A Stripe of Murder: Homespun Crochet Cozy Mysteries, Book 9 by Benning Patti

Author:Benning, Patti
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Summer Prescott Books
Published: 2022-03-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

When Laurie bustled into Full Skein Ahead ten minutes before close, her arms laden with boxes of donuts and cartons of cider from the nearby cider mill, Jo stared at her in puzzlement for a long moment before remembering that the crochet club meeting was that evening. The meeting was the whole reason she was working the afternoon shift, but it had slipped her mind in light of everything else.

“You don’t have the chairs out yet?” Laurie asked as she dropped the food and drinks off on one of the round tables in the back. Each table had two chairs, and the tables themselves were spread out a bit so if a couple of people ended up wanting to sit and knit or crochet for a little while, they could do so without crowding each other. When Jo hosted the crocheting club meetings at the store, they dragged the tables together and brought more chairs out from the back room. “And where’s that microwave?”

“Sorry,” Jo said. “I haven’t been able to get to it yet. If you want to watch the store for a second, I’ll go bring everything out.”

The microwave was heavier than she remembered it being, but she managed to heave it out of the back room and put it down on the table that held the donuts and cider. She had to drag the tables a bit closer to the wall in order to plug the microwave in. After another trip into the back to grab a couple more folding chairs and the plastic bag that held the disposable cups and plates she kept for this purpose, the back area began to look more prepared for the meeting. She hadn’t even brought her crocheting, but she had a few spare hooks behind the counter and could just get started on her next project early.

Before long, it was closing time and she went through the routine of counting out the register and doing the sweeping up. She turned the Open sign over, but left the door unlocked so the club members could get in. Emma was first to arrive; her mother pulled up alongside the curb to drop the teenager off in front of the building. Jo poked her head out into the cold air long enough to wave before the minivan rolled away. After greeting her, Emma made a beeline to the back, where Laurie was laying out the donuts.

The others arrived soon after, Wendy looking harried as she came in, likely having just escaped her three kids, and Marge carrying a large blanket that she had been working on for months. The last couple members came trickling in, with Jack the last to show up, a few minutes late. The fact that he brought a batch of homemade caramel apples with him made up for it.

“Quite the fall theme,” Marge said, eyeing the table of snacks. “I’m hosting next time, correct? I might do some Christmas cookies.”

“Please do, I need more sugar cookies in my life,” Laurie said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.