Chapter 19
Willis sprinkled chopped onion stems over a dish of garlic butter steak with mushroom cream sauce. He felt pleased with his work. It was a meal he hadn’t made in a long time, and he was excited to share it with Hannah and Luke.
He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of his home kitchen, noting that his daughter and her boyfriend should be there soon. He inhaled the fragrant aroma of the savory food as he covered it with a lid, since he wanted to make sure that it stayed warm.
It had been a good day, but a long one, and he felt tired. Maybe also a little restless, something that he’d felt ever since parting with Marsha for the last time in front of the Beyond the Sea Dinner Cruise.
He wandered into his small dining room, where he’d already set the table for three, using the blue and white China dishes his wife had left behind when she’d moved out. It had been a long time since he’d thought of his ex-wife when seeing those dishes, but for some reason, tonight they made him think of her again.
He realized with a pang that it was because now, at the back of his mind, he was thinking about what it would be like to have a wife again. To have a woman there in the house with him, someone who cared about things like dishes and making things pretty and inviting. Someone like—
He cleared his throat and walked back into the kitchen. His phone was resting on the counter and he picked it up, wondering if Hannah had texted him. She and Luke weren’t late yet, but they were usually early, so he had expected them to arrive by then. He tried to remember where they were—out seeing some friends of theirs, probably. He found it hard to keep track of Hannah’s busy schedule these days.
At that moment, he heard voices outside the back door, which led directly into the kitchen. He smiled as Hannah and Luke burst through it, appearing to be in the middle of an animated discussion.
“… I’m just saying it’s best to not be pushy and let people live their own lives,” Luke was saying.
“Hi, Dad,” Hannah said, smiling briskly and seeming to ignore Luke’s comment. She kissed her father hurriedly on the cheek. “Wow, that smells incredible. What did you make for dinner?”
“Steak,” Willis replied.
“Amazing.” Hannah beamed at him. “Anything we can do to help?”
“If you want to pour water into the water glasses on the table, that would be a help. Wash your hands first.”
“Sure.” Hannah scampered over to the sink and washed her hands thoroughly. Luke followed, and Willis watched them curiously. They didn’t seem to be angry with each other, but he could tell that there was something unresolved hanging in the air between them. What had they been talking about as they were walking in? Was that why they had arrived later than they usually did, because they were having a discussion of some kind?
“The water pitcher is in the refrigerator,” he told them as he spooned the creamed corn he’d made into a serving dish.
“Perfect, thanks.” Hannah grabbed it, her tone and attitude seeming slightly too-cheerful, as if she was putting on an act a little bit.
Once the two of them had gone into the dining room, Willis paused in his work and listened to what they were saying. It was hard to hear, since they were speaking in low voices that were almost whispers, but he could make the words out.
“You hear what I’m saying, sweetheart?” Luke said.
“I do, but, Luke, sometimes people need a little push in order to live their best lives. No really, they do. Stop giving me that face.”
The young people trooped back into the kitchen a moment later, and Willis finished putting the creamed corn into the serving dish.
“Everything okay with you two?” he asked gruffly.
“We’re all good.” Luke smiled and winked at Hannah. “I’m just trying to remind Hannah that she doesn’t have to try and control everything.”
Hannah scoffed, pretending to be offended, and swatted him with a dish towel.
Willis chuckled and winked at Luke. “That doesn’t sound like the sweet, agreeable daughter that I raised.”
“Well, being in college has made her a more opinionated and forceful woman.” Luke grinned fondly at his girlfriend as he said it.
“Mm, I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing.” Willis beamed at his daughter, who was leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed. “And Hannah being opinionated is no surprise to me.”
“Hey,” Hannah said, smiling at both of them, “my strong opinions are a good thing. Would either of you want me to just go around agreeing with everyone else all the time? How boring would that be?”
“Very boring.” Willis picked up the serving dish that the steaks were in and started to carry it into the dining room. Hannah and Luke followed him, carrying the other two dishes—one filled with creamed corn, and the other with piping hot dinner rolls. “Besides, you have a lot of good ideas, Hannah.”
“See?” Hannah said to Luke triumphantly as she set the dinner rolls down with a flourish. “Dad likes my ideas.”
“That doesn’t mean he likes all of them,” Luke cautioned, laughing. “But I agree. Hannah’s strong opinions are the spice of life.”
“Wow,” Hannah said, placing her hand on her heart. “Thanks, babe.”
They sat down together and began to eat the wonderful meal. Luke and Hannah immediately offered Willis their compliments over the food, and he brushed them off good-naturedly.
“Good ingredients make a meal,” he told them. “I have good ingredients.”
“Yeah, and twenty years of chef experience.” Hannah laughed. “You’re too modest, Dad. We should get you to enter some contests with your cooking. Then you’d win awards and know how good you are.”
Willis shook his head, smiling at his daughter. He had to admit, the meal was good—the sauce was light and creamy and seemed to melt in his mouth. Paired with the juicy steak, it did taste exceptional.
Hannah seemed to be fidgeting in her chair after her last words. She was looking at her father, biting her lip.
