Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Olivia rang the doorbell of her aunt Marsha’s house, rising up and down on her toes in excitement. She was eager to spend time with her aunt and be back in the comfortable house that had been her home only a little while ago.
Besides, she couldn’t wait to observe her aunt and Willis Jenkins interacting. Olivia and Willis’s daughter, Hannah Jenkins, had been instrumental in bringing the older couple back together earlier that year. Now that they were dating again after having been separated for many years, they were very much falling in love again, and Olivia found them quite adorable.
I’m so happy for them, she thought, smiling to herself. And love seems to have youthened Aunt Marsha so much. She’s like a schoolgirl around him.
“Hey, sweetheart!” Marsha opened the front door, beaming at her niece. “Welcome home.”
Olivia hugged her aunt tightly. “It’s great to be back,” she said. “I brought some brownies for us to eat after dinner.”
“Wonderful! Willis is out in the backyard at the barbeque cooking the hamburgers now. I’ve got everything else ready. Would you like to sit on the porch with me while we wait?”
“I’d love to.”
They went inside and stopped in the kitchen to get glasses of pink lemonade before stepping out onto the back porch. Willis was at the barbeque, grilling juicy hamburgers that were letting off a mouthwatering aroma, and he waved cheerfully at Olivia as soon as she appeared. She waved back, and she and her aunt sat down in a couple of comfortable white wicker chairs.
The lemonade was sweetly tangy, and Olivia savored her first sip. The wind blowing in from the ocean was cool and gentle, and smelled pleasantly of salt and seaweed.
“How is Little Clams?” Marsha asked, smiling at her niece.
“Oh, amazing. I love it so much.” Olivia took another quick sip of her lemonade and then continued to gush about her job. “I love making the kids feel happy. Just the other day we had a couple of twins come in for the first time. A little boy and a little girl. Haley—that’s the little girl—seemed really nervous at first. But then she settled in after a little while, and it was really wonderful to see.”
She grinned as she thought about how comfortable Haley had seemed by the end of the day.
“Haley totally blossomed when anything involving being creative was put in front of her. She made this completely amazing mask. It was of a rainbow tiger.” She chuckled. “You should have seen it. She’s really got a gift.”
“Sounds like it.” Marsha smiled affectionately. “A rainbow tiger, huh?”
“Yes! And Max, her twin brother, did great in class too. He answered lots of questions. He seems really outgoing, and he made friends within a few minutes. I love all my students, but for some reason those two really captured my heart extra-fast.”
“Mm. They sound sweet. They must be the kids of that newcomer in town—the one who’s opening the souvenir shop in Blueberry Bay. Coastal Keepsakes. I’ve heard that he has twins.”
“Oh, yeah. I suppose that must be him.” Olivia hesitated for a moment, and then said, “I’ve met him. He seems like a nice man.”
Her aunt looked at her curiously for a moment. Olivia squirmed internally a little as she realized that her aunt must have picked up on her hesitation before bringing up the fact that she’d met Corey.
And why had she hesitated? It was like she felt shy about talking about him for some reason, but she didn’t really know why.
“It’s not often we have new men in town,” Marsha said, her tone sly and sweet at the same time. “What do you really think of him?”
Olivia laughed, feeling as though she might be blushing. “Now that you’ve found the love of your life, Aunt Marsha—well, re-found, I guess—you want everyone else to find theirs too.”
“You didn’t answer my question, dear.”
Olivia grinned. “I have to admit, I am hoping for another excuse to talk to Corey. He’s… yeah. He’s really nice.” She thought about his startling blue eyes, and his auburn hair and pale skin.
“Is he tall?” Marsha teased, grinning.
“Yes!” Olivia laughed, covering her face with her hands. Being unusually tall herself, it wasn’t often that she met men who were taller than she was. “He’s around six feet tall.”
“And handsome?”
“Oh, shush!”
“That means yes, I can see it in your eyes.”
“He is handsome. I think. I mean, I thought he was, but maybe I was just responding to how nice he looked.”
“And tall.”
Olivia laughed again, and at that moment, Willis started to walk toward them across the lawn.
“Hamburgers are ready!” he called, smiling. “Do you two want to eat out here on the porch?”
“Yes!” Marsha stood up eagerly. “I’ve got everything ready up here.”
On a small patio table was already set three sets of dishes, arranged precisely on rose-colored placemats.
“Well—almost. The salad and the pink lemonade are still in the refrigerator,” Marsha said. “Let me just get those quickly.”
“I’ll help you,” Olivia offered.
Soon, they were sitting down to a delicious meal of salad, cheeseburgers, and grilled asparagus, with the brownies that Olivia had brought for dessert. They chatted comfortably together as they ate, watching the sun sink lower in the sky, creating a gorgeous pastel sunset.
As they talked, Olivia found herself still thinking about Corey. She wondered if she would get a chance to talk with him again soon.
Josie typed rapidly away at her keyboard. Her mind was flying even faster than her fingers, and she leaned forward eagerly as she worked.
Things had been particularly busy at The Outlet ever since poor Alissa had broken her arm. Even though the injured reporter had been doing some work from home, Dane was in full protective mode, and kept insisting that his wife get enough rest and not push herself too hard. And even though Dane had been doing most of the extra writing himself, there was still a lot of slack to pick up, and Josie had been energetically applying herself to the task. She didn’t mind. She liked to keep busy.
Her phone buzzed on the desk next to her, and she glanced down and grinned when she saw that she had a text from Paige.
PAIGE: A visit sounds really nice!
Eagerly, she paused in her work and picked up her phone. She’d been texting Paige in between work projects, trying to find a time when she could go visit her sister in Providence. Josie was eager to see everything that her sister had been doing—she wanted to see her dorm room and her classrooms and get a sense of what her life was like in the city. She texted her sister rapidly, tapping her foot against the floor in excitement.
JOSIE: What days would work well for you to have me visit? How about two weekends from now? That Saturday into Sunday?
She set her phone down and went back to her work. A couple of minutes later, her phone buzzed again with a reply from Paige.
PAIGE: I’m not sure that will work.
Josie cocked her head to one side, confused, and hurriedly typed out a response.
JOSIE: Are you busy that weekend? I thought you’d said you only had classes during the week?
This time, Paige replied right away.
PAIGE: I’m just not sure yet. Can we wait to plan your visit?
Josie frowned, feeling confused. She wondered what was going on with her sister. Usually, Paige didn’t give her vague responses like that—so why was she acting cagey all of a sudden? Still, she decided to just reply right away. Paige was the one in charge of her schedule, and Josie didn’t want to pry.
JOSIE: Yeah, that’s okay! Just let me know.
She almost typed out, “I hope everything’s okay,” but then decided against it. After hitting send, she set her phone down on her desk, frowning a little. She felt suspicious that something might be up.
I hope she’s okay, she thought, biting her lip. I feel worried that something’s going on with her. I mean, if she has other plans with her new friends or something like that, why wouldn’t she just tell me?
She sighed and stopped working for a moment, gazing out the window. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside. But despite the sunshine, her day seemed to be suddenly clouded over with concerns.