Free Old Maid's Puzzle by Terri Thayer Page B

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    "Let's get back to the agenda. We need to work on..." I didn't get to finish my sentence.
    "The favors," Kym interrupted. "Work on the favors."
    I swallowed a reprimand. Kym saw no problem in blurting out her every thought as it arose. Decorum, rules of order, agendas were meaningless to her. Like many of the changes I'd instituted, she ignored the ones she didn't want to participate in.
    Some of the changes had cost money. Money I hadn't quite made back yet. This sale could turn that around in a weekend.
    It had to.
    None of the people at this table, especially Kym, had a clue what this sale meant to Quilter Paradiso. My new accountant pre dicted we had about three months left unless we had a large infusion of cash.

    I looked around the table for support. Ina smiled at me, giving me the resolve to stand my ground. "We're not handing out favors, Kym."
    "Of course we are," Kym said. "Remember I told you about those adorable lapel pins that looked like palm trees. Just like our logo. I made six in under an hour, so I'm sure we could make plenty by the weekend."
    I tried to appeal to her inherent laziness. "I'm expecting hundreds of people through those doors on Saturday. We'd go crazy trying to make enough favors for each person."
    "I'll make them," Kym said.
    "I'll help," Jenn said. She smiled at Kym as though the two were curing cancer.
    "You don't have time." My jaw ached from holding back my anger.
    Vangie tapped her pen on the paper in front of her impatiently.
    "That's not for you to say, Dewey," Kym said. "We have time."
    Not for me to say? If not me, than who? I was the owner of the store. My cheeks reddened as I realized I'd given Kym the upper hand again.
    Fighting back the exhaustion I felt, I put more force behind my words. "You do not have time. It's Wednesday already. Did you even look at the whiteboard in the classroom?"
    I ticked off on my fingers all the work that had to be done before Saturday.
    "Number one, we've got to clean the store from top to bottom. Number two, package the QPO kits. Number three, more fat quarters need to get cut between now and then." I could hear my voice rising, but I couldn't stop myself. By the third to-do on the list, I was practically yelling.

    I took in a deep breath, trying to hold myself together. I continued, "We've got a huge shipment of notions that will have to be put out. Displays have to be made. We have to hang all the QP Originals."
    "We used to have favors," Kym said.
    The lament of the left behind, "We used to." All I could think of were the things that wouldn't get done because Jenn and Kym were making silly pins that would end up in the bottom of our customers' junk drawers.
    "I forgot," Kym said. "Things are being done differently now."
    I winced as she mimicked one of my favorite catchphrases.
    "Ina, your report, please," I said ignoring Kym's gibe.
    I wasn't the only one getting mad at Kym. Vangie's brow was dangerously furrowed and she looked like she was about to blow. Vangie could stew for hours after a scene with Kym. I needed her focused and working.
    I gave Ina a pleading look, and she took us back to the business at hand.
    "The Old Maid's Puzzle quilt is being finished," Ina said. "The raffle tickets are printed. The Stitch 'n' Bitch group will be in the classroom, hand quilting it on Saturday. Of course, all the proceeds are going to Women First shelter."
    "Great, thanks." I touched Vangie's hand. "Let's let Vangie tell us about the publicity."
    Vangie gathered herself and stood to give her report. She had put on a few needed pounds in the last year. She had gained confi dence, too, now able to speak in front of the group without mumbling. I smiled at her, but she didn't need my shoring up. All eyes were on her, except for Kym who was now flipping through the latest Quiltmaker Magazine.

    Vangie chose to rise above Kym's insulting inattention. "A postcard about the anniversary sale went out to everyone in the database and an e-mail reminder will