I plop down, and Ellie asks if I would like some sweet tea or water. I take the tea and set it on the table next to me on a floral coaster.
Ellie hands me an almost completed quilt already equipped with a needle and thread. She showed me on Sunday how to do the stitches, something about a stitch in the ditch, so I get started. “What do you do, Savannah?” I ask, making small talk.
“I’m working at Peachy Keen, the diner on 12th street.” She crosses her ankles, and for some reason it makes me feel like a heathen, because I’m kind of man-spreading right now. I sit up straighter and bring my knees together.
“Peachy Keen, that’s a cute name. What’s your favorite thing about working there?”
Josephine grins at her. “She likes it when a certain someone comes in to get some pie. Isn’t that right, Savannah?”
Savannah blushes. “Oh, Miss Josephine. You really know how to tease, don’t you?”
I pull my needle through the fabric. “Who is it?”
Savannah shakes her head. “Josephine wants to set me up with her nephew, Donald. She keeps sending him in for our famous peach pie.” She looks at Josephine. “And don’t you think I don’t know you’re the one sending him over. But really, he’s not my type.”
I can’t resist the opportunity. “And what is your type?”
Savannah laughs. “I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m working on getting my own business up and running. That’s taking all my time.”
I pull the thread. “What kind of business?”
“I’d like to be a photographer. I’m taking online classes, and I’m converting my guest bedroom into a studio for portraits. As soon as I finish my classes, I’m going to open up my own business.”
“That’s wonderful,” I say as I stab the needle into my finger. “Ouch.” I shake my hand.
“You’re improving if that’s the first one of the night,” Ellie says, laughing.
I grin. “You’re right. I’m getting the hang of this.”
Savannah giggles. “Where are you from, Kiki? I can tell it’s not the south.”
“I’m from Iowa.”
“Really? What part?”
“Des Moines area.”
She nods, like she knows where Des Moines is, but I’d bet a million dollars she doesn’t even know Iowa is next to Nebraska. “It’s boring there. I much prefer it here.”
“Kiki is Skyler’s nanny,” Josephine says, smiling like she knows some sort of secret that no one else does.
“Really?” Savannah says, leaning back and raising her eyebrows. “How long have you been doing that?”
“I got hired on Sunday.”
“That Tobias, he’s a real catch, isn’t he?” Ellie shifts the quilt on her lap.
“And that little girl is just adorable, don’t you think, Kiki?” Josephine adds.
A blush rises to my cheeks. “You two are just terrible.”
“Aren’t they?” Savannahtsks. “They’re not happy unless they’re playing matchmaker.”
“Well, I’m not going to argue about Tobias’s good looks.” I grin and the three ladies give me knowing nods. “But like Savannah, I’m not in the market for a man either.”
“Oh? Why not?” Savannah asks.
I open my mouth to say something but realize I don’t have a good answer for that. I certainly can’t tell them the real reason I’m on Willow Shade Island. “I’m not at that place in my life.”
