Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Josie Garner took a sip of her latte and frowned in concentration at her computer screen. It was a cloudy day outside, threatening rain, but inside the offices of The Outlet , it was cozy and comfortable. She shifted her feet underneath her desk, crossing her ankles a different way. She was feeling restless, and she kept brushing her beautiful light blond hair back from her face even though it was already pulled back in a long braid.
She heard a ping and glanced down at her phone. Her face broke open into a grin as soon as she saw that the text was from her sister Paige, who was currently studying baking and business in Providence.
She responded to her sister’s text eagerly, excited to learn how Paige was doing. Sometimes her sister sent her pictures of the recipes she was making in class, and they always looked so good that Josie wished Paige could send her the actual treats themselves as easily as she could send a text message.
Paige had moved in with Josie during her senior year of high school, and it had been wonderful to be reunited with her. Their relationship had become distant and strained after Josie had left home when she was going to college, wanting to distance herself from their mother’s struggles with addiction. Then when Paige had come to stay with Josie in Blueberry Bay, their bond had been restored, and Josie had loved getting to spend time with her sister every day.
“I miss you,” Josie murmured, but she didn’t text her sister that. She knew Paige was having a wonderful time at school, and she didn’t want her to feel guilty about leaving. Besides, Josie knew she only had to put up with her sister’s absence for a while, since Paige was adamant about moving back to Blueberry Bay when she was done with school and opening up her own bakery there.
She continued to text Paige for a while, momentarily forgetting all about her work. She smiled and chuckled to herself as they sent messages rapidly back and forth, their camaraderie still energetic even over texting. Finally, Paige texted that she needed to get to class, and Josie sighed, feeling the ache of missing her sister.
She set her phone down and gazed out the window for a moment. Flecks of rain were beginning to dot the glass, shimmering like miniature silver orbs.
I miss her so much, Josie thought, but I’m glad she’s having such a great time. I know she’s making a future for herself right now, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
At that moment, Dane and Alissa stepped out of Dane’s office, talking quietly about something. Josie didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help overhearing the words “guest bedroom” and “flight.”
Alissa turned to Josie and seemed to notice that her eyebrows were lifted curiously. “Johanna broke her leg,” she explained, smiling at her friend. “We invited her to come stay with us while she recovers.”
“Oh?” Josie’s eyebrows went up even further. Even though Alissa was smiling, she wondered if her friend was feeling nervous about her mother-in-law coming to stay with them. Johanna was a very particular woman—Josie felt that it wouldn’t be going too far to describe her as snobby. She herself would be nervous about living with Johanna, and she wasn’t even her daughter-in-law.
“Are you nervous about having your mother-in-law coming to stay with you?” Josie blurted. They were all such good friends, she felt as though she could ask the question, even in front of Dane.
“No—not really,” Alissa said, a set smile on her face.
Dane glanced at his wife. “You’re not, are you?”
She shook her head and playfully punched his shoulder. “Your mom and I get along fine now. Besides, like we said, it’s the right thing to do.”
“Okay.” Dane leaned over and kissed Alissa’s cheek, and then he glanced at his watch. “Oh, wow, it’s later than I thought. I’ve got an important phone call coming up in a couple of minutes. I’d better get back in my office.”
“See you later, sweetheart!” Alissa said, and he waved as he disappeared behind the door of his office.
“Okay,” Josie said to her friend, resting her chin on her hands. “You can give me the straight story now. Are you actually nervous?”
Alissa laughed and walked across the room to perch on the end of Josie’s desk. “Yes and no,” she admitted, sighing. “Johanna and I have an understanding now. I mean, I think she can see how happy Dane is, and she realizes that I’m a part of that.”
“A major part of that.”
“Thanks.” Alissa beamed at her friend. “So she doesn’t disapprove of our marriage or anything. But I’m still nervous that Johanna will see our life together and… well… disapprove of things. Like the house, or how we live. Things like that.”
Josie nodded. “I understand that. She is very, um, aloof.”
Alissa grimaced gratefully at her friend for phrasing it so delicately. “Yeah. I’m worried that she’s going to see our home life up close and personal and then criticize us. What if she hates our house, and never says anything nice about it? What if she hates my cooking?”
Josie chuckled. “She definitely won’t hate your cooking.”
“Mmm, I don’t know.”
“Just tell her Dane made everything.”
“Won’t she say I should be cooking more, then?” Alissa laughed and ran her fingers through her hair.
