Chapter 6
Paige Garner swayed back and forth a little, almost dancing, as she tidied up the kitchen in her and her sister Josie’s apartment. She was enjoying a luxuriously slow morning, since she had no obligations until she had to be at Tidal Wave Coffee at ten.
Graduating felt so bittersweet, she thought. It’s been exciting, but kind of hard to leave that part of my life behind me forever. But I have to admit, not having anything to do on a weekday besides go to a job I love feels great.
She grinned, glancing at the calendar that was hanging on the fridge, and noting that it was her first free Monday of the summer—and then maybe the rest of her life.
She bit her lip as she finished wiping traces of flour off the counter with a rag. She’d just whipped up a batch of blueberry scones and was now restoring the kitchen to its usual spotless glory. She loved the kitchen—it was like her sacred safe space where she was free to express herself through her baking experiments.
Her mind began to wander along the pathway of now-familiar daydreams. She pictured herself staying there in Blueberry Bay and starting a bakery, her own business—
“Wow, something smells incredible!” Josie appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, grinning eagerly.
“Hey!” Paige turned to her sister, smiling. “Why thank you. I just made a batch of blueberry scones.”
“Oh wow.” Josie peered into the oven, sniffed dramatically, and then pretended to swoon. Her sister laughed.
“You’re reminding me of when we used to bake together as kids,” Paige said, grinning at the memory. For a moment, both sisters shared eye contact, remembering their past. Their look was affectionate, but also a little sad. Their relationship had become distant for many years after Josie had moved away to go to college and escape their unstable home life.
It’s okay though, Paige reminded herself. We’re close again now. Everything worked out in the end.
“Yeah.” Josie smiled. “But I’m pretty sure it smells even more delicious in here than it ever did when we were kids. That smell is out of this world.”
Paige pretended to bow.
“I’m sure going to miss your home-baked goods when you leave for college.” Her sister leaned against the counter, smiling wistfully. “And your company. But I know it’s going to be absolutely fantastic for you to be able to go out and explore the world.”
Paige nodded, feeling her stomach twist. She’d tried her hardest to feed off Josie’s enthusiasm about college, but it was getting more and more difficult. She wasn’t able to feel genuinely excited about the prospect. The truth was that she didn’t want to go—she wanted to stay in town and start her own bakery. She’d been cherishing the thought secretly, and it made the idea of college seem like having to climb a mountain when she was already standing exactly where she wanted to be.
She hadn’t said anything to Josie about how she felt. They’d discussed how getting a business degree would be good for Paige, since the fact that Paige wanted to start her own bakery at some point was no secret. She’d even had strangers stopping her on the street and asking her about her baking sometimes. She’d baked treats for enough private events in town that she was gaining an impressive reputation for herself.
The truth is that the thought of moving away breaks my heart,she thought. I’ve just found a home here in Blueberry Bay. I don’t want to leave.
“You’re going to love college,” Josie continued, staring into space and smiling. Her eyes danced, and she looked as though she was lost in a swirl of happy memories. “I did. It’s like you get to step out and use your wings for the first time. You’ll learn about yourself—and there’s so much to take in. It was kind of overwhelming at times, but I don’t know—I found learning so much at once really thrilling, you know? Like I was on some kind of epic adventure.”
Paige forced a smile as she listened to her sister. She was glad that Josie had had such a great experience with college, but it wasn’t something she wanted for herself.
I already feel like I’m getting to step out and use my wings,she thought. And I know exactly what I want to do—I don’t need to pay that much money for self-discovery. Or information. Anything I really need to learn, I can read in a book or learn through online classes.
But she didn’t say any of that out loud, and Josie seemed blissfully unaware of her sister’s hesitation.
“How does a latte sound?” Josie asked, grinning and turning to the cupboard. “I’ve got that new rose syrup I’ve been dying to try.”
“Yes.” Paige almost gasped. “That would be amazing.”
Her sister chuckled and began to rummage around in the kitchen. Paige offered to help her, but Josie waved her away and told her to sit down and relax.
“You made the scones,” she said cheerfully. “I’m going to contribute to this breakfast by making us lattes and bacon and scrambled eggs.”
In a few minutes, the warm, sweet smell of the scones was blending with the nutty aroma of espresso and the savory scent of the sizzling bacon. Paige sat at the counter and chatted comfortably with her sister while she worked. They talked about how Paige’s last few days of high school had gone, and discussed plans that they had for the summer. Paige talked excitedly, but at the back of her mind she couldn’t help thinking about how much she loved being there in Blueberry Bay, and how much she didn’t want to leave.
