Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Alissa closed her laptop with a sigh. She took a sip of her coffee, glancing out the window at the breathtaking sunset. She’d been doing a little catch-up work at the kitchen table at home, and she stretched, feeling stiff but satisfied with what she’d accomplished.
Dane was out running errands, and he’d dropped her off at the house after their work shift had ended. She felt grateful that most of her energy had returned, but she was still battling nausea now and again. At that moment, however, she felt great. She was just about to stand up when she heard the sound of Johanna walking into the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said, turning and smiling warmly at her mother-in-law. “How was your phone call?”
“Oh, fine.” Johanna’s smile looked forced. She’d been on the phone with one of her friends in New York, and Alissa couldn’t help but notice that Johanna had looked happier before the phone call. “She’s doing well. She caught me up on everyone’s news.”
Alissa guessed that most of that news involved people taking cruises or making large donations or buying designer handbags. “Did you tell her about the baby?” she asked, smiling.
“I did.” Johanna’s face lit up in a grin. “Nobody else has news like mine this time around! I’m so excited.” Laughing, Johanna sat in the chair opposite Alissa, sighing a little as she rested her leg.
“How’s your leg feeling?” Alissa asked. “Any better?”
“It’s getting there. It’s a lot easier to move around now than it used to be. I guess I’m getting used to these things.” She tapped the bottoms of the crutches against the floor.
“Hmm, well in that case, would you like to get out of the house for a bit? Dane won’t be back for another hour or so. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful evening.”
Johanna glanced out the window, smiling. Alissa thought she saw a twinge of longing in the older woman’s face as she looked out across the yard at the ocean beyond it. “I would like that. Getting out sounds nice. Do you want to go somewhere in town?”
“Yes. I know just the spot.”
“Where is it?”
“Mmm, you’ll have to wait and see. We can walk there, if you’re feeling up for it. It’s not far.”
“All right.” Johanna smiled. “I feel up for a walk today. It helps that it’s been such a beautiful afternoon—it should be perfect out there right around now. Balmy and with a cool breeze.”
Sure enough, as they left the house, a fresh ocean wind kissed their faces. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, tinting the sky with pink.
“A beautiful evening,” Alissa said, beaming at her mother-in-law.
They walked down the driveway and along the road until they reached a sidewalk that bordered a stretch of trees. They walked along it, and Alissa kept glancing at Johanna, noticing that the other woman was gazing at the landscape with an enchanted look in her eyes.
“It’s so lovely out here,” Johanna said with a sigh. “I never thought much about how comforting nature is, but it is, isn’t it?”
Alissa nodded in agreement, smiling. At the end of the sidewalk was a small overlook—a stone balcony of sorts overlooking a stretch of woods, and the Blueberry Bay beach below. Alissa and Johanna sat down on the wooden bench that had been placed there and looked out at the magnificent view.
“How’s your leg feeling?” Alissa asked, worried that the walk there had been too much for Johanna.
“It feels fine.” The older woman smiled. “It’s good for me to get exercise like this. How’s your arm?”
“Getting better.” Alissa grimaced playfully. “Healing more and more every day.”
“That’s the spirit,” Johanna said, and they both laughed.
After a short pause, Alissa turned toward her mother-in-law. “We’ve really enjoyed having you here, Johanna. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about it. I was worried you wouldn’t like certain things about our lives. But it’s been wonderful.” She beamed at her mother-in-law, and Johanna smiled back warmly. “I’ve been really grateful for the chance to get to know you better.”
“I feel the same way. I’m sorry you were worried I would be critical. I guess—well, I suppose that being here in Blueberry Bay has also been a chance for me to get to know myself better.”
Alissa nodded, feeling her heart warm. She wondered how to phrase her next question. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Johanna nodded, but Alissa thought she looked a little nervous. She guessed that Johanna wasn’t used to talking about her feelings.
“Are you happy in New York City?” Alissa asked delicately.
Her mother-in-law inhaled. “I have to admit, I have been lonely there. I miss my son, and well—well, my friends aren’t the kind of people that make you feel less lonely unless they’re actually there in the room with you, if you know what I mean.”
“I think I do,” Alissa said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Sometimes it’s just nice to be around other bodies. But it’s best to have friends who make you feel like they have your back even if they’re not there with you right in that moment. That helps you feel less lonely all the time.”
Johanna hesitated a moment, and then nodded. “Yes. I think it would be nice to have a community like that.”
“You know,” Alissa said softly, “you could have that if you moved here to Blueberry Bay.”
Johanna’s eyebrows lifted, and she blinked a few times. “I… oh my. Move here to Blueberry Bay? Leave New York?”
Alissa nodded, watching her mother-in-law’s face.
“I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome here,” Johanna said.
Alissa shook her head. “You wouldn’t be. Not at all. Dane and I have already talked about this. We’d love to have you close by.”
“Really?” The older woman’s face lit up. “I have to admit, I’ve become enchanted by this town. And disenchanted about my life in New York. And I would love to be close to family, especially with a new family member on the way.”
Alissa grinned at her. “I’m so happy to hear that. As soon as you’re ready to start looking, Dane and I can help you find a place here in town.”
“That would be wonderful.”
The two women beamed at each other, and Alissa felt her heart lift up in happiness. Johanna also looked relieved and joyful, and after a moment in which neither of them seemed to know what to say, they shared a hug.