Hannah pouts out her lower lip, examining the hat. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but this one’s even cuter than the last. I can’t wait to see her in it.”

“That makes two of us. But there’s more where that came from.” I pull out another, much larger hat that perfectly matches the one for Ralph. Hannah belts out a laugh when I hand it to her.

“This so silly, but I love it,” she says, still laughing as she tugs the hat onto her head.

It was tough to guess her measurements, but I must have done a good enough job because the hat fits almost perfectly.

She does a little spin, gesturing out to her sides like she’s holding out a dress as she twirls. “How do I look?”

“At this rate, you’ll be ready for your Canadian immigration test any day.”

“Oh god, don’t even joke about that. I can’t think about another test right now.”

“Anyway, I’m sure my mom is grateful that I have someone else to make things for,” I say as I start to help her clean up the studio and get ready to lock it up for the night.

“What do you mean?”

I grimace wryly. “Let’s just say her winter closet is pretty full. I’ve inundated her with scarves and gloves and everything else under the sun I could think to crochet over the years.”

“Aw, that’s sweet. I’m sure she loves it.”

“I know she did at first, but at some point I think she’ll probably start refusing packages from me,” I say with a chuckle. “I swear, her house is starting to look like an old folks’ home with all of this crocheted stuff everywhere. But I can’t help it. It’s what I do whenever I need to take my mind off things.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. But hey, if you want to crochet me a new sweater or scarf or two, I won’t say no to that—even if Ralph will claw them to shreds.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” I tell her with a wink, and her cheeks blossom with a hint of a blush. “My mom is my biggest supporter, but I think she’d be okay with me being a tailor for someone else for once.”

She straightens the stack of neatly folded towels on the shelf by the door, then turns to me, smiling warmly. “She sounds lovely. I’d like to meet her someday,” she says, and the dusting of blush that was on her cheeks before immediately deepens when she realizes the implication of what she just said. But I love the idea.