Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Glancing up from the needle, Mary smiles at me. “I’ll do the casting on for you and we can work on stitches.”
Sinking back down in my chair, I swallow a groan.
Mary’s smile grows as she quickly and easily does what I could not then pushes the needle back into my grasp.
We begin to work on stitching which requires me to use both needles and all my concentration. It’s easier than casting on, but still incredibly boring and tedious.
Time drags on. I manage to do eight perfect stitches and I’m working on my ninth when there’s suddenly a loud crash.
Baby David squeals with delight.
I nearly jump out of my chair.
“Oh my… what are you up to, you little rascal?” Mary says fondly, glancing down at him.
A pile of blocks surrounding him, David grins up at her and starts babbling nonsense while waving a pink lollipop in his hand
Mary smiles and nods her head, as if she understands what he’s saying, then her attention drops back to her knitting.
A second later, her attention snaps back to David and she scowls. “What do you have there?”
Setting her knitting down in her basket, she stands and walks over to David. Picking him up, she plucks the pink lollipop from his hand.
“Where did you get this?” she asks, looking back at him.
David babbles some more nonsense.
I recognize the lollipop right away. It’s my favorite kind. The kind Adam keeps in his pockets.
“Oh no, you’re all sticky!” Mary cries out in alarm as David grabs at the front of her dress, his little hands sticking to the fabric.
He seems to find great joy in patting his hands against her then peeling them off again.
Mary swipes her thumb across David’s pink-stained cheeks then frowns at her thumb. “You need a bath…”
Scowling, Mary glances toward me, then as if remembering something, she turns toward the art area. “Adam.”
“Yes?” Adam asks, stepping out from behind the easel he was working on.
Hefting David up until he’s sitting on her hip, Mary says, “Keep an eye on Abigail for me while I give your brother a bath.”
Adam’s green eyes flick toward me then he nods his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
Looking to me, Mary says, “Be good for Adam, Abigail. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Before I can get my mouth open fully to respond, Mary coos down at David about being a dirty boy and carries him out of the room.
I’m left gaping after her.
Be good for Adam?
Closing the door after Mary, Adam turns to me. “You can stop knitting now.”
Snapping my jaw shut, I glance down at the knitting needles in my hands then I look back up to him.
Did he do this?
I haven’t spoken to him since he told me I wasn’t allowed to play with Charlie anymore. Not after telling him he’s not my boss and he can’t tell me what to do.
But I have to ask, “Did you give David a lollipop to get me out of knitting?”
Adam smiles as if what I just asked is funny and shakes his head. “No, of course not.”
Feeling silly for thinking that, my cheeks warm with embarrassment. “Oh.”
Smile disappearing, Adam looks me in the eyes. “I did it to make Mary go away.”
Confused, I frown at him. “Why did you want her to go away?”
“Because I want to give you something.”
The way Adam stands in front of me, so serious, so still, like he doesn’t have so much energy flowing through him he has to be in constant motion, it’s easy to see why the grownups treat him like he’s one of them.
The suit and tie certainly doesn’t hurt, as well.
“What do you want to give me?” I ask warily, afraid it might be a trick or something.
He hasn’t been mean to me since I stopped talking to him, but he hasn’t been nice to me, either.
Frowning now, as if he’s unsure, Adam looks down at his pocket for a moment. “A present.”
“A present?” I repeat, even more confused now.
Adam slowly nods his head. “Yes. Father says the best way to apologize to the… to someone is to give them a present.”
Hope begins to flutter in my heart.
I’ve missed Adam a lot and it’s been hard not to talk to him.
“Are you saying you’re sorry for bossing me around?” I ask.
Adam quickly nods his head.
“And you’re sorry for breaking my flower? Because that was very mean…”
Adam frowns for a moment, like he’s possibly reconsidering it, before he slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out a small black box.
Holding the box out to me, he says, “Yes.”
I look at the box, my curiosity dying to know what’s inside it.
Whenever my daddy gives my mommy a box like that, there’s usually jewelry in it. Real jewelry with gold and diamonds.
I’m not allowed to have real jewelry yet. It’s expensive and my mommy is afraid I’ll lose it. Even though I’ve promised I wouldn’t.