I certainly did. We'd all pitched in on that one, canceling the usual activities of the quilt circle two Fridays in a row to help Tessa package tiny bars and bottles of lavender soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. The quilt shop smelled like a garden for days afterward.

"We're going to do it in phases: begin with the first property, in Austin, and then add one more every month until we're supplying all eight. It's a good thing I didn't use my summer crop of lavender this year; otherwise I wouldn't have enough to get started. I'm probably going to have to buy some extra as it is."

"I'll say," I added. "And lease some s.p.a.ce for a bigger workshop and warehouse, invest in some equipment, order more containers. Tessa, do you need to borrow some money? I've got a little extra capital at the moment, not much but some. If you need it . . ."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Oh, Maddie. You're the best. That's a sweet offer, but no thanks. Hub-Jay is going to advance us some money to get started and, if that's not enough, I've still got a line of credit from the shop."

"Okay, if you're sure. But if you need my help, you know you just have to ask. Right?"

"I know. Listen, Madelyn . . . there's something else. . . ."

I dismissed her worried look with a wave of my hand. "You don't even need to say it. I understand. You can't work for me anymore, you'll be too busy. In fact, you'd better start looking into hiring some help of your own."

"I already have. I put ads in the paper and on the Internet today. And I went over to New Beginnings and talked to Cathy. We really hit it off at the retreat. She's smart, she's had manufacturing experience, and she really needs a job. She's going to start on Monday. And, fortunately for me," she said with a wink, "I've already got an accountant. Lee is willing to sharpen up his pencils and help me out, at least for a few hours a week."

"That's great, Tessa," I said, giving her one more squeeze before returning to my sewing machine. "I'll miss having you around here, but I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. I'm going to miss you too, but . . ." She stopped in mid-sentence, frowned, looked at me and then at the sewing machine.

"Wait a minute . . . are you? Is that a quilt block you're making?"

I laughed. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd notice. As a matter of fact," I said, holding up the piece I was working on, "it is a quilt block. So are these." I patted the small stack of finished blocks that sat to the left of the machine.

"You've started quilting?" Her mouth dropped open, her expression a perfect picture of disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to be sure I liked it first. I do, by the way. Mary Dell gave me these books to read." I picked the books up off the far end of the table and handed them to Tessa, who started leafing through them. "They made me realize that I don't have to quilt according to anybody else's rules. I can make it up as I go along, create my own designs, do it my way."

"And we both know how much you like that."

"Uh-huh," I replied without a hint of apology and picked up one of the completed blocks. "Anyway, the books just opened my eyes to the possibilities. I'm just crazy about this author," I said, pointing to Quilting Outside the Box. "In fact, I just booked her for a weekend in April. Julie Lebreaux will be our first guest teacher and the first to teach in the new quilting studio. a.s.suming it's done by then. Fingers crossed."

Tessa looked up, clearly impressed. "Julie Lebreaux? Really? Wow. I wouldn't mind signing up for that myself."

"Why not? I'll give you the best friend discount-one hundred percent."

"No," she said firmly. "I won't let you do that, but we can argue about that later."

She put down the books and picked up one of my finished quilt blocks, a six-by-nine, paper-pieced rectangle made up of fifteen different-sized sc.r.a.ps with fifteen completely different colors and values, each sc.r.a.p surrounded and separated by a half-inch band of inky black. That was the neutral element that made all those colors pop and work together. Without that black banding between the colors, the block would have been a big, nonsensical mess. With it, the blocks were beautiful, rich and deep, and no two alike, a stained gla.s.s window in abstract.

"Where did you get the idea for these?"

"I was walking to town one day, past the Methodist church-it has that big stained gla.s.s window in front-and the next thing I knew, I was running back home to sketch out a pattern."

"It's beautiful," she said with a sigh. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Well, I'm glad you like it because I'm making it for you."

"Really? Oh, Madelyn, really? But you already gave me the flower basket quilt."

"No," I corrected her. "I just helped you with it. That was a collaboration, like our friendship. We each bring something unique to the party and, because of that, the party is a whole lot more interesting-and fun. But this one is just from me to you, because I want to. I've discovered that I like giving gifts."

"That's funny," Tessa said with a laugh as she reached down to the floor to pick up her project bag. "So do I."

The two boxes were wrapped in lavender paper decorated with purple, blue, and green b.u.t.terflies and tied with green satin ribbons. Tessa did go to a lot of trouble making presents look pretty.

I untied the ribbons on the first box, removed the wrapping, and lifted the lid. "Oh! How sweet! Quilts for the dollhouse. Just like the ones you made before," I said, lifting the first, a teeny-tiny blue and white log cabin quilt out of the box. "Well, not quite like you made before. These are much nicer. Goodness, Tessa! The pieces are so little but they came out perfectly even. How were you able to do this?"