“You are nervous.” Josie patted her friend’s hand. “It’ll be okay, Alissa.”
“Thanks. You’re right. I’ve been cleaning like mad in preparation. I’ve never dusted so carefully before in my life. And I know you’re right, and it’ll be okay, but it’s going to be a long few weeks.”
Josie nodded. “Just remember that you shouldn’t have to try to put a veneer on your life just to please Johanna. You guys are doing an amazing thing for her, and I’m sure she knows that. I bet it will all go smoothly.”
“I sure hope so.”
“It’ll all be fine. And I promise to be there for you if you need to vent or anything. “
“Thank you.” Alissa smiled. “I appreciate the offer.”
At that moment, the phone on Alissa’s desk started to ring.
“Talk to you later?” she said as she started to cross the office.
“Talk to you later.” Josie smiled and turned back to her work. A few moments later, she sighed. Her conversation with Alissa had been a nice interlude, but now she needed to get back to business, and she felt unusually restless that day.
The day wore on slowly. The rain started to fall harder, and then slowed down again. By the time she was ready to leave The Outlet , the rain had stopped altogether, leaving behind a damp and sweet-smelling world.
As she was stepping out of the office, locking the door behind her, she heard someone say, “Hey, stranger.”
She turned and saw her boyfriend, Wesley Cliff, holding two to-go cups of coffee and beaming at her. His black hair was slightly tousled by the wind, and his kind brown eyes were twinkling at her from behind his glasses.
“Hi, Wesley!” She hurried forward and wrapped him in an eager hug. “Thanks for surprising me. This is a really nice treat.”
“So is this rose latte I got you,” he said, chuckling. He handed it to her and she took an eager sip.
“Ah, Tidal Wave Coffee,” she said, sighing in satisfaction over the taste. “Thank you, Wesley. You’re so sweet.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good.” They began to stroll away from the building together, arm in arm. “I was texting Paige for a while, and that was nice, but it just reminded me of how much I miss her.”
He nodded sympathetically. “It must be hard to adjust to living by yourself again.”
“Yeah, it had been. My life feels a bit quieter without her around. Before she arrived in Blueberry Bay, I was so used to living on my own, but now my place feels empty without her there.”
“I understand.” He reached over and hugged her sideways. “How about we do something fun this weekend? That should help lift your spirits. We could do something outdoors, and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. This weather has been so nice.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said, smiling up at him. They paused in their walking for another quick kiss. “I would love to spend some time outdoors with you. Thanks for trying to cheer me up.”
“Absolutely. Let’s spend lots of time together to help distract you from missing your sister.”
She grinned at him. “Sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to spend the weekend with you.”
They continued to walk along, creating weekend plans together, and she felt so lucky to have him in her life.
Dane Taylor’s brow furrowed in concentration as he drove along the road. He was on his way to pick up his mother at the airport near Whale Harbor, and although the drive was a fairly long one, it was also scenic, and he was enjoying the gorgeous views.
I still don’t understand how Mom doesn’t see how amazing this place is the way I do, he thought, glancing at a verdant hill topped with a grove of magnificent pine trees. A cardinal darted through the branches in a sudden flash of color. I understood her reserve at first—I mean, I didn’t see how wonderful it is here when I first arrived myself. But I feel like by now, she should be seeing it for what it is. Amazing.
He reflected that maybe she just needed to spend more time there, like he had done. She had already softened up somewhat toward Blueberry Bay and accepted his decision to live there after spending a little time in the town. He hoped that when she arrived in Blueberry Bay this time, she wouldn’t be miserable. He hoped that she would come to appreciate the town more and be able to see its qualities more clearly. Hopefully her visit there would allow her to open up more to her surroundings, instead of simply find them unpleasant.
I hope it won’t be miserable for Alissa either , he thought, grimacing a little.
He knew that his wife was nervous about having his mother come live with them, even if she was putting a brave face on it. He spent a few moments worrying about Alissa and his mother not getting along well, living in the same house together.
He turned up the old folk music album he was listening to, sighing along with the music. He told himself that it would all work out all right.
Maybe if he kept telling himself that, he’d start to believe it.
He arrived at the airport about half an hour later. He was excited to see his mother and scanned the crowds eagerly for a sight of her.
“Dane!”
He saw her a moment later, hobbling toward him on crutches. He hurried toward her, giving her a gentle hug.
“Hey, Mom. You look great.”
