Let it Sew by Elizabeth Lynn Casey Page A

hair a playful toss. If the man noticed, though, he didn’t let on as his focus
     left Margaret Louise in favor of Tori. “Hi, I’m Jerry Lee Sweeney. I don’t think we’ve
     met . . .”
    Tori stepped forward, her hand quickly disappearing inside his strong grasp. “Hi,
     Jerry Lee. I’m Tori Sinclair, a friend of Margaret Louise and Leona.” When his grip
     loosened, she stepped back and swept her hands outward. “This place is amazing.”
    “And it’s only the beginning,” Jerry Lee said with obvious pride. “C’mon, let me show
     you gals what we’ve done with this place.”
    Room by room, they made their way from the front of the center to the back, marveling
     at the care and thought that went into its creation. At the doorway of each splinter
     room, Jerry Lee would give a little explanation.
    “The game room is interactive, as you can see—Ping-Pong table, air hockey, checker
     area, puzzle table. The idea was to provide our folks with a fun way to engage with
     one another while working on things like eye-hand coordination, acceptable sportsmanship,
     and good old-fashioned fun. Since yesterday was Thanksgiving, most of our clients
     are with family this weekend. But on a normal day, this room is brimming with activity.”
    “I bet it is,” Tori said across Leona’s shoulder.
    The next room was a reading room, only instead of being lined with bookshelves the
     way the library was, it held cozy reading nooks with what appeared to be audio equipment
     attached to each and every chair. Margaret Louise and Leona parted from their shoulder-to-shoulder
     stance to allow Tori easier access to a room they all knew had piqued her curiosity.
    “Are those headphones?” she asked, crossing to the first of six stations lining the
     room.
    “They sure are. While a few of our clients are traditional book readers, many benefit
     more from audiobooks. These stations allow them to sit comfortably while they listen
     to whatever adventure they’ve chosen as their book of choice.”
    She felt a familiar excitement bubbling up inside her chest at the power of books.
     “How do they choose the titles they want to hear?”
    “Easy.” Jerry Lee lifted one of six colorful binders from a small table and handed
     it to Tori. “They make their selection from one of these.”
    With eager fingers, Tori opened the binder to reveal the first page of a brilliantly
     formatted catalog that utilized the most effective way of reaching its intended audience.
     Page after page depicted the covers of hundreds of books with a one-sentence description
     written in big, bold type. “Oh, Jerry Lee, this is wonderful . . .”
    “Victoria is Sweet Briar’s head librarian,” Margaret Louise offered by way of explanation.
     “Nothin’ gets this child more excited than books.”
    “Good thing Milo isn’t around to hear you say that,” Leona mumbled before glowering
     at her sister over the elbow to the side she hadn’t expected.
    “Like the game room, this is a favorite among our folks.” Jerry Lee took the closed
     binder from Tori’s outstretched hand and placed it back on the table. “Sometimes I
     like to just stand in the doorway and watch their expressions as they hit an especially
     exciting part of whatever story they’re listening to. It’s like they’re there in that
     make-believe world, living a completely different life for a little while.”
    “One of the best parts of reading for anyone.” Tori took one last look over her shoulder
     before following Jerry Lee and her friends back out into the hallway and on to the
     next stop in their tour.
    A quick flick of his hand bathed the next room in fluorescent overhead light and solicited
     a near ear-piercing squeal from Margaret Louise. And it wasn’t hard to see why. The
     state-of-the-art kitchen sprawled out in front of them boasted endless counter space,
     multiple ovens, and a baker’s rack with an all-too-enticing supply of mixing bowls
     and