Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Isaiah leaned against the side of the Little Clams’ gymnasium with his hands in his pockets and grinned. Around him was a huge crowd of parents and grandparents and kids, all taking part in the Kids’ Fest activities. Since he’d worked on the renovations for the school, he’d been invited to the event, and he’d been having the time of his life getting to see how excited the kids were for all of the new additions to their school.

He’d wandered the halls for a while, visiting all of the remodeled classrooms and enjoying seeing the kids’ reactions. He’d also spent some time out by the new playground, and all of his pals had come running up to tell him how much they loved it. His heart felt full—not just with the satisfaction of a job well done, but with the happiness that came from helping other people.

Eventually he’d found himself in the gym, which was where most of the activities and presentations were being held. There were arts and crafts tables in one corner, games in another—and at that moment a bunch of kids in costumes were lining up for a costume contest. He noticed Pearl Lewis wearing an incredible butterfly costume and he waved at her.

The whole school was buzzing with noise and energy, and it made him feel great, knowing that he’d been a part of making it all possible. He knew that everyone wasn’t just excited about Kids’ Fest, they were also excited about the renovations—the little school had been transformed into a better place thanks to all the work that he and Olivia and Gwen had put into it.

He noticed Corey Easton and his kids, Max and Haley, standing by the arts and crafts tables and he grinned and made his way over to them.

“Hey, guys,” he said, giving Max and Haley each a high-five. He and Corey exchanged a friendly smile. “How are you all liking Kids’ Fest so far?”

“It’s awesome,” Max said, putting his hands in his pockets as if he wanted to imitate Isaiah.

“I’ve been making all kinds of art projects,” Haley said, her eyes shining.

“Really?” Isaiah said, grinning at her. “Will you show me?”

Eagerly, the eight-year-old showed him the painted rocks she’d been working on, and he was genuinely impressed.

“Those are awesome, Haley,” he said, meaning it sincerely. “Hey, speaking of painting—what do you guys think about this mural that Gwen and I painted on the gym wall? Does it meet with your approval?”

“You made this?” Haley asked, looking up in awe at the colorful painting of the planets surrounded by stars and spaceships. “I love it! There are so many beautiful colors.”

“Why thank you.” He grinned at her. “Neither Gwen nor I consider ourselves to be artists, but we used math to trace the outlines of everything based on a mural template I got. See, you guys, math is useful.”

Haley grimaced over the mention of math, but Max grinned up at the mural in admiration.

“It looks great,” he said approvingly. “I love the spaceships.”

“Did you paint all the classrooms too?” Haley asked.

Isaiah nodded, crossing his arms. “Yes, we did. Do you like them?”

“They look so nice! I especially love that room with all the stripes.” Haley lifted her chin in approval, and Isaiah grinned.

“Well, I’m glad we have the thumbs up from an authority on spaceships and from an artist,” he said. “I’ll have to tell Gwen the good news when I see her.”

The kids laughed, and Max bowed. He seemed to like being called an authority on spaceships.

“Hey, everyone!” Olivia stepped up to their group, grinning from ear to ear. She had some paint on her hands, making it clear that she’d also been partaking in the crafts earlier in the day.

“Olivia!” the twins cried, and practically tackled her in a hug. Once she’d embraced them, she stepped up to Corey and gave him a kiss.

“Isn’t it all amazing?” she said, her eyes shining. “Isaiah really knocked it out of the park.” She turned to her brother and gave him a big hug. “I can’t even begin to thank you enough for all of the work you did. The school has never looked better. You’re amazing.”

“Aww, shucks,” he said, grinning and feeling a warm feeling in his stomach. “It was a lot of fun.”

“Good. It’s been so fun having you here in town.” She rested her hands on her hips. “The fact that you’re going to be staying makes me so happy I could burst.”

“I’m pretty happy about it too,” he said honestly.

The five of them continued to talk together—Olivia and Corey had all kinds of ideas for how Isaiah should spend his summer, and they agreed that Corey and Olivia and Gwen and Isaiah should go on a double date together soon. The twins interjected opinions here and there—Haley told Isaiah that he should take Gwen for a long walk along the beach to look at the starfish, and Max said that they should go to an amusement park and play with the bumper cars.

Finally, Corey suggested that they go outside and play some of the games. Isaiah’s interest perked up at the suggestion—he knew that Gwen had volunteered to take over the slip-and-slide booth later in the afternoon, and he wondered if she was there yet.

The five of them made their way along the hallways of the school until they reached the green lawn in the back of the building. There the school had set up a variety of games and activities—a bouncy house, pony rides, potato sack races, and a slip-and-slide.

Sure enough, Gwen was manning the slip-and-slide booth, looking more relaxed than ever. His heart lifted when he saw her laughing with some of the kids who were stepping up to the booth. She was wearing a t-shirt and a baseball cap, and she looked like someone on vacation and having a wonderful time.

As he watched her, he knew that he was meant to stay there in Blueberry Bay. Although Gwen wasn’t the only reason he was planning to stay in town, he felt like she was the reason why fate brought him there. He felt as though he had been destined to meet her.