Soon, their breakfast was ready, and they sat down next to each other at the counter to eat it. Paige took a sip of the creamy latte and nodded eagerly in approval.
“This is delicious! I am not the only barista in the family,” she said.
Josie laughed. “Thank you, thank you.” She took a bite of her blueberry scone and shut her eyes for a moment as she chewed. “Wow. These scones are out of this world. I can’t wait until you have your own bakery. I’m going to buy things from you literally every day.”
Paige smiled, and thought, Yeah, me either.
For a while they munched their food in companionable silence. Paige was lost in thought, thinking about how delicious the scone recipe was, but feeling confident that she could tweak a couple of things to make it even better.
Recipes,she thought. It’s about skill in baking for sure, but it’s also so much about recipes. If I start out with a whole bunch of incredible recipes, I can’t lose.
After breakfast, they cleaned up together. Paige was still slowly sipping her latte, savoring it, when Josie said, “The mail should have come by now. I’m going to run downstairs and check for it.”
“Okay, sure.” Paige suspected that her sister’s enthusiasm to check the mail was due to the fact that they still hadn’t heard back about Paige’s potential scholarship. She tried to feel excited about it herself and forced herself to smile.
“Be back in a flash,” Josie said, and slipped through the front door.
The second her sister was gone, Paige sighed. She took another slow sip of her drink and stared out the window at the sunny day.
I guess I hope something has come in the mail, Paige thought. Then at least we’ll know.
Secretly, she thought that maybe if she didn’t get the scholarship, she could delay going to school. Then maybe she could delay going to school even more, until she could just wiggle out of it altogether…
“Paige!”
Josie burst through the front door, holding a stack of mail in one hand, and waving an envelope in the air with the other. “It came in the mail! A letter from the University of South Carolina Scholarship Board!”
“Oh!” Paige found that her heart was thumping in her chest. Her sister was all smiles as she dumped the mail on the counter and handed the envelope to Paige.
“I just know you got something,” Josie said, beaming. She was out of breath, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. “Go on, open it!”
Paige tore open the top of the envelope and pulled a couple of sheets of paper out of it. Her eyes scanned the document quickly. Her heart did a somersault as soon as she read the word “Congratulations” and then her eyes widened as she read the rest of the letter.
“What?” Josie whispered breathlessly after a few seconds. “What does it say?” She looked nervous.
She probably thinks I didn’t get anything,Paige thought. I’m not doing a very good job of acting happy.
She handed the letter to her sister, feeling as though her heart was suddenly full of water. It was heavy, and felt sloshy. “I… I got a full ride.”
“You got a what?” Josie shrieked, snatching the letter and reading it voraciously. “Oh my gosh! Paige! This is incredible!”
Paige smiled weakly, watching as her sister eagerly clutched the sides of the letter, her eyes rapidly scanning the words.
“We are pleased to offer you a full-ride scholarship to the University of South Carolina,” Josie read aloud. She reached for Paige and pulled her into a tight hug. “This is incredible. I’m so unbelievably proud of you!”
“Thanks, Josie.” Paige mustered a smile as they pulled away from the hug. She was grateful that her sister was so excited about the news—it showed how much she cared about her. She tried to ignore the way she felt disappointed—no, trapped.
I feel like this means I can never say no,she realized. I can’t possibly pass up an opportunity like this. Everyone will say that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and they’ll be right. I should be happy about this, I should feel really good about it—
“I’m so excited for you!” Josie clapped her hands. “I want to frame this letter and hang it on the wall.” She wrapped an arm around her sister. “This is going to open up so many doors for you! Not only are you going to save so much money, but this kind of thing will help you in job interviews—probably even investments. You’re that much closer to success already, and you haven’t even started school yet!”
“Thank you.” Paige didn’t know what else to say. Josie was grinning and didn’t seem to notice that Paige wasn’t smiling very much—she probably assumed that her sister was just too stunned to act excited yet.
“I’m going to throw a huge party for you to celebrate!” Josie said. “We’ll invite everyone we know. As soon as you get home from work today, we can start planning it—we can write up a guest list and decide what food to serve. Everyone is going to be just as proud of you as I am!”
Paige smiled feebly and nodded. She knew that was true, and she was grateful for it—but that was the very reason why she felt so torn about the news. Blueberry Bay was such a wonderful place, and the people there had welcomed her with open arms. They were her friends, her community—they felt like a family.
I should try to act excited,she told herself. Josie is being so sweet, wanting to throw me a party.
But inside, her heart was sinking. She didn’t know how to tell her sister that college wasn’t what she really wanted.
I feel like life is pushing me in that direction, she thought. Everyone is telling me that’s what I should do, and now I have this scholarship. I can’t possibly say no now.