"I followed the directions," she said simply. "And I took my time. I like doing miniatures. It sort of plays to my strengths. Anyway, I'm glad you like them. I started working on them right after we found the dollhouse. And," she said, handing me the next box, "I ordered these at the same time, but there was a mix-up with the delivery company. They just arrived yesterday. Open it!"

Tearing the paper away, I read the words "Dollhouse Family."

I laughed aloud. "No way. Tell me you didn't . . ."

Tessa's face lit up. For a moment, she looked about twelve years old. "Let's try them out."

The dollhouse was another of my remodeling projects.

The sofa I'd bought at the church fair looked so lonely in there by itself that I'd begun looking for replacement furniture at tag sales and thrift shops. So far, I'd found three beds, a kitchen table, chairs, a stove, a grandfather clock, and a claw-foot bathtub. One of these days, I hope to run across a miniature sewing machine. Of course, I could have ordered one from a catalog, but for me the fun has always come from the finding.

Tessa and I pulled chairs to the open side of the little house and sat down. She placed the new quilts on the beds while I opened the box and pulled out two female dolls, which I immediately dubbed Tessa and Madelyn, and two male dolls, who were harder to name.

"This one can be Lee," I said. "But I'm not sure what to call this guy."

"What's wrong with Jake?"

I narrowed my eyes and gave my friend a sideways look. "I don't know. Maybe. But he doesn't live here," I declared. "He's just come for a visit. He's Lee's friend."

"And Tessa's," she insisted as she picked up the Jake doll and posed him on the sofa. "And Madelyn's. He's everybody's friend."

I thought about this for a moment. "Fine. He's everybody's friend. And he's here for a visit."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "You're crazy," she said. "And very stubborn. Anyone ever tell you that?"

As she spoke I reached in the box and pulled out one final doll, an old woman with gla.s.ses, iron-gray hair, and an expression that looked surprisingly grim for a child's toy. I had no trouble naming this one.

"Indeed, they did," I said, standing the Edna doll up in the kitchen, near the stove. "And much, much worse."

Tessa gasped. "It looks just like her, doesn't it?" She turned the Edna doll around to face the Madelyn and Tessa dolls, who were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table and smiling.

"What are you two doing, sitting there like a couple of lumps!" Tessa said in a croaking imitation of Grandma Edna. "Don't you talk to me like that or I'll wash your mouths out with soap, do you hear me? When I was your age, children were seen and not heard! They respected their elders and they went outside to play, or helped around the house instead of sitting around on their backsides like lazy leeches! And another thing, you two are too big to be playing with dolls! Why aren't you . . ."

For a moment there was a bad taste in my mouth, acrid and sharp, like hatred and humiliation.

But only for a moment.

I reached out for my own doll, stood her up on her feet to face the Edna doll, and said, "You know something, Edna? I think you're tired. Heaven knows I'm tired of you. Hush up, Edna."

I picked Edna up from her place near the stove, laid her on the white iron doll bed in the attic, swallowed back the bitter taste, and said, "It's time for you to go to sleep now, Edna. Rest in peace."

Tessa reached out, pulled the quilt over the doll, covering its grim countenance, and then rested her hand on top of mine. "I think you're right, my friend. I think that's a very good idea."

A READING GROUP GUIDE.

THREADING THE NEEDLE.

Marie Bostwick.

ABOUT THIS GUIDE.

The following questions are intended to

enhance your group's reading of.

THREADING THE NEEDLE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.

1. As a young teenager, Tessa Kover was both intrigued by Madelyn Beecher being "simultaneously cautious and careless" and rejecting of her for being needy and "weird." In what ways could you identify with Tessa? With Madelyn?

2. Madelyn Beecher Baron's upbringing impacted her later life decisions. How have your upbringing and your family affected your decisions? What messages or beliefs have you had to overcome? What values or beliefs from your childhood have worked well for you?

3. Madelyn and Tessa both return to New Bern after being gone for many years. Madelyn returned resentfully because she had nowhere else to go and no other way to live. Tessa moved back to fulfill a dream. Have you ever left a place or situation that you later returned to for one reason or another? How did you feel about returning? How did the return work out for you?

4. Madelyn proves she's determined, resourceful, and courageous, but she doubts her worthiness, intelligence, and contributions. New Bern residents, especially Tessa and Jake, help her see she matters. What are some of your strengths? What are some of your challenges? How have family or friends helped you see yourself differently? How have you supported others to see themselves differently?