He was surprised she’d managed to be so impeccably dressed—she was wearing a smart pantsuit, complete with gold jewelry and full makeup. She looked every bit as put together as she always did—except for the fact that more than half of her left leg was bound in a thick cast.
“Thank you, son.” She hadn’t been able to return his hug because of her crutches, but she leaned her head onto his shoulder for a moment. “I’m so grateful for your help.”
“Of course. I can’t believe you’ve managed as well as you have. That cast looks really difficult to deal with. Where’s your suitcase?”
“I haven’t gotten it from baggage claim yet,” she told him. “I was hoping you could help me with that.”
“Yes, absolutely. Let’s go look for it now.”
As they started toward the baggage claim, he glanced at her, still impressed by how put-together she looked. He wondered how she’d gotten her suitcase through the airport while using two crutches. Maybe she’d paid someone to follow her with it—that sounded like something she might do.
They spotted her suitcase a couple of minutes later, and he pulled it off the baggage carousel.
“It will be nice to have some help,” she admitted, eyeing the way he was effortlessly dragging her suitcase along. “It’s been a bit hard back in New York. With my leg, I mean.”
He nodded. “I can imagine. But don’t you worry. Now that you’re here, I promise we’ll get you back on your feet.” He laughed quietly over his unintentional joke, but she didn’t seem to notice it. She was frowning as she walked, probably concentrating on using the crutches.
He helped her into his car and then tossed her suitcase and crutches into the trunk. He smiled at her as he climbed in through the driver’s door.
“Just wait until you see our house, Mom. You’re going to love it. Alissa has worked wonders with the place.”
Johanna nodded, not making any kind of verbal comment. He wondered if she was in pain, because she seemed unusually tense. Then he reminded himself that she’d just had what could only have been a very stressful flight there. She was probably feeling overwhelmed.
They drove along quietly for a while, and then he asked her how the flight had been.
“Oh, fine, fine. I mean, I had to sit with my leg propped up, but the stewardesses were very accommodating.”
“That’s good. How have you been otherwise? How is life in New York?”
“Oh, fabulous as ever.” She stared straight ahead, and as he glanced at her, he thought her eyes looked a little sad, despite the cheerful tone of her words. “I’ve been going to the symphony and the opera all the time. And my book club meets in the rooftop dining area of this fabulous restaurant. They serve real high-end wine there, not this trash you find most places.” She continued to describe her life in New York in glowing colors, but he noticed that the cheerfulness in her voice started to sound a little forced.
Their drive passed fairly quickly. They talked on and off about various things, and he noticed that his mother seemed to get more tired as they drove.
“We’re going to give you a nice lunch, and then you can do whatever you want,” he assured her as they neared the house. “You can sit out in the yard in the sun or take a nap. Whatever you want.”
“My goodness, you make it sound as if I’m some kind of old lady.” She winked at him, and he winked back.
A few minutes later, they pulled into the driveway, and she peered curiously out of the car window. He smiled, hoping she might compliment the house.
“Mm,” she said, and he chuckled to himself. That was probably as much of a compliment as he was going to get, at least for now.
Alissa was waiting for them at the front door.
“Hi, Johanna,” she said breathlessly as Dane’s mother hobbled up the pathway. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m quite all right,” Johanna said, her tone as smooth as butter.
“Can I get you anything?” Alissa asked, holding the door open as Dane helped his mother inside.
“I just need to sit down, thank you, Alissa.”
Alissa ran to get a wooden chair for Johanna the moment they got inside. Dane noticed regretfully that his wife seemed nervous.
“I think I might be more comfortable in the living room,” Johanna said delicately.
“Oh, of course! I’m sorry!” Alissa seemed flustered. “Let’s get you into the living room first.”
When Johanna was settled comfortably on the couch, propped up against multiple cushions, Alissa offered her some tea and she accepted. Dane smiled gratefully at his wife.
“Let me help you with that,” he said. “Mom, we’ll be right back.”
He followed his wife into the kitchen, where he gave her a tight hug. “Are you nervous?” he asked her.
“I—I guess,” she whispered. “Do you think she likes the house? She hasn’t said anything about it.”
“She’s overwhelmed right now,” he assured her. “Besides—we like the house, don’t we?”
“You’re right,” she said and laughed as he nuzzled her nose.
“It’ll be great, sweetheart. My mom likes you. This visit is going to go great.”
She smiled at him, seeming reassured, and they worked on making some tea together.