Page 55 of The Fiancé Hoax
“Of course.” I took a steadying breath, trying to compose myself after the studio reveal—and the proximity to Cooper. I pulled my hair into a bun and secured it with a pencil. “But where to start?”
I thought back to my first sewing lessons with my mother. I was six, the same age as Lily.
I walked over to the section of felt squares, located on a shelf within reach of the girls. I turned back to Cooper. “Ms. Harrison really thought of everything.”
He laughed. “Best in the business.”
I grabbed several pieces of felt, two pairs of children’s scissors and a pair for me. I selected some thick thread and large needles, perfect for beginners.
“Come on, Eva and Lily. Let’s start from the beginning.”
* * *
Three hours and several miniature felt heart pillows later, the girls and I had lost track of time.
We’d gone over the basics of hand sewing and cutting fabric. Now I was showing them the ropes of the sewing machines. I was glad the kids’ machines had lots of safety measures built in.
Cooper had spent most of the time watching us, but he’d disappeared twenty minutes earlier. The girls and I were so focused on our lessons that we hardly noticed until the smell of pepperoni wafted into the space.
“Who wants pizza?”
Cooper stood in the doorway with three pizza boxes and a bottle of soda.
“Me!” Lily exclaimed.
“Me, too!” Eva shouted. “Can we eat in here please?”
“Sure,” Cooper said.
I stood up and began to clear off the table we were working at.
“I guess I am pretty hungry,” I said. “I kind of lost track of time.”
Monica brought up some plates, napkins, and glasses. Cooper thanked her and dismissed her for the evening so she could get home.
“How’s it going, girls? Looks like you’re already making some stuff.”
“Heart pillows, Daddy,” Eva corrected. “And Felicity’s teaching us how to use the machines now.”
Cooper put a slice of cheese pizza on a plate for Lily while Eva plated some pepperoni for herself.
“Having fun?” Cooper asked before biting into his own slice.
“It’s the best!” Eva cried.
“I wanna be a seamstress like Felicity,” Lily said.
I laughed as I added parmesan to my slice. “You girls are naturals. You’ll be fashion designers before you know it.”
The girls chattered to their dad as they ate, filling him in on everything they’d learned and the bags, pillows and clothes they wanted to sew. They’d definitely caught the sewing bug. They reminded me of myself at that age.
As we ate, I felt myself getting comfortable with them. How was it possible that I’d just met the Pierces a week ago?
Being with them felt so natural, so right. It almost felt more real than my previous life.
It was hard to remember this was all pretense.
After we ate, I carried the dishes and pizza boxes downstairs while Cooper got the girls ready for bed. They were tired after the excitement with the sewing room, and their chattering wasn’t as fast-paced as it normally was.