Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Paige Garner grinned to herself as she began to tidy up her baking station at Flourish Baking School. Around her, her friends were chatting and laughing about how their class had gone—they’d been making soufflés, and many of the students’ bakes had turned out terribly. Thankfully, no one had taken it too hard and everyone had laughed good-naturedly about the disasters. Paige’s soufflé had turned out beautifully, and her teacher’s praises were still ringing in her ears as she put away her ingredients.

“