All I knew was that I felt antsy with my old life in North Carolina , he thought, unable to keep from smiling. But it was like I knew in my gut that I needed to leave—because my future was here.

At that moment, Gwen caught sight of him and raised her hand in greeting. Grinning, he started toward her, excited to spend the rest of the event by her side.

Gwen covered her mouth with both hands, laughing over the antics of one of the kids, who was going down the slip-and-slide for what must have been the seventeenth time. Beside her, Isaiah laughed loudly, also delighted by the kid, who seemed to be a natural-born comedian.

“Be careful!” Gwen called out, although the kid wasn’t doing anything dangerous at the moment. Her overly-cautious reflexes made her want to speak up just in case, but after she’d said the words she reminded herself that the kid had been being careful, and she could trust him to look out for himself and the other kids.

She hadn’t expected to enjoy manning the slip-and-slide booth so much, but she’d been having a wonderful time. Now that Isaiah was there with her, she was having even more fun. The kids were all enthusiastic and adorable, and she was enjoying being out in the sunshine. She’d always been good with people—especially kids—but this felt different from working as a doctor. She was able to be more relaxed and let her hair down a little, and she was finding it pleasant to work with kids in a no-pressure setting.

When it was time for the next volunteer to take over the slip-and-slide booth, she and Isaiah wandered around the school and grounds together, looking at all of the hard work they’d accomplished and enjoying watching the kids playing games. They stopped to talk to a variety of people they knew, and she was introduced to all kinds of people that she’d never met before.

It’s good to get to know more people of Blueberry Bay, she thought, smiling to herself as she and Isaiah stepped away from a conversation with a couple that she’d never met before. And it’s nice to meet them here when we’re all having fun.

After another hour or so of wandering and taking part in some of the activities, Kids’ Fest started to wind down. Kids and parents began to wander back to their cars, calling goodbyes and chatting happily about their prizes.

“How are you feeling?” Isaiah asked, wrapping an arm around her.

“Tired.” She laughed. “But feeling so accomplished.”

“You should be,” he said, giving her a squeeze. “The place looks amazing. Everyone was so excited about the new renovations.”

“Good.” She heaved a contented sigh, leaning into his embrace. “These are some really great kids. I’m glad we were able to make their school a better one.”

They joined the team of people who had volunteered to clean up the school and grounds after the event. The work didn’t take long with so many hands working, and as they were finishing, Corey invited Isaiah and Gwen to come get dinner with him and Olivia and his kids.

“We thought we should celebrate how well everything went,” Corey said, clapping Isaiah on the shoulder. “Not only today, but also the fact that all of the renovations got finished on time.”

“You were still worried, weren’t you?” Isaiah said to Olivia, crossing his arms at her in a teasing manner. “You were worried we weren’t going to get everything done in time.”

“I was.” Olivia laughed, swatting his arm. “And you have to admit, without Gwen’s help, we wouldn’t have gotten it all done by today!”

“We would have,” he protested. “I just wouldn’t have slept.”

Everyone laughed, and he turned to Gwen with a grin. “But Olivia is right. We couldn’t have done it without you, Gwen. We’re so grateful.”

“Oh, shucks,” she said, laughing, and Olivia hurried forward to give her a hug.

“I’m so glad you came here,” she whispered, and Gwen’s heart lifted up. She was glad she’d come there too.

The six of them went out to dinner at The Crab, which was crowded but able to squeeze them in at a table in the back.

“I’m so excited about eating,” Max announced. “It’s already been four hours since I had that hot dog.”

Gwen chuckled, feeling her own stomach grumble. She and Isaiah had nibbled on snacks at Kids’ Fest, but she was more than ready for a full meal.

The restaurant around them was filled with conversation and laughter, and their own table was fun and rowdy because of all the energy that Max and Haley still had even after their long day. Max kept them all entertained with a slew of terrible jokes, and Isaiah threw a few of his own into the mix. They laughed and groaned good-naturedly as they ate their meal.

“Hey, everyone!”

Sandy and Daniel Ryan stopped by their table on their way to the door. With them was a smiling teenager that Gwen had never met, and an adorable baby boy.

“Kids’ Fest was amazing, wasn’t it?” Sandy asked.

“Yes, it was!” Haley agreed enthusiastically. “I’ve never made so much art in one day before.”

For a while, Sandy and Daniel chatted with their table, discussing how much fun the day had been. After a while, they went on their way, and in another moment Alissa and Dane Taylor waved to their table as they entered the restaurant. Gwen was struck by how close-knit the town was, and how pleasant that felt.

She looked around, holding Isaiah’s hand under the table. The restaurant was filled with people that she’d seen that day at the school, and she recognized some of her patients as well. She realized in that moment what her life could really be like in Blueberry Bay—she could be truly part of a community.

And that’s what I want , she realized, feeling her heart lift up. That’s exactly what I want.

She felt surprised that it had taken her so long to recognize it—maybe because she’d never been a part of a community like that before.

Isaiah squeezed her hand under the table, and she turned toward him with a smile.

“What are you thinking?” he asked playfully.

She met his gaze, squeezing his hand back. “I’m just thinking that it’s really nice to be home.”