{"id":2401,"date":"2009-08-28T21:20:21","date_gmt":"2009-08-29T02:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=2401"},"modified":"2009-08-28T21:20:21","modified_gmt":"2009-08-29T02:20:21","slug":"sweetgum-ladies-knit-for-love-by-beth-pattillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=2401","title":{"rendered":"Sweetgum Ladies Knit For Love by Beth Pattillo"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span> <\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n
Beth Pattillo<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sweetgum Ladies Knit For Love<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

WaterBrook Press (June 2, 2009)<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\nRITA Award\u2013winning Beth Pattillo combines her love of knitting and books in her engaging Sweetgum series. An ordained minister in the Christian Church, Pattillo served churches in Missouri and Tennessee before founding Faith Leader, a spiritual leadership development program. Pattillo is the married mother of two children. She lives and laughs in Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $13.99
\nPaperback: 368 pages
\nPublisher: WaterBrook Press (June 2, 2009)
\nLanguage: English
\nISBN-10: 1400073952
\nISBN-13: 978-1400073955<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One<\/p>\n

Every Tuesday at eleven o\u2019clock in the morning, Eugenie Carson descended the steps of the Sweetgum Public Library and made her way to Tallulah\u2019s Caf\u00e9 on the town square. In the past, she would have eaten the diet plate\u2014cottage cheese and a peach half\u2014in solitary splendor. Then she would have returned to her job running the library, just as she\u2019d done for the last forty years.<\/p>\n

On this humid September morning, though, Eugenie was meeting someone for lunch\u2014her new husband, Rev. Paul Carson, pastor of the Sweetgum Christian Church. Eugenie smiled at the thought of Paul waiting for her at the caf\u00e9. They might both be gray haired and near retirement, but happiness was happiness, no matter what age you found it.<\/p>\n

Eugenie entered the square from the southeast corner. The Antebellum courthouse anchored the middle, while Kendall\u2019s Department Store occupied the east side to her right. She walked along the south side of the square, past Callahan\u2019s Hardware, the drugstore, and the movie theater, and crossed the street to the caf\u00e9. The good citizens of Sweetgum were already arriving at Tallulah\u2019s for lunch. But Eugenie passed the caf\u00e9, heading up the western side of the square. She had a brief errand to do before she met her husband. Two doors down, she could see the sign for Munden\u2019s Five-and-Dime. Her business there shouldn\u2019t take long.<\/p>\n

Before she reached Munden\u2019s, a familiar figure emerged from one of the shops and blocked the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

Hazel Emerson. President of the women\u2019s auxiliary at the Sweetgum Christian Church and self-appointed judge and jury of her fellow parishioners.<\/p>\n

\u201cEugenie.\u201d Hazel smiled, but the expression, coupled with her rather prominent eyeteeth, gave her a wolfish look. Hazel was on the heavy side, a bit younger than Eugenie\u2019s own sixty five years, and her hair was dyed an unbecoming shade of mink. Hazel smiled, but there was no pleasantness in it. \u201cJust the person<\/p>\n

I wanted to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eugenie knew better than to let her distaste for the woman show. \u201cGood morning, Hazel,\u201d she replied. \u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDistressed, Eugenie. Thoroughly distressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that.\u201d Eugenie truly was dismayed, but not from worry over Hazel\u2019s discomfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well, you have the power to calm the waters, \u201dHazel said with the same false smile. \u201cIn a manner of speaking, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Eugenie\u2019s marriage to Paul only a few weeks before, she\u2019d learned how demanding Hazel could be. The other woman called the parsonage at all hours and appeared in Paul\u2019s office at least once a day. Although Eugenie had known Hazel casually for years, she\u2019d never had to bother with her much. Eugenie couldn\u2019t remember Hazel ever having entered the library.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I help you?\u201d Eugenie said in her best librarian\u2019s voice. She had uttered the phrase countless times over the last forty years and had it down to an art form. Interested but not enmeshed. Solicitous but not overly involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Eugenie, you must know that many people in the church are distressed by your marriage to Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Eugenie kept the pleasant smile on her face and continued to breathe evenly. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, not me, of course,\u201d Hazel said and pressed a hand to her ample chest. \u201cI\u2019m perfectly delighted. But some people\u2026 Well, they have concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat concerns would those be?\u201d Eugenie asked with measured calm.<\/p>\n

