazz had married and left to live with her husband. The greenhouses were filled to bursting with stock that had to be looked after, and Jamie, the new gardener, was potting up new plug plants that had arrived from the wholesalers. He waved a hand and kept on going.

  “He’s a good worker,” Kim said as they arrived at the shop. “Knows his plants, thank goodness. Remember that man who said he was a gardener and killed the whole season’s stock?” Neither of them would forget that episode.

  Cherie, who ran the register in the shop was talking to a customer as she handed out wrapped goods, and the two sisters went behind the building. Kim pointed her hand in a broad sweep and told Jazz that everything there would be a parking lot.

  “The present parking lot will be covered with the new center and then it will join up with the present shop. That is probably when we will have to close for a few days.”

  “So, what is first?” Jazz asked . . . and the answer was that Rob Manners would start on leveling the new parking lot and laying some asphalt.

  “That will give the customers somewhere to park, and we can start to lay foundations for the new building,” Kim added. Jazz nodded and looked around.

  “It will be enormous. You will have to keep Rob well supplied with cake,” Jazz laughed.

  “He does love cake,” her sister replied. “And he is a good friend. I know I can trust him to do a great job and not rip me off.”

  “Strange how we never knew he went climbing in the army and turned out to be an old buddy of Evan’s,” Jazz pondered. “Talking of whom, he will be wondering where I am and missing his daughter.” She was strapping Molly Kim into the car seat when she asked about the crafting and quilt aspect.

  “I forgot to ask how you are doing that,” she said.

  “I have seen some dividing sections that can be moved around as you want, to change things. There will be a general craft section that sells all sorts of glues and patches and stuff and a quilters’ separate place with materials. It is hugely popular. It will have new quilts for sale and some antique and preloved ones as and when I find them.”

  “Then the indoor plants and all of the garden accessories,” Jazz added, and her sister told her that there would be a lot of flower-arranging supplies as well. “Sounds fantastic.”

  “I would like a small coffee shop as well. People do like to sit and have coffee when they visit, but whether that can be done in time is probably a bit too much to expect. It all has to be finished in time to set up the grotto for Christmas, for Santa Claus.” She laughed. “I am trying not to panic.”

  She leaned in to kiss the baby and then waved her sister off. Kim gazed around at what was now empty space, but in her head, it was a whole new world.

  “The quilting will be taking a back seat for some time,” she thought and then went to see if Cherie needed a hand. Two regular customers came and asked about the new plans, and Kim took the chance to ask what they thought about a coffee shop. The couple was enthusiastic and told her it would be good to have somewhere to sit.

  “My old legs cannot do what they used to do,” the woman told her with a smile, and Kim noted that down in her head as well. She took the woman’s basket to the counter for her and rang the plants up on the register.

  “I’ll give you a staff discount of ten percent,” Kim smiled, “as advisors to the management.” The lady said, in that case, she would have another ivy plant as well, and Kim obligingly went across to find one. After the people were served, Kim asked Cherie what she thought about the coffee shop idea, and the girl agreed with the customer that seats would be appreciated. They talked about the various, different departments that would have to be dealt with and how many more staff they would need. She valued Cherie’s take on things because, in the shop, the girl was her right-hand man. They had worked together long enough for Kim to know that Cherie could be trusted to buy the right merchandise and would take responsibility.

  “I was thinking,” she said, “that if we have extra staff, would you be prepared to be the manager and deal with that side of things?” Cherie was delighted and said that it would be a pleasure. She never asked about money, but Kim added that the pay would be higher to compensate for the responsibility.

  “Oh, thanks, Kim,” Cherie answered. “I would love to be the manager.” And she did a little dance around the floor to celebrate. As other customers came to the checkout, Cherie went back to the register, and Kim heard the noise of machinery outside. The enormous digger was trundling behind the shop to where the new parking lot would be and then it was parked. The long, lean form of Rob Manners could be seen jumping down from the cab.

  “You starting early, Rob?” Kim called as
he strolled across to the buildings. He moved with the easy grace of a long-legged cowboy, and she mused that maybe the heavy-machinery guys were the cowboys of today. Rob Manners was classically good-looking with dark hair and brown eyes. He stood at just under six feet tall and would have genuinely laughed out loud if he heard himself described as handsome.

