Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“I’m so excited!” Alissa turned around in the front seat to grin at Johanna, who was sitting in the back of Dane’s car. “Lori is going to help you find an amazing place.” They were on their way to Whale Harbor, to speak with a realtor named Lori Simms about finding a new home for Johanna.
“I hope so,” Johanna said, sounding nervous. “You said you’ve never worked with her before?”
“We haven’t, but our friend Monica has and she recommended her highly. Lori Simms is the realtor who helped Monica find Literary Stays, the bed and breakfast that we love so much. Monica said that Lori is friendly and she knows the area better than anyone.”
Johanna nodded, and Alissa and Dane glanced at each other, sharing a quiet moment of joy. Alissa was almost giddy with excitement about helping Johanna find a new place. Dane was clearly happy as well, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners from how widely he was smiling.
This is going to be wonderful for all of us, Alissa thought happily. And I can’t wait to help Johanna find somewhere adorable.
“Here we are!” Dane said, parking his car outside the realtor’s office. It was a charming red brick building near the water.
Alissa got out of the car while Dane helped his mother get out. The three of them stepped inside the cool entryway, which smelled pleasantly of peppermint.
“Hi, you must be the Taylor family,” said a cheerful-looking woman as she stepped out of a side office. “I’m Lori Simms. So nice to meet you.”
She shook each of their hands warmly, and then ushered them into her comfortably furnished office.
“So you’re moving to the Whale Harbor area, Johanna?” Lori asked pleasantly as she sat down behind her desk.
“Yes, Whale Harbor and Blueberry Bay.” Johanna’s tone was slightly stiff.
“That’s so exciting! It’s a great place to live.” Lori’s manner was breezy and enthusiastic as she clicked a few times on her computer.
Johanna smiled, looking as though she was feeling more at ease. Lori began to show her three guests various apartments and houses that were available in the Blueberry Bay and Whale Harbor area and Alissa was impressed by her knowledge of each location. Every time Johanna saw a place that she was sure she wanted to tour, Lori jotted the name of the place down in a little notebook on her desk.
“These all look amazing,” Johanna said, her eyes gleaming. “I thought it would be hard for me to find a place I liked, but I think the problem I’m actually going to have is choosing which place to take!”
Alissa kept biting her tongue every time she saw a place that she thought was particularly charming. She wanted to let Johanna make her own decision without having to juggle too many opinions. But when the next house popped up on Lori’s computer screen, Alissa’s heart skipped a beat.
“This is my personal favorite,” Lori said, as warmly as if she was showing off a favorite pet. “It’s located near the water—you can see the beach there, in the background.”
“Oh, it’s charming,” Johanna said, leaning forward to peer at the small white stone cottage. “I would definitely like to tour this one.”
A few minutes later, they got into two cars and set off along the roads of Whale Harbor. They visited each location in the order that they’d viewed them on the computer, and every house was charming in its own way. By the time they reached the white stone cottage by the sea, Johanna had been saying she didn’t know how she was ever going to decide.
“Here we are,” Lori said as they all got out of their cars.
“This is right by Literary Stays, isn’t it?” Alissa asked. “I think I’ve walked past here before.”
“Yes, it is!” Lori smiled. “Literary Stays is just down the road. This is a charming area.”
As they approached the darling cottage, Dane and Alissa exchanged a glance. She could tell that her husband was thinking the same thing she was—this house was perfect.
Johanna seemed to be feeling the same way. When they stepped inside the cottage, she gasped softly, taking in the stone fireplace and the big, latticed windows looking out onto a blossoming garden.
Lori gave them a tour of the little house, and each room was just as delightful as the last. Alissa was practically squirming, she thought the house was so charming, and she could see that Johanna was thrilled by it as well.
“Well?” her mother-in-law asked as they stepped back into the front hallway of the house. “Dane? Alissa? What do you two think of this one?”
“I love it,” Alissa gushed, unable to hold back her opinion anymore. “It’s darling. It’s definitely my favorite house we’ve seen.”
“I like it too,” Dane said, grinning. “I think you should pick this one, Mom.”
“I agree,” Johanna said, beaming. “I’m going to make an offer on it. Thank you both for coming with me and helping me decide.”
Lori smiled, looking pleased, as Johanna and Dane and Alissa all hugged each other, celebrating their mutual excitement about the house.
“We can go back to my office and get started on the paperwork,” Lori said. “I think you made the right decision as well. This place is a gem.”
As Dane and Johanna stepped out onto the little front porch of the house together, Alissa watched them with a smile on her face. She rested her free hand on her belly, thinking about how happy she was that things had worked out so well.
