Page 70 of The Weekend Crashers
Gretchen gives an impatient wave, like batting away an insect, and mutters something under her breath. Maggie again dials Piper’s number and it goes straight to voicemail. Gretchen is now also busy tapping away on her phone.
“I’m sure she’ll be here any minute,” Maggie says. “Why don’t we go have coffee?”
“Coffee would be nice,” Gretchen says with a tight smile.
Maggie leads her through the lobby to the interior entrance to Bucks Tavern, where she finds the knitting gang at one big table. It seems almost everyone is there except for Piper. And no one knows where she is. Sheila’s the only one who saw her this morning, but only briefly.
A host seats the two of them at a table near the self-serve coffee station. Maggie’s mind is racing. Maybe Piper is avoiding Gretchen on purpose since she fired her. She’s probably distrustful. But when she floats that idea to Gretchen, she says, “I apologized to Piper for my lapse in judgment. And I’ll continue to apologize. But in the meantime, there’s an opportunity on the table. Real money. And I don’t like to lose out on money. I’m hoping she feels the same.”
The more she hears, the less any of it makes sense. Why would Piper blow off a second chance with Gretchen? The answer is, she wouldn’t. She must be avoiding her phone for another reason, and Gretchen fell through the cracks. Maybe Piper’s taking some space from Ethan. That’s a possibility.
“I’m sure there’s an explanation for all this,” Maggie says.
Gretchen isn’t listening. Her eyes are locked on something behind Maggie.
“I recognize that woman,” Gretchen says. Maggie turns. The only person she sees is Hannah Elise, sitting at the far end of the bar working a pair of needles, a trail of yarn unspooling from her bag. She’s wearing a fabulous, distinctly Hannah Elise outfit: crocheted pants of contrasting textures and colors paired with a simple white T-shirt and elbow-length knit arm warmers.
“The knitter? With the curly hair?” Maggie says.
“Yes. She’s the one in the videos.”
“What videos?”
“Piper’s social. Her posts. Do you know her?” Gretchen says.
Maggie nods. “She’s an instructor here.”
“Can you introduce me?”
Maggie welcomes any distraction while they wait for Piper. Hannah Elise doesn’t look up from her crochet even when they’re standing right beside her. She’s absorbed in her craft, her hands moving with speed and confidence, her posture straight, her face relaxed and content.
“Hi, Hannah Elise—good morning,” Maggie says.
She looks up.
“Hey, Maggie. You and Piper coming to my Shetland Hap workshop?”
“Yep. We’ll be there.”
Beside her, Gretchen clears her throat.
“Um, Hannah, this is Gretchen Lundgren,” Maggie says. “Gretchen, this is Hannah Elise, one of the instructors here.”
Gretchen extends her hand. “I’m with GMI Management.”
Hannah Elise’s eyes widen.
“I noticed your video with Piper Hodges,” Gretchen says. “You made me want to drop everything and pick up a crochet hook. And I have zero interest in knitting,” she continues. “So I checked out your account. You have an impressive following.”
Hannah Elise beams. “Thank you!”
The bartender appears with a latte for Hannah Elise. It’s embellished with a foam pumpkin design.
“Andyouhave a great look,” Gretchen says. “Have you ever considered modeling?”
Maggie’s can’t believe what she’s hearing. It’s almost as if she witnessed Ethan hitting on another woman. Well, not exactly. But still: Piper doesn’t return a few phone calls and Gretchen is ready to move on?
“Excuse me for a minute. I’m going to call Piper again.”