Hazel glanced to the right and to the left, then leaned forward to whisper in a conspiratorial fashion. \u201cSome of them aren\u2019t sure you\u2019re a Christian,\u201d she said. Then she straightened and resumed her normal tone of voice. \u201cAs I said, I\u2019m not one of them, but I thought I should tell you. For your own good, but also for Rev. Carson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u201d And Eugenie certainly did, far more than Hazel would guess. Eugenie wasn\u2019t new to small-town gossip. Heaven knew she\u2019d heard her share, and even been the target of some, over the last forty years. She\u2019d known that her marriage to Paul would cause some comments, but she hadn\u2019t expected this blatant response.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m mentioning it because I don\u2019t think it would be difficult to put people\u2019s fears to rest,\u201d Hazel said. Her smug expression needled Eugenie. \u201cI know you\u2019ve been attending worship, and that\u2019s a wonderful start.\u201d Hazel quickly moved from interfering to patronizing. \u201cThe women\u2019s auxiliary meets on Tuesday mornings. If you joined us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid that\u2019s not possible,\u201d Eugenie answered. She was determined to keep a civil tongue in her head if it killed her. \u201cI have to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor something this important, I\u2019m sure you could find someone to cover for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eugenie tightened her grip on her handbag. In an emergency, no doubt she could arrange something. But this wasn\u2019t an emergency. It was manipulation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHazel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParticularly at this time,\u201d Hazel said, barely stopping for breath. \u201cWith all the losses we\u2019ve had in these last few months\u2026 Well, our community needs leadership. Our church needs leadership.\u201d She gave Eugenie a meaningful look.<\/p>\n

Eugenie paused to consider her words carefully. \u201cIt has been a difficult summer,\u201d she began. \u201cTom Munden\u2019s death was so unexpected, and then to lose Frank Jackson like that. And now, with Nancy St. Clair\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you see why it\u2019s more important than ever that you prove to church members that their pastor hasn\u2019t made a grave mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hardly think that my attending a meeting of the women\u2019s auxiliary will offer much comfort to the grieving.\u201d Nor would it convince anyone of her status as a believer. Those sorts of people weren\u2019t looking for proof. They were looking for Eugenie to grovel for acceptance.<\/p>\n

Hazel sniffed. \u201cDon\u2019t be difficult, Eugenie. You\u2019re being unrealistic if you expect people to accept you as a Christian after forty years of never darkening the door of any sanctuary in this town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always felt that faith is a private matter.\u201d That was the sum of any personal information Eugenie was willing to concede to Hazel. \u201cI prefer to let my actions speak for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are rumblings,\u201d Hazel said darkly. \u201cBudget rumblings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need to have full confidence in their pastor, Eugenie. Otherwise they\u2019re less motivated to support the church financially.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eugenie bit her tongue. She couldn\u2019t believe Hazel Emerson was standing here, in the middle of the town square, practicing her own brand of extortion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you threatening me?\u201d Eugenie asked, incredulous.<\/p>\n

Hazel sniffed. \u201cOf course not. Don\u2019t be silly. I\u2019m merely cautioning you. As a Christian and as a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eugenie wanted to reply that Hazel didn\u2019t appear to be filling either role very well, but she refrained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take your concerns under advisement,\u201d she said to Hazel with forced pleasantness. \u201cI\u2019m sure you mean them in the kindest possible way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I do. How else would I mean them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow else, indeed?\u201d Eugenie muttered under her breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I won\u2019t keep you.\u201d Hazel nodded. \u201cHave a nice day, Eugenie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou too, Hazel.\u201d The response was automatic and helped Eugenie to cover her true sentiments. She stood in place for a long moment as Hazel moved past her, on her way to stir up trouble in some other quarter, no doubt. Then, with a deep breath, Eugenie forced herself to start moving toward Munden\u2019s Five-and-Dime.<\/p>\n

She had known it would be difficult, stepping into this unfamiliar role as a pastor\u2019s wife. Paul had assured her that he had no expectations, that she should do what she felt was right. But Eugenie wondered if he had any idea of the trouble Hazel Emerson was stirring up right under his nose.<\/p>\n

True, she hadn\u2019t attended church for forty years. After she and Paul had ended their young romance, she\u2019d blamed God for separating them. If Paul hadn\u2019t felt called to the ministry, if he hadn\u2019t refused to take her with him when he went to seminary, if she hadn\u2019t stubbornly insisted on going with him or ending their relationship\u2026<\/p>\n