  “Just brought the digger over so that I can drive straight here tomorrow,” he answered. “I need a lift back, or I’ll have to drive the monster back again.” He grinned at her, and she said that she would drive him back and then offered him coffee and cake. The man was always ready to eat. The two of them walked toward the house in the comfortable way of old friends, and she told him that she was excited and worried at the same time.

  “Easy peasy,” he reassured her. “The parking lot is a piece of cake, and we will then be able to start on the building. It’s a concrete base, and it comes ready to slot together. The manufacturers send a team to construct it, and I am told it will be up in less than a week.”

  “Trust you to think of it like cake,” she answered.

  “What kind have you got today?” He grinned at her and whistled when she told him carrot cake.

  “Oh my,” he said. “My idea of heaven. Is there cream-cheese icing?”

  “Would I give you carrot cake without cream cheese? Heaven forbid.” They stepped inside, and he sank into an easy chair. He waved at the quilting frame.

  “How are you going to get quilting into the shop?” he asked, and she explained about the crafting area.

  “It is so popular,” she told him, “but people do card making and scrapbooking as well. Loads of stuff to source yet,” she finished and then ate some cake herself. “I’ve just offered to make Cherie shop manager because we are going to need more staff.”

  “That’s a good idea,” he agreed. “She knows the job inside out.” Kim nodded and told him she would order the crafting stuff herself until they saw what would sell and what wouldn’t.

  “I have three antique quilts that can be sold, but I will need to see if I can find more. The patchwork never seems to go out of style.” Rob stopped eating and remembered that he had a message.

  “Forgot to say that my mom found a different shop that she hadn’t seen before, and there were several old quilts lying on a shelf. She said to tell you.” He fished in his pocket. “This is the name and address. She wrote it down for you.”

  “Oh, thanks.” Kim took the paper. “That is really good of her.” She looked at the address. “I haven’t seen this place before.”

  “She says it was down a sort-of alleyway. Not somewhere you would just notice going past, but when we looked, they did have a website.”

  Kim turned on the tablet that was lying on the table and typed in the address. “Fascinating,” she said. I know approximately where it is but have never been down there. Looks like something out of a child’s storybook. Did your mom buy anything?”

  “Does a duck like water? She found salt and pepper sets that she had never seen before and only paid a few dollars for them. That’s Mom’s idea of a great day out,” he laughed.

  “Mine as well, but for quilts—not salt and pepper shakers. How many has she got now?”

  “Heaven only knows, but they cover all the shelves of a dresser.

  Kim said that she would have to get some Christmas ones for the shop. “I am quite looking forward to stocking a Christmas shop.” She stood up and found a plastic box. “I’ll send your mom some cake—and do not eat it on the way back.”

  “As if I would,” he answered, “but you could add an extra slice.” Kim laughed, as she had already done that.

  “Extra piece included,” she said, and handed him the box. “I’ll get the car keys to run you to the yard.” He watched her go and looked at the quilt on the frame.

  “For somebody who wields a wheelbarrow like a laborer, you sure make delicate stitches,” he said as she came back.

  “Women can do lots of different things,” she told him. “Multitasking is one of our greatest skills.” She popped her head in the shop to say where she was going, and then they went to the car. “Hard to believe that this parking lot will be all building in a few weeks.”

  “Easy peasy. I told you,” he said from the passenger seat. The yard where he kept the machinery and piles of stone and gravel he needed for the job was quiet because everyone was away on jobs. The little office was locked up.

  “Got something to show you though,” he said as he opened up the office.

  She snorted, “Heard that one before.”

  He just grinned and handed her a roll of paper. “Oh my!” She was taken completely by surprise because there, in beautifully executed precision, was the floor plan and layout of the whole site. It showed the new parking lot with trees around it and the building incorporating the old shop. It looked wonderful.

  “Thanks, Rob,” she managed at last. “What a fantastic idea. I must frame it and keep it somewhere safe.”