I love the idea of Johanna being close by, she thought. And I’m thrilled she’s found such a wonderful place. I know she’s going to be happy here.
“Are you coming, sweetheart?” Dane called.
“Yes!” She grinned and slipped out of the little house. Dane wrapped an arm around her and kissed her nose.
“We haven’t asked the most important question yet,” he said.
“What’s that?” Alissa asked as they walked back to the car.
“What does baby think of grandma’s new house?”
“Oh!” Johanna looked suddenly teary.
Alissa grinned, placing her hand on her stomach again. “Hmm… yup. Baby definitely approves.”
“Well, thank goodness,” Johanna said, winking, and they all laughed and got into the car.
“Hey, Aunt Marsha!”
Olivia grinned at her aunt as she stepped through the back door of Marsha’s house, which led into the craft room. Marsha was seated at her worktable, cutting out pieces of fabric for a quilt and drinking tea.
“Hello, my favorite niece!” She held her arms up for a hug, and Olivia gave her an affectionate squeeze. “I hope you’re here to tell me all about that date.”
“I am.”
Olivia smiled, plopping into an armchair that was placed in a corner of the room, near Marsha’s chair. Corey had dropped her off at her apartment at the end of their date, so she hadn’t seen her aunt since before the date began. She was practically bursting with all of the things that she wanted to say.
“Good.” Marsha beamed at her and took a sip of tea. “Please tell me everything.”
“It was wonderful!” Olivia hugged herself and stared at the ceiling, reliving the events of the night before. “We went to see the funniest movie, and he bought our tickets and the popcorn, and then we went for a walk on the beach. We held hands, and the sun was setting. It was so beautiful and romantic. And he’s so funny. And so nice. I’m starting to value him more and more. We talked about our past for a while, and he really opened up to me.”
“That’s good,” Marsha said, nodding. “That means he trusts you.”
“That’s how I felt about it too.” Olivia smiled. “I have to admit though, his past is definitely complicated. There’s a lot of pain there, and it’s something he’s still struggling with. I’m concerned that he won’t be able to fully move on from it.”
Marsha nodded. “The past always stays with us, but it doesn’t have to prevent us from being happy. We can remember things in a way that honors what we’ve gone through but doesn’t affect our present. We can use the past as a springboard into the present.”
“Like you and Willis,” Olivia teased, grinning.
Her aunt and Willis had been romantically involved as young people, but because of pressure from Marsha’s mother, the pair had split up. Neither of them had ever really gotten over the other, and they’d finally reunited after spending years apart. It had been a long and challenging process, however, as both of them had still felt hindered by their painful past and were scared of opening their hearts up again to each other. Willis’s daughter, Hannah, and Olivia had both been instrumental in encouraging the couple to keep trying even when it felt hard.
“Yes, we learned to overcome the way we felt.” Her aunt grinned at her. “And you helped a lot with that. Corey may need some time to work through his emotions, but it doesn’t mean that he’s going to feel haunted by his past forever. Willis and I stopped feeling haunted by our past when we started working on building a present together.”
Olivia nodded, smiling at her aunt. “That’s true. And look at how happy you two are. Your past didn’t keep you from having a wonderful present.”
“Not at all,” Marsha said. “I think our relationship is better now than it was before because we’re wiser than we were. We overcame our insecurities and now we have a second chance at love.”
“Yes.” Olivia stared into space for a moment, lost in thought. “It’ll be a first chance at love for me. I wonder if that’s more or less scary than a second chance.” She laughed.
Marsha chuckled. “I think love is always scary. We know that we’re risking our hearts, and that’s a big deal. And unless it’s very young love, most people come to a relationship with baggage. It’s how you choose to navigate it that matters. And doing so will help you see if you’re going to be able to navigate life together or not.”
“Thank you, Aunt Marsha.” Olivia felt her spirits lift from the conversation, and she beamed at her aunt. “That was good advice. I feel better about everything now.”
“Good.” Marsha reached over and squeezed her niece’s hand. “I love you so much. I know good things are coming your way, and I hope they’ve arrived through this potential relationship. I want you to be very happy.”
“Thank you.” Olivia felt herself tearing up.
“You helped me find the courage to face my fears, and I was able to start dating Willis. You can come to me anytime you’re feeling worried and you want advice. But I bet things are going to go just fine between you and Corey.”
Olivia grinned, feeling swoony and starry-eyed. “Thanks, Aunt Marsha. I hope you’re right.”