Elm Creek Quilts [06] The Master Quilter Read Online Free

accept that Sarah had lost track of time in a coffee shop.
    The early lunch crowd was just beginning to gather as Sarah joined the line. She bought herself a large latte and ordered a hot cocoa with whipped cream to appease Sylvia. As she stirred sugar and vanilla into her steaming cup, she glanced up and saw a familiar figure at a corner table. She didn’t have time to chat, but just as she turned to go, Judy caught her eye and froze.
    Sarah smiled and waved, but Judy appeared so discomfited that Sarah realized her friend must have noticed her attempt to avoid her and wondered at the cause. A cup in each hand, she made her way to the table Judy was sharing with a shaggy-haired man in a business suit.
    “Judy, hi,” she said, smiling at Judy and her companion in turn. “I thought I’d get my caffeine fix while Sylvia’s getting her hair done.”
    “You must have had a late night,” said Judy, noting the two cups.
    “Oh, no, this one’s a peace offering for Sylvia. I’m late.”
    “Sorry you can’t join us,” said the man with a smile.
    With a start, Judy quickly introduced him as a colleague visiting from the University of Pennsylvania. Sarah set down her coffee long enough to shake his hand, then made a hasty exit. She would be even later now, but at least she had a truthful and, better yet, believable excuse.
    To Sarah’s surprise, when she arrived, Sylvia wasn’t waiting by the front door in her coat and hat. Sarah found her in the back of the salon with her hands beneath a nail dryer. “Sarah, dear,” Sylvia greeted her. “You were so late they talked me into a manicure.”
    Sarah apologized and offered her the hot cocoa, which Sylvia couldn’t pick up at the moment anyway. Sarah rambled through an account of Grandma’s Attic and the Daily Grind, which was mercifully cut short by the timer on the nail dryer. “Do you know I never get my nails done?” said Sylvia, admiring her hands. “Quilting is so hard on them that I usually don’t bother, but the young lady was so persuasive. You showed up just in time or they would have convinced me to let them do my toes, too.”
    Sylvia paid the manicurist and gave her a healthy tip, then happily took her cocoa. She lifted the lid and inhaled the fragrance of the still-steaming chocolate. “If this is real whipped cream, don’t you dare tell Andrew.”
    “It’s the real thing and I wouldn’t breathe a word.”
    Sylvia laughed and tucked her arm through Sarah’s and, to Sarah’s deep satisfaction, nothing in her manner suggested she doubted Sarah’s ability to keep their little secret. It wasn’t until they were halfway home that Sarah realized she had forgotten to ask Bonnie what Greg Krolich had been doing in Grandma’s Attic. She resolved to phone Bonnie that evening and inquire, but at supper, Matt quickly made her forget all about the unexpected encounter.
    “You look great, Sylvia,” he began as he passed the bread basket to Andrew. “Did you do something different with your hair?”
    Sylvia touched her hair, pleased. “Why, thank you for noticing, Matthew. My stylist talked me into some highlights.”
    “Take a look at those nails,” said Andrew. Sylvia obliged by regally extending a hand. “My bride’s gotten herself all dolled up, and I keep scratching my head wondering what special occasion I forgot.”
    Sylvia laughed. “The only special occasion is that Sarah was late picking me up.”
    Matt turned to Sarah, his eyes wide with false innocence. “Sarah, late? Usually she’s the one keeping us all on schedule. What kept you?”
    “Nothing, sweetheart.” Sarah gave him a look of warning. “I stopped for some coffee—”
    “And fabric,” added Sylvia. “You can’t forget that, although why you left with such a small purchase I honestly don’t know. Bonnie could use the business.”
    “That is strange,” exclaimed Matt. “What were you doing at Grandma’s Attic all that time if you weren’t shopping?”
    “You know