5. Financial struggle and fulfilling a dream play key roles in Threading the Needle. How has financial struggle led you in a direction you might not otherwise have considered, like Madelyn? Describe a time you had to defer or give up a dream, like Tessa, because of finances. How did this change in direction work out for you?

6. Tessa's mother used to say, "Enough is as good as a feast." How do you feel about "enough"? Is it a feast for you, or do you aspire to more than enough, and why?

7. Jake Kaminski, rumored to be a ladies' man, shares his story of recovery from alcoholism with Madelyn, and he offers her unconditional support. Why does he do this? How does this help Madelyn?

8. Jake tells Madelyn, "You know, Madelyn, it's the easiest thing in the world to tell somebody what they want to hear, but it takes a real friend to tell somebody what they need to hear." Do you agree? Why or why not? Have you ever been in a position of telling a friend something the friend didn't want to hear? What was the result? How did it affect your friendship?

9. Many of the characters in the Cobbled Court series own a business. If you could start your own business, what kind of business would that be? What do you think are the benefits and challenges of working for yourself? Do you think your personality is suited for being a business owner? Why or why not?

10. Thinking about the failure of her retail business, the first time Tessa had failed at anything, Tessa says, "Maybe that's the lesson in all of this: Stick to what you know, color inside the lines." Do you think this is depression talking, or has Tessa's business failure changed her att.i.tude, her outlook on life? Have you ever failed at anything, and if so, how did it change your att.i.tude, your approach to life? Your willingness to take on new challenges?

11. When Tessa was younger, her mother advised her to "Enjoy the little things in life, Tessa. One day you may look back and realize they were the big things." Do you think that is true? If so, what little things in your life have you realized are truly the big things?

12. Madelyn realizes after opening her bed-and-breakfast, which so many New Bern residents supported, that, "This is what it's like to be part of something, of some place. This is what it's like to care." What have you been part of that's been meaningful to you? In what ways have you cared for others?

13. Madelyn finds her childhood quilt in the Beecher Cottage attic. Tessa pays to have it repaired, and then the quilt ends up on one of the beds in Madelyn's bed-and-breakfast. Discuss the symbolism of quilting in the story and to its characters. Near the end of the book, the quilters decide to make a baby quilt for Angela, who was also betrayed by a man. What's the significance of this scene?

Dear Reading Friend, Whether this is your first visit to the village of New Bern or your fourth, I want to thank you for making the journey. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

As you may know, when I began work on A Single Thread, the first Cobbled Court novel, I had no intention of creating a series. But after completing the ma.n.u.script I found myself longing to know more about this place and these characters, and so I invited readers to write and let me know if they, too, wanted to read more about New Bern.

The thousands of wonderful e-mails and letters you sent in response to that question, and that continue to arrive by computer and post on a daily basis, have been an enormous encouragement and blessing to me. Writing tends to be a solitary pursuit, but your letters have fostered a connection between writer and reader, motivating me to give each story my very best effort. I do read every note personally, and every note receives a response.

If you'd like to write to me, you can do so at . . .

Marie Bostwick.

PO Box 488.

Thomaston, CT 06787.

Or you can go to my website, www.mariebostwick.com, and send a note via the contact form.

While you're there you can also read excerpts from my other novels and check out my blog, the Recipe of the Month, my Latest Crush, and an upcoming schedule of appearances. (The only thing I like more than getting letters from readers is meeting them in person!) And if you register as one of my official Reading Friends (to get to the registration form, click on the "Become A Reading Friend" box on the left side of the home page), you'll get access to special content: You can register for my monthly book giveaway; receive my quarterly newsletter and invitations to my appearances in your area; connect with other readers in the online forum; and download free goodies like the recipes from my Christmas novellas, the Broken Hearts Mending lap quilt pattern from A Single Thread, and the Star-Crossed Love table runner from A Thread So Thin.

Speaking of quilt patterns, my dear friend Deb Tucker, of Studio 180 Design (www.studio180design.net), has created another gorgeous pattern inspired by the quilts you've read about in this book. We had so many terrific ideas for this new project that, as I'm writing this, we haven't yet settled on the exact pattern that will be offered. However, by the time you read this, my registered Reading Friends will have another beautiful, free pattern available to download. Please remember: The patterns are only available via computer and only to registered Reading Friends for their personal use.

Thank you again for joining me on another journey to New Bern. Until we meet again, I wish you all the best.

Blessings, Marie Bostwick.

Also by Marie Bostwick.

A Thread So Thin (Cobbled Court #3).

A Thread of Truth (Cobbled Court #2).

A Single Thread (Cobbled Court #1).

On Wings of the Morning River's Edge.