“What is it?” he asked her. “I can tell you’ve got an idea, Hannah. You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
She pressed her lips together. Then all at once she seemed to make her decision, and she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Then she handed it to her father, her expression eager.
“Read it,” she urged him.
Frowning a little bit, Willis unfolded the paper. The last time Hannah had showed him a piece of paper, it had had a picture of Marsha on it and it had almost turned his life upside-down.
“What is this?” he asked her. At first glance he could see that it was an article from The Outlet, and that it had something to do with the Summer Smash.
“It’s an article,” she said eagerly, watching his face like it was Christmas morning and she’d just handed him a present.
“I see that,” he said.
“So you haven’t read this article yet?” she asked him.
He shook his head. “I had too busy of a day today. Did something happen? Are they cancelling the Summer Smash?” In the next moment, he knew that couldn’t be it, since Hannah wouldn’t have looked so happy if that was the case.
“No, far from it.” She beamed at him. “Blueberry Bay is formally asking everyone who won the Summer Smash costume contest in the past to partner together again and enter this year’s competition.”
Willis blinked at her. His heart started to beat faster as he realized that that meant him and Marsha. Was Blueberry Bay going to ask them to partner together and enter the contest, like they had all those years ago? Right after they had decided to never see each other again?
He felt an odd mixture of discomfort and relief. He was uncomfortable with the idea of entering the costume contest with Marsha, but he’d had moments of regretting their decision to part ways for good. He’d had a couple of dreams about her and had woken up feeling wistful and soft inside.
“I think you and Marsha should give it a shot,” Hannah said, her eyes sparkling.
“No, no, I don’t think so,” Willis said, immediately shooting the idea down despite the fact that he’d just been considering it. Hearing Hannah say it out loud like that made him immediately dig his heels in and resist agreeing to it—it sounded like an alarming concept out loud. “I’m too busy to enter any costume contest these days.”
“I’m sure you’d be able to find the time for it, Dad.” His daughter’s smile was warm and slightly impish, and he had a feeling she wasn’t going to be willing to drop the subject anytime soon. “I can help you find a costume. Besides—if you partner with Marsha, she can help too. I mean, she sews things for a living. I’m sure she’d be great at making costumes.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” Willis said, feeling flustered. His heart was beating quickly, and he didn’t like it. “I didn’t say I’d do it.”
“But, Dad—” Hannah bit her lip, watching his face.
“What?” he asked, guessing that he had an idea of what she was going to say.
“Didn’t you enjoy spending time with her? Seeing her again after all this time?”
“I did,” he admitted. “It was nice to see her again.” He swallowed, thinking of how beautiful she had looked.
“Dad.” Hannah inhaled, and he knew that she was about to give him a speech that she had thought long and hard about. He and Luke glanced at each other and smiled. “You sacrificed so much for me while I was growing up. You worked hard at your jobs, and then spent all the rest of your time looking out for me and raising me. I’m so grateful. And I know Marsha has spent a lot of her time looking out for other people as well—like right now, she’s watching out for Olivia and helping her figure out what she wants to do with her life. You both have spent too many years looking out for other people’s happiness. I think it’s time that you gave your own happiness a chance.”
“Hannah, a costume contest isn’t the same thing as lasting happiness—”
She gave him a look. He guessed what she was thinking—that the costume contest would lead to more between himself and Marsha. “Just humor me, please, Dad? Give it a chance, and try collaborating with Marsha on the costume contest? Then once that’s over, you two can part ways for good again if you want.”
“I…”
“Come on. It’s not like she’s an ogre or something.”
No, she was the exact opposite of an ogre. She was a beautiful woman who still stirred his heartstrings in a way he didn’t know how to handle. An ogre would have been much easier to deal with.
I think it’s foolish,he thought. And potentially a recipe for more heartbreak. But I don’t want to disappoint Hannah, and I have to admit, the idea is growing on me.
He never thought he’d get another chance with Marsha. Seeing her again after all those years had stirred something in him that he was fighting against—a hope that things could work out between them after all. His pessimism was trying to squash the idea, but he found himself nodding at his daughter.
“Okay,” he said gruffly. “If Marsha also agrees to it, I’ll give it a try.”
“Oh, thank you, Dad!” Hannah clapped her hands, grinning at him. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”
Willis grunted and turned back to eating his food. He hoped very much that she was right.
* * *
“Hey! You got some time?”
Paige glanced up and saw her sister leaning in the doorway of her room, a playful smile on her face.
“Hey.” She grinned at her sister, setting down the book she’d been reading. “What’s up?”
“Well, unless you’re totally glued to that mystery book right now, I was thinking we could get more of the party planning done.”
Paige’s heart sank. So far, she’d been having a wonderful Saturday. She and Josie both had the day off, and they’d slept in and then made an impressive brunch together. After their meal, Josie had gone out for a walk with Wesley, and Paige had been spending her afternoon reading quietly. She’d been looking forward to spending the evening with her sister, but she had been hoping they’d just cook together again and maybe watch a movie. She didn’t want to think about the party to celebrate her scholarship, especially now that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Flourish Baking School.
