Chapter 23
Muriel woke before the sun rose and slipped out of her apartment as quietly as possible, leaving Concord for Blueberry Bay. She had thought leaving as early as possible would have been a good way to beat the traffic, but she forgot Portsmouth and Portland had their own heavy commuter traffic, too.
As she crawled through Portland, she could just see a sliver of ocean, and it was enough to get her chest expanding. Something about seeing open water made her breathe easier. Even hearing the seagulls relaxed her.
She played with the radio, unable to find anything to calm her nerves, when her phone rang and an unfamiliar number with a Maine area code popped up on her dash. She answered it right away, expecting to hear someone from her family. Maybe Sadie? But didn’t she have her number?
“Hello?” she asked.
“Hello, is this Muriel Smith?” a man’s voice asked.
“Yes?” she said into the phone.
“Good morning, Ms. Smith. My name is Bill Tate, and I’m the principal of Blueberry School. I’m calling regarding an elementary school position,” he said. “I’ve been given your information by a teacher in our school, Mr. Abbott.”
Her heart started pounding. “From Blueberry Bay?”
“Yes, I spoke with your mother before reaching out,” he said. Then he added, “My wife is a Queen.”
Muriel laughed with nervous excitement. “Ah, that makes sense.”
“I hope you don’t mind that I called this number, but I have a second grade opening that I need filled right away,” he said. “One of my teachers had to go out on leave unexpectedly and won’t be returning.”
“Yes!” she said without even thinking about anything else. The other line went silent. Muriel realized she didn’t know what she had said yes to. “Um, are you calling about an interview?”
The man laughed. “Yes, I am. Would you be available this afternoon?”
“I’m headed to Blueberry Bay right now,” she said, seeing the exit sign for the town. She looked down at her sweatsuit and Crocs. “What time would you like me to arrive?”
“How does three o’clock sound?” he said.
“Perfect, Mr. Tate,” Muriel said. “I look forward to meeting you.”
Muriel stared straight out her windshield for a long time, then said, “Sign number three.”
She needed to get to Oliver. She needed to see him. She needed to tell him how she felt before three o’clock.
She took the exit and drove straight to his house, deciding to just skip going to her mother’s first so she could talk to Oliver. Maybe Amy was wrong? Maybe he had changed his mind? Maybe he’d just told her…
She needed to talk to Oliver.
When she finally arrived, she ran up to the porch to the large glass doors and rang the doorbell. Inside, she could see a man move quickly to the door, someone that wasn’t either Max Abbott or Oliver.
“Can I help you?” the man asked, his eyebrows burrowed together in an angry scowl.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for Oliver Abbott?” she said.
“Ah, Muriel!” Max came walking into the front hall, slowly making his way to her. “Muriel, meet Oliver’s father, my eldest son, Steven.”
Muriel looked up at the man who still held the scowl. She smiled, noticing he didn’t offer to come in.
“This is our neighbor down the road, Jacob O’Neill’s granddaughter,” Max said.
Muriel could feel the man’s judgment as she stood there.
“He’s not here,” Steven said. “He left this morning.”
“Oh.” She looked at Max. “Do you know where he went?”
Max shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said, stepping away from the door. “Let him know I stopped by.”
Max smiled and gave a small wave, but Steven stared her down, and she could feel him wanting her to go.
“I’ll tell him,” Max said. “Bye, Muriel.”
The door closed before she even turned around to leave, making her jump a little. Oliver’s father’s reception was colder than the Atlantic Ocean. She walked back to her car, pulled out her phone, and decided to text him.
I drove up to Blueberry Bay and just stopped by your place to say hello. Maybe we could catch up?
She sent it before she could think twice, but immediately regretted what she wrote the second it was sent. Catch up? That sounded so lame.
She smacked her forehead.
But when she looked down, she noticed bubbles on his end.
Then her phone rang.
“Oliver?” she asked when she answered it.
“Muriel.” He paused. “I think I should’ve texted you before I left.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, turning on her car.
Her phone switched over to her car stereo. She didn’t want to stick around with Frosty Abbott staring out the window at her. She put her car into reverse and pulled out of his grandfather’s driveway as a photo popped up on her phone. She immediately pulled to the side of the road. The image was a traffic sign showing the number of miles to Concord, New Hampshire.
She couldn’t believe it. “Are you in Concord?”
“No, but I was headed there until you just texted me,” he said.
She laughed, but her heart was pounding out of her chest. “I got a call for an interview.”
“Really? In Blueberry Bay?” His blinker ticked in the background. “Is that why you’re there?”
She didn’t want to leave the question in the air, but she hesitated because she wanted to make herself very clear.
“No,” she said. “I came to see you.”
Then Oliver said, “I’m on my way.”