Last year she and Paul had found each other again, all these decades later, and she\u2019d thought the past behind them. But here it was once more in the person of Hazel Emerson, raising troubling questions. Threatening Paul. Forcing Eugenie to examine issues she\u2019d rather leave unanswered.<\/p>\n

As the head of the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society, Eugenie had taken on responsibility for the well-being of the little group several years before. Since Ruthie Allen, the church secretary, had left for Africa last spring to do volunteer work, the group had experienced a definite void. It was time for an infusion of new blood, and after careful consideration, Eugenie had determined that Maria Munden was just the person the Knit Lit Society needed. What\u2019s more, Maria needed the group too. The recent loss of her father must be quite difficult for her, Eugenie was sure. And so despite having had her feathers ruffled by Hazel Emerson, Eugenie walked into Munden\u2019s Five-and-Dime with a firm purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Maria,\u201d Eugenie called above the whine of the door. For years she\u2019d been after Tom Munden to use a little WD-40 on the hinges, but he had insisted that the noise bothered him less than the idea of a customer entering without him knowing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cEugenie! Hello.\u201d Maria straightened from where she stood slumped over the counter. She had red marks on her forehead from resting her head in her hands, and her nondescript shoulder length brown hair hung on each side of her face in a clump. Eugenie had come at the right time. Maria was in her early thirties, but her father\u2019s death seemed to have aged her ten years.<\/p>\n

Maria came around the counter. \u201cWhat can I help you with today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m not here to buy anything,\u201d Eugenie said, and then she was dismayed when disappointment showed in Maria\u2019s eyes. With the superstores of the world creeping closer and closer to Sweetgum, mom-and-pop shops like Munden\u2019s were living on borrowed time. Even if Tom Munden had lived, the inevitable day when the store closed couldn\u2019t have been avoided.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you need then?\u201d Maria\u2019s tone was polite but strained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an invitation for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn invitation?\u201d<\/p>\n

Eugenie stood a little straighter. \u201cOn behalf of the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society, I\u2019d like to extend an invitation to you to become a part of the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria\u2019s brown eyes were blank for a moment, and then they darkened. \u201cThe Knit Lit Society?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t think of anyone who would be a better fit.\u201d Eugenie paused. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know how to knit, one of us can teach you. And I know you enjoy reading.\u201d Maria was one of the most faithful and frequent patrons of the library. \u201cI think you\u2019d appreciate the discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019d like some time to think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d Maria said quickly, as if she didn\u2019t want to give herself time to reconsider. \u201cI know how to knit. You won\u2019t have to teach me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent,\u201d Eugenie said, relieved. \u201cOur meeting is this Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I have to read something by then?\u201d Lines of doubt wrinkled Maria\u2019s forehead beneath the strands of gray that streaked her hair.<\/p>\n

Eugenie shook her head. \u201cI haven\u2019t passed out the reading list for this year. This first meeting will be to get us organized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relief eased the tight lines on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet at the church, of course,\u201d Eugenie continued. \u201cUpstairs, in the Pairs and Spares Sunday school room. If you\u2019d like, I can drop by here Friday evening and we can walk over together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria shook her head. \u201cThank you, but that won\u2019t be necessary.\u201d She paused, as if collecting her thoughts, then spoke. \u201cI\u2019m not sure why you asked me to join, Eugenie, but I appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delighted to have you. The others will be as well. \u201dMission accomplished, Eugenie shifted her pocketbook to the other arm. \u201cI\u2019d better be going. I\u2019m meeting Paul for lunch at the caf\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like most of Sweetgum, with the possible exception of Hazel Emerson, Maria smiled at Eugenie\u2019s mention of her new husband. \u201cTell the preacher I said hello.\u201d Maria moved to open the door for Eugenie. \u201cI\u2019ll see you at the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eugenie lifted her shoulders and nodded with as much equanimity as she could. After years of being the town spinster, playing the newlywed was a novel experience. She hoped she\u2019d become accustomed to it with time\u2014if she didn\u2019t drive away all of Paul\u2019s parishioners first with her heathen ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a nice afternoon,\u201d Eugenie said and slipped out the door, glad that at least one thing that morning had gone as planned.<\/p>\n

After Eugenie left, Maria Munden halfheartedly swiped her feather duster at the back-to-school display in the front window. Hot sunshine, amplified by the plate glass, made sweat bead on her forehead. What was the point of dusting the same old collection of binders, backpacks, and two-pocket folders? She\u2019d barely seen a customer all day. She turned from the window and looked around at the neat rows of shelving. The five symmetrical aisles had stood in the same place as long as she could remember.<\/p>\n