I guess I should think of this as an opportunity, she thought, wincing a little. Now would be a good time for me to tell Josie that I’m thinking about declining my scholarship and going somewhere else instead.
She had been wondering how to tell her sister about her visit to the baking school, and her talk with Rita. She didn’t know where to begin—but on the bright side, that meant that broaching the subject with Josie could happen anytime. Now was as good a time as any.
“Yeah, we could do that.”
“Perfect.” Josie grinned. “I’ll go whip us up a couple of lattes, and then we can get to work. I can’t wait to tell you about all the things I’ve arranged already.” She disappeared, and Paige felt her stomach twist.
I’ve got to tell her, she thought, but she didn’t know how—not when Josie was clearly so excited about the party. She hated to disappoint her sister, and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful for all the work that Josie had already done.
Sighing, Paige stood up and made her way into the kitchen. Josie was bustling around, humming to herself and making lattes. Paige saw her sister’s notebook resting open on the counter, the pages covered with notes written in brightly-colored ink. Paige found herself wishing that she could feel excited about the party—she loved her sister for putting so much effort into it. It was a clear sign of how much she loved her.
“I’ve got so many good ideas, just wait.” Josie grinned as she handed Paige a latte. “You’re going to be so excited.”
Paige smiled weakly. She took a sip of the latte and was momentarily distracted by how good it was. “Whoa. Hazelnut?”
“No, almond. Isn’t it good?”
“Amazing.” She took another sip. “I should get Michael to offer almond syrup at Tidal Wave Coffee.”
“They’ve had it before. I think he likes to rotate some of the syrup flavors—that way people are more likely to buy them if they’re there for a limited time, you know?”
Paige nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Soon you’re going to know all about that kind of stuff!” Josie grinned. “When you go off and get your business degree.”
Paige nodded and took another sip so she didn’t have to say anything.
“Okay,” Josie said, sighing in satisfaction as she sat down at the counter. “Let me show you what I have so far. I talked to Willis, and he’s totally good with hosting the party at The Crab. He said he’d make all your favorite foods—we’re going to have empanadas and spring rolls and miniature quiches with bacon. I also talked to him about maybe making some mini pot pies, since I know that’s your absolute favorite. I know we’d said we wanted to stick to finger food and hors d’oeuvres, but we can also change that and just make actual, full-sized pot pie. I mean, that might get a little runny, but it would be okay! Don’t you think?”
“Sure.” Paige nodded. Josie was talking so fast in her excitement that she wasn’t sure how she was ever going to get a word in edgewise. She was hoping to turn the conversation in another direction—or at least slow it down—so that she could bring up the subject of Flourish Baking School.
“Right? I mean, it’s pie. Foods can get a little messy on people’s plates, it’s all good. Besides, I bet Willis can make mini pot pies just fine. He’s basically a genius with food.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Paige smiled, and took a deep breath, ready to tell Josie that she had something that she wanted to talk to her about, but Josie kept rattling on before she had a chance to speak.
“Take a look at these decorations I picked out.” Josie tapped eagerly on her phone a few times before sliding it across the counter to Paige so that she could see photographs on the screen. “I found them on Pinterest. I thought we’d do some dark colors, since I know you like those—maybe some dark green or navy, paired with some gold or silver accents? Something that hints at graduation. Besides, navy and metallic colors just look classy, don’t they? I thought we could make the centerpieces ourselves, but then we’d want to order some banners. What do you think? Gold or silver?”
Paige swallowed. “Josie, this is all really sweet, but it’s so much. What if we just had a small party—small enough to have here at the apartment even? We could still ask Willis to cater some things, and put up some decorations—”
“Paige.” Her sister took her hand, smiling affectionately at her. “I know you’re not used to being the center of attention. It’s okay. You absolutely deserve this party, and I am determined to give it to you.”
Paige’s lips parted. “But, Josie—”
“Shh.” Josie held up her hand. “No buts. We’re going to celebrate you. And in style.”
Paige took a sip of her latte, feeling torn. She kept telling herself she needed to rip off the Band-Aid and just tell Josie right away that she was having second thoughts about college, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it—especially after a sweet speech like that from her sister.
“So what do you think? Gold or silver?”
Paige inhaled. “Josie, sometimes people… sometimes what we want changes, because life takes unexpected turns, and—”
Josie laughed. “Don’t worry about it! It’s just a color. Not that big a deal, right? I know you prefer silver jewelry. Should we pick silver?”
“Uh, yeah, I like silver.” Her heart was sinking. She didn’t know how she could gradually bring up the subject of changing her mind when Josie was so absorbed in her plans for the party that she wasn’t really listening.
“Well, I’ll check in with you again before the party,” Josie assured her, still under the impression that Paige had been talking about something as simple as a color choice.
“Okay. Thanks.” Paige smiled, wishing that her sister knew to check in with her about other things. She didn’t blame Josie for not knowing how she was feeling—after all, she’d said she was going to go to college. But she just felt that it was too hard to bring it up anymore. She didn’t want to hurt her sister, not when she was so excited for her, and so sure that going to college was such a good thing.