Page 41 of Cole

“Usually he stops after awhile,” Annie said. “But he’s persisted longer this time. I have a feeling he’s going to show up on my doorstep soon to have a conversation.”

“Can your dad tell him to back off?”

“He has, in the past, but Julian doesn’t always listen to him. They’ve had their own difficulties over the years.”

It pained Cole to know that she came from a family with so much tragedy and dysfunction. “Are you close to your dad?”

Without hesitation, she nodded. “We don’t agree on everything, but I know he loves me. He was there for me when my mother wasn’t, and he’s been a good—if somewhat overprotective—parent ever since.”

“Is he overprotective because of the tragedy you mentioned?” Cole asked, curious about what had happened to shatter her family so badly.

Annie looked toward the window, her gaze becoming distant and unfocused. After a couple of moments, she shifted her attention back to him and nodded. He waited for her to give more details, but she didn’t say anything.

“My parents aren’t too overprotective,” Cole said to fill the silence. “I think it’s hard to be that way when you have ten kids.”

“I suppose that’s true. My dad only has two that he’s overprotective of.”

“Even though he has three kids?”

“Julian has never let my dad be that way with him. If Dad told him to do something, he’d do the opposite.”

“At one time, Mom and Dad tried to control Wilder, who is the most adventurous of all of us. They eventually gave up and just let him live his life. He’s settled down a lot now that he’s with Lexi.”

Annie smiled. “I like Lexi. We’ve spoken several times as we’ve worked on a skating costume for Amelia.”

“Have you finished the dress?” Cole asked.

“Yep. Just the other day.” Annie leaned forward and picked up the tablet.

As she moved around, Cole got small glimpses of the space beyond her work area. Soon, the tablet stabilized, and he found himself staring at a headless dress form covered with a flowing dress in shades of green and cream with sparkling crystals on it.

Annie stepped into the frame beside the mannequin, her fingers drifting over the fabric. “I think it turned out really well.”

“It’s beautiful,” Cole said, and he meant it. “I bet Amelia loves it.”

“She hasn’t seen the completed project yet. I made a mock-up first since I hadn’t sewn a lot with these types of fabrics. So she tried the mock-up on before I made this one. I’m going to take it to her tomorrow to try on.”

“I’m sure she’s going to be thrilled,” Cole said.

Annie turned her back to the camera as she looked at it. Cole grinned, glad that she had a connection with his family beyond him. For some reason, that was important to him.

Remembering that he’d put his food into the microwave, Cole moved to open it as he watched Annie circle the mannequin. It was almost like she’d forgotten he was there.

“Are you going to go into the business of making skating dresses?” Cole asked as he set his plate down at the island counter and then filled a glass of water from the dispenser on his fridge.

Annie turned toward him, a beaming smile on her face. “I’m not sure, but I definitely enjoyed the challenge of making this one. If Amelia likes it, maybe I’ll make more for her in the future.”

“Doesn’t she usually have two programs?” Cole asked. He wasn’t super informed on the sport, but he had watched a couple of videos of Amelia competing, and he was pretty sure she had a short and a long program.

“Yes, she has two,” Annie said with a nod. “But we decided to just start with the outfit for the short program. If it goes well, then we’ll talk about something for the long program.”

“Maybe you could take your sewing career in a new direction,” Cole suggested between bites of his dinner.

Annie’s face took on a reserved expression. “I don’t know about that. I think I’ll probably just stick to doing Amelia’s.”

Cole found her response interesting. Clearly, she had some initiative. She’d started up an online business that supported her and seemed to be something she enjoyed. Most people would jump at the chance to expand their business and increase their income. Why wouldn’t she?

“You wouldn’t want to design and sew skating costumes for other skaters?”

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