Aisle one, to the far left, held greeting cards, gift-wrap, stationery, office and school supplies. Aisle two, housewares and paper goods. Aisle three, decorative items. Aisle four, cleaning supplies and detergent. Aisle five had always been her favorite, with its games, puzzles, and coloring books. Across the back wall stretched the sewing notions, yarn, and craft supplies. Everything to outfit a household and its members in one small space. The only problem was, no one wanted small anymore. They wanted variety, bulk, and large economy size with a McDonald\u2019s and a credit union. Not quaint and limited, like the old five-and- dime.<\/p>\n

From the counter a few feet away, Maria\u2019s cell phone buzzed, and she sighed. She knew without looking at the display who it would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaria, you have to do something about this.\u201d Her mother never acknowledged the greeting but plunged into a voluble litany of complaints that covered everything from the state of the weather to her older sister Daphne\u2019s management of the farm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d Maria tried to interrupt her mother\u2019s diatribe. \u201cMom? Look, I\u2019m the only one in the store right now. I\u2019ll have to call you back later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Stephanie? She was supposed to be there at nine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where she is. \u201dMaria\u2019s younger sister, the baby at twenty-five, was AWOL more often than not.<\/p>\n

Maria heard the shop door open with a whine of its hinges, not too different from her mother\u2019s tone of voice. She looked up, expecting to see her younger sister. Instead, a tall, dark-haired man entered the store. He took two steps inside, then stopped. His eyes traveled around the rows of shelves, and his lips twisted in an expression of disapproval. The hairs on Maria\u2019s neck stood on end. The stranger saw her, nodded, and then disappeared down the far aisle, but he was so tall that Maria could track his progress as he moved. He came to a stop in front of the office supplies. Someone from out of town, obviously. Probably a traveling salesman who needed paper clips or legal pads. Maybe a couple of blank CDs or a flash drive. Maria had dealt with his type before.<\/p>\n

\u201cBye, Mom,\u201d she said into the phone before clicking it shut. From experience, she knew it would take her mother several moments before she realized Maria was no longer on the other end of the line. Such discoveries never seemed to faze her mother. She would simply look around the room at home and find Daphne so she could continue her rant. Maria tucked the cell phone under the counter and moved across the store toward the stranger. \u201cMay I help you?\u201d Upon closer inspection, she could see that his suit was expensive. So were his haircut, his shoes, and his aftershave.<\/p>\n

His head turned toward her, and she felt a little catch in her chest. His dark eyes stared down at her as if she were a lesser mortal approaching a demigod.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking for a fountain pen,\u201d he said. He turned back toward the shelves of office supplies and studied them as if attempting to decipher a secret code.<\/p>\n

A fountain pen? In Sweetgum? He was definitely from out of town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid we only have ballpoint or gel.\u201d She waved a hand toward the appropriate shelf. \u201cWould one of these do?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at her again, one eyebrow arched like the vault of a cathedral. \u201cI need a fountain pen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria took a calming breath. A sale was a sale, and the customer was always right\u2014her father\u2019s two favorite dictums, drummed into her from the day she was tall enough to see over the counter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. Our selection is limited, I know. Which way are you headed? I can direct you to the nearest Wal-Mart. You might find one there.\u201d<\/p>\n

At her mention of the chain superstore, the man\u2019s mouth turned down as if she\u2019d just insulted him. \u201cNo, thank you. That won\u2019t be necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything else I can help you with?\u201d she said, practically gritting her teeth. She resisted the urge to grab his arm and hustle him out of the store. Today was not the day to try her patience. In two hours, assuming Stephanie showed up, Maria was going to cross the town square to the lawyer\u2019s office and do the unthinkable. At the moment, she didn\u2019t have time for this man and his supercilious attitude toward Sweetgum.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need directions,\u201d he said, eyeing her dubiously, as if he thought she might not be up to the task.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if you\u2019re looking for someplace nearby, I can tell you where you need to go,\u201d she said without a hint of a smile.<\/p>\n

He looked away, as if deliberating whether to accept her offer. Honestly, the man might be extraordinarily good-looking\u2014and wealthy, no doubt\u2014but she would be surprised if he had any friends. He had the social skills of a goat.<\/p>\n