  “See what a good carrot cake gets you?” He laughed.

  2

  When she returned, Kim walked back into the shop to show Cherie the plan on paper and found that quite a lot of customers were still browsing. She put the plan to one side and started to work at the checkout counter. With a break in the stream of customers, she showed the picture to her assistant, and Cherie exclaimed that it was great.

  Cherie said, “How good to see it laid out properly. I can see it in my mind’s eye now. Did Rob draw this himself?”

  “Yes. He hides his light under a bushel. He was always good at drawing plans to scale, but this is artwork as well. Showing his arty side,” Kim laughed.

  “He would move a hundred parking lots if you asked him to,” Cherie joked, but Kim shook her head.

  “He probably would, because he is a such a good guy, but we have been friends forever.”

  “Mmm,” Cherie said and made no more comment. The plan was on the counter, and a customer was taking a quick peek.

  “The plans for the new layout,” Kim told her and unrolled it properly.

  “I heard you might have a craft and quilt section,” the woman said with a question in her voice.

  “Yes, that’s right. Are you interested in quilting?” Kim asked. The woman held out a hand.

  “Corby Santana,” the customer answered, “and yes, I love my quilts.” This, of course, led to a discussion about what sorts of quilts they both made, and it turned out that Corby also loved the history of patchwork. “I spend far too much time and money on it, but it has turned into an obsession.” Kim laughed and invited her in to see the one she had on the frame. The shop was starting to empty, and Cherie was tidying up as Kim took Corby into the house.

  “Oh, wow,” Corby said and rushed over to the frame. “How old is this frame? It’s just fabulous.” Then she ran her hand over the quilt in progress. “You must have some patience to do this. I sew patches on a machine with the odd bit of hand finishing.”

  “The frame was my grandmother’s,” Kim said, “and we still have some of the quilts she made on it.”

  “I am so jealous,” Corby told her. “It will be exciting to have a place devoted to quilts so close by. I will be one of your first customers.”

  “I don’t suppose you would be interested in being a part-time salesperson in the quilting area?” Kim took a leap of faith and asked the question. There was a pause as Corby took in what she had said, and then a grin the size of a banana spread across the woman’s face. Kim even thought that there was the possibility of a tear squeezing out onto her cheek. Corby threw her arms around Kim’s neck and said that it would be a lifesaver.

  “Sit down and have coffee,” Kim invited and handed her a tissue, because her newest employee was dabbing at her eyes. She started the coffee and asked why it would be a lifesaver.

  “My husband left me two weeks ago, and I knew I would have to find a job. This one would be perfect. I would love it. Thank you so much. I can start anytime you like.” Cherie
knocked on the door and told them that the shop was locked up, and she was ready to go.

  “Come in for a second,” Kim said. “This is Corby Santana—Cherie Long. Corby has just agreed to be an assistant with the quilts. She’s a bit of an enthusiast. Cherie is the shop manager.”

  “Welcome to what will be chaos for some time—and then we have Christmas,” Cherie answered. “And I do need the help.” Cherie stayed for a few minutes and then left for the mall. Corby gave her address and phone number and agreed to start the next week.

  “Out of interest, have you ever heard of this shop?” Kim showed her the paper that Rob had brought from his mom. Corby looked and then nodded.

  “I’ve been there once. It has a feel to it. Can’t explain it really. If I believed in such stuff, I would say it felt like some sort of spell around the place,” she laughed. “That sounds crazy. I just have too vivid an imagination.”

  “Interesting though. My friend’s mom bought some salt and pepper sets that she collects and said the shop was hard to find.”

  Corby left for home, and Kim checked to see that the nursery was locked up, and the plants were watered. There was quite a lot to go over, and the place was always very quiet when everyone had gone home.

  “You are all doing well,” she told the plants and smiled. She knew other people talked to their plants as well, but she hoped nobody would hear her doing it. She pulled out her cell and called Rob.

  “Is your mom there?” she asked, and he passed the phone to his mother. Jenny Manners was a family friend as well as Rob’s mom, and the families had always been close. Her own parents had passed away, but Jenny Manners was always there if she was needed.