She listened as Josie started to plan a celebratory party for her and did her best to keep smiling.
* * *
Willis tapped his foot against the floor along to the music. He was working at The Crab, and the air was filled with the tantalizing smell of sizzling seafood. He had the radio turned up, playing some of his favorite old tunes.
He felt lighthearted. Hannah and Luke coming back into town had really lifted his spirits. In the back of his mind, he knew that once she went back to school, he was going to go back to feeling lonely and driftless, but for now, it was nice to know that she was there and he was going to get to spend a lot of time with her that summer.
He saw someone approaching the to-go order window out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Daniel Ryan standing there. Daniel’s brown beard looked a little more unkept that usual, and his shaved head was glossy, but the smile on his face was as boisterous as ever.
“Hey, you.” Willis’s tone was gruff, but he smiled affectionately at the other man. Willis hadn’t seen him in a while. As well as running Sandy’s Grocery, Daniel and his wife had a baby on the way, and they’d just adopted a teenager named Tommy. So Daniel definitely had his hands full. “How’s everything going with you?”
“Great.” Daniel grinned. His eyes were twinkling, but there were circles under his eyes. Willis guessed that Daniel had a lot on his plate now that Sandy wasn’t working as many hours in the grocery store as she had. Luke was Daniel and Sandy’s nephew, and he’d mentioned that Daniel was relieved that Tommy was done with school and had offered to work in the grocery store all summer. “It’s all kinds of adventures at once, but Tommy is such a good kid, he’s making things easier instead of harder.”
“Luke mentioned something like that.” Willis checked the ticket, and saw that the to-go order of fried crab legs was for Daniel. “How’s Sandy doing?”
Daniel chuckled. “She’s going to be much better once she eats some fried crab legs. She’s been craving them every day for a week. She didn’t actually tell me that until today, and I made sure to order some right away.”
Willis chuckled. “Well, I’m honored her cravings decided to patronize our establishment. I hope it hits the spot for her.”
He was happy for Sandy. She was a sweet, big-hearted woman, and he knew through Luke that the couple had wanted a child for years. Now they had two—a newly adopted teenager and a baby on the way.
“She’s going to be overjoyed,” Daniel said. “This is a surprise for her.”
Willis smiled as he continued to stir a pan of sizzling onions and juicy chopped steak. He thought for a moment how nice it would be to be married in the way that Sandy and Daniel were married—an affectionate partnership of best friends.
“Speaking of surprises,” Daniel said, lingering in the window. “How do you feel about the Summer Smash being announced?”
Willis slowed down in his movements and turned to his friend, surprised. “I hadn’t heard about it. You said they’re bringing that event back?”
“Yes!” Daniel’s eyes twinkled. “They had an article about it in The Outlet this morning.”
“Huh.” Willis’s mind filled with memories of summers long ago. He’d had such a wonderful time at past Summer Smashes. He remembered laughing hysterically with his friends, and with Marsha.
I loved those sorts of things when I was young,he thought, feeling swept away by nostalgia. I’m glad Blueberry Bay is bringing that event back. They should. It was a great time.
Inside though, he realized that he was lacking enthusiasm personally for the event. It had been a great time for him in the past—but he didn’t expect to have a particularly great time at the Summer Smash anymore.
“It’ll be fun for the town,” Daniel said. “Everyone who hasn’t been to it before will love it, and those of us who used to go will get to dust off our competitive spirits.”
Willis smiled. He wondered if his friend had guessed at a little of his hesitation. “Yeah, the new folks should get a kick out of it at least.”
At least Hannah and Luke will be in town for it, he reminded himself. I won’t have to go by myself or anything. We’ll have fun together.
For a moment he imagined himself at the Summer Smash, not sure of what to do or how to behave, his mind filled with memories of times past and feeling generally out of place.
It won’t be like that,he told himself. Hannah and Luke will help me get through it all and enjoy it at least a little, even though these days I’m not the type to get really into that sort of thing.
Daniel picked up the to-go container, winking at his friend. “I’d better hurry home before Sandy’s cravings turn to something else!” He laughed. “I’ll see you soon, Willis!”
“See you soon! I hope Sandy enjoys her fried crab legs. You tell her if The Crab can satisfy any pregnancy cravings she has after this, she gets whatever she wants half off. I’m more than happy to sponsor both her and your little one.”
Daniel grinned. “Thank you. That’s really sweet of you, Willis. I’ll let her know!”
Willis nodded, making a noise that was more of a grunt than anything. “I’ll see you around.”
Daniel waved and disappeared. Willis stood at the stove, tossing the cooking food with a wooden spoon as it sizzled. After a few seconds, he smiled.