The hinges on the door whined again. Maria looked over her shoulder to see another man entering the shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames!\u201d The second man grinned when he caught sight of the stranger at Maria\u2019s side. \u201cYou disappeared.\u201d The newcomer was as fair as the first was dark. \u201cWe\u2019re late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d the stranger replied with a continued lack of charm.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I needed a pen. \u201dHe snatched a two-pack of ballpoints from the shelf and extended them toward Maria. \u201cI\u2019ll take these.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria bit the inside of her lip and took the package from his hand. \u201cI\u2019ll ring you up at the counter.\u201d She whirled on one heel and walked, spine rigid, to the front of the store.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi.\u201d The second man greeted her with cheery casualness. \u201cGreat store. I haven\u2019t seen anything like this in years.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a polite way of saying that Munden\u2019s Five-and-Dime was dated, but Maria appreciated his chivalry. Especially since his friend obviously didn\u2019t have a courteous bone in his body.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. \u201dMaria smiled at him and then stepped behind the counter to ring up the sale on the ancient register. She\u2019d pushed her father for years to computerize their sales\u2014not to mention the inventory\u2014but he\u2019d been perfectly happy with his tried-and-true methods. Unfortunately, while he\u2019d been able to keep track of sales and stock in his head, Maria wasn\u2019t quite so gifted.<\/p>\n

The tall man appeared on the other side of the register. \u201cThree dollars and thirty-two cents,\u201d she said, not looking him in the eye.<\/p>\n

He reached for his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Maria refused to show her frustration. Great. Now he would wipe out all her change, and she\u2019d have to figure out a way to run over to the bank without anyone to watch the store. She completed the transaction and slid the package of pens into a paper bag with the Munden\u2019s logo emblazoned on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, can you recommend a place for lunch?\u201d the blond man asked. He glanced at his watch. \u201cWe need a place to eat between meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTallulah\u2019s Caf\u00e9 down the block,\u201d Maria said. Even the tall, arrogant stranger wouldn\u2019t be able to find fault with Tallulah\u2019s home cooking. People drove from miles around for her fried chicken, beef stew, and thick, juicy pork chops. \u201cBut you might want to go soon. The caf\u00e9 gets busy at lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d His smile could only be described as sunny, and it made Maria feel better. She smiled in response.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall man watched the exchange impassively. Maria hoped he\u2019d be gone from Sweetgum before the sun went down. Big-city folks who came into town dispensing condescension were one of her biggest pet peeves.<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, James,\u201d the blond man said. \u201cI have a lot of papers to go over.\u201d He nodded toward his friend. \u201cJames here thinks I\u2019m crazy to buy so much land in the middle of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria froze. It couldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d She couldn\u2019t think what else to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d better go,\u201d the tall man said, glancing at his watch. \u201cThank you. \u201dHe nodded curtly at Maria, letting her know she\u2019d been dismissed as the inferior creature that she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I thought you wanted\u2014\u201d Before she could remind him about his request for directions, the two men disappeared out the door, and Maria\u2019s suspicions\u2014not to mention her fears\u2014 flooded through her.<\/p>\n

She should have put two and two together the moment the first man had walked into the store. A stranger in an expensive suit. In town for a meeting. Looking for a fountain pen to sign things. Normally Maria was good at figuring things out. Like where her father had put the quarterly tax forms and how she and Stephanie could manage the store with just the two of them for employees.<\/p>\n

What she hadn\u2019t figured out, though, were the more complex questions. Like how she had come to be a small-town spinster when she hadn\u2019t been aware of time passing. Or how she was going to keep the five-and-dime afloat even as the town\u2019s economy continued to wither on the vine. And she certainly had no idea how she was going to tell her mother and sisters that she, as executrix of her father\u2019s will, was about to sell their farm, and the only home they\u2019d ever known, right out from under them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to Sweetgum,\u201d she said to the empty aisles around her, and then she picked up the feather duster once more.<\/p><\/div>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second book of The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society series, The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love<\/a> continues the story of small town Sweetgum, Tennessee centering around the members of the Knit Lit society who meet to discuss literature and knit. Eugenie, the leader of the group chose classic love stories as monthly selections. As the year progressed, each woman found herself changing her views on love due to the ever changing experiences in their lives.<\/p>\n

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love<\/a> provides the reader peeks into the lives of each member of the society. Filled with normal everyday events, crises, unexpected romance, and lessons in trust and forgiveness, this book can stand alone but the first book of the series gives a little more character background for the reader. Pattillo also leaves enough loose threads to set the stage for another installment of this cozy series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,39,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-chick-lit","category-romance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2401"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401\/revisions\/2418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}