“I miss you so much, sweetie,” Grant smiled and winked as if Tasha could see him through the phone. “It’s not the same with you not being here.”
“I miss you too,” he heard her voice loud and clear from the other end. And it sent currents of excitement down his spine.
“Remember, you are the one who encouraged me to stay for the wedding. I would have just returned to Berkeley tomorrow.”
“I know,” he rubbed his chest. “Don’t worry, I will cope and I will be here for you whenever you come back. It’s good for you to socialize, you know.”
“Well,” she groaned into the phone. “If you say so.”
“How about Tyson, I hope he’s enjoying his summer very well over there?”
“Tyson is fine,” she told him. “He’s already registered for swimming class. He did the beginner’s class last summer, now he’s in the intermediate class.”
“Wow, that’s very fantastic,” Grant remarked, feeling so much love for Tyson as if he was his own. “I love how active the boy is.”
“Yeah,” Tasha laughed from the other end. “Yes, he is.”
“So are you meeting up with another friend today?” He asked and turned around when the toaster went off. He walked to the kitchen counter to remove the slices of bread from the toaster.
“No, I will just take Tyson and his cousin for their summing class.” She said, “I plan to go visit my grandma until the kids finish in two hours.”
“That’s great.”
“You know what, let me allow you to get ready for work,” Tasha said reluctantly. “We’ll talk later in the evening.”
“That’s okay darling. Kiss Tyson for me.” He put his plate of food on the kitchen table. “Catch ya later, I love you, babe.”
“I will love you too,” she sucked in a deep breath. “Later.”
They both disconnected their lines.
Tasha finished up with her dressing and went to meet Tyson, who was already waiting outside chatting with his grandfather. They stopped over at her brother’s house to pick up his son, Kel, who was just three months older than Tyson.
She helped Tyson and Kel change when they got to the recreation center and handed them over to their coach.
She told the kids she would come back in two hours to take them back home and leave for the car park.
The morning was cool and breezy as Tasha strolled to the parking space for her car. Tourists moved around with their cameras in twos and threes enjoying the beautiful sceneries of the small coastal town.
Tasha put on the music and turned it high to match her spirit as she drove away from the recreational center. She needed to run two errands; one for her mom and one for herself before heading to her grandma’s house.
She drove past Sandville Library, where her mother was the Senior librarian.
Tasha passed the church which had recently undergone some expansion to accommodate the growing population of the town. She was delighted to see that another ice cream shop had been opened not far away from the church, now making four ice cream shops in the town. She was sure the owner was going to make a fortune during the summer.
When she reached the end of the main road, she ventured to the left where the post office was. Tasha stopped her car in the large space in front of the post office and let herself out of the car. Her business there only took twenty-three minutes, after which she drove down the road where Sandville’s major business center was. She pulled up to Rainbow Yarn Shop, Sandville’s foremost yarn shop.
“Hello,” Melissa, the present owner of the shop, brightened up when Tasha walked in. Melissa was the third-generation owner of the shop. The shop was originally owned by Melissa’s late grandmother, Granny K, as everyone used to call her in town before her demise. It was from Granny K that Melissa and Tasha, including all of their age mates learned to knit.
“Melisa,” Tasha smiled back. “It’s good to see you.”
The ladies hugged each other tightly.
“I have been expecting you,” Melissa said. “I knew you must have been in town. Hope you are staying all summer?”
“Not a chance of that,” Tasha smiled back at her friend. “I’m neck deep in work. I just came to drop my son off.”
“Oh no,” Melissa made a sad face. “But you are staying for Rachel and Terry’s wedding on Friday, right?”
“Yeah,” she gave her friend a reassuring look. “I will.”
“That’s fine.” Melissa steered her toward the little entertainment area at the far end of the shop and motioned for her to sit. “Have you heard about the pre-wedding party Sandville High old students are having tomorrow for the couple?”
“No,” Tasha hadn’t heard anything of the sort. “I’m just hearing from you now.”
“You must attend, there’s no need for RSVP. I’m sure other sets will join us too. Beach Inn is the venue.”
“I will,” Tasha agreed instantly, even to her own surprise.
“Good,” Melissa beamed.
The ladies were still catching up when the bell above the door chimed and two women walked in. Melissa smiled at them and called on Maria, her shop assistant, to attend to the customers. Not long after, the bell chimed again, and in came another.
Tasha took it as a clue to stand up.
“I want yarns for two pairs of socks, two sweaters, an afghan, and a throw.” She told her friend.
“Okay,” Melissa said and showed her different options for her projects. Tasha bought from the highest quality of the yarns as usual and paid with her card. She and Melissa soon hugged each other with a promise to see each other at the party the following day.
Tasha was about to open her car door to drop off her shopping bags when she heard someone call her name after she got out of Melissa’s store. She stopped in her tracks and turned around.
A tall, slim man walked towards her with a broad smile from the pharmacy shop beside Rainbow Yarn.
“Tasha Harrison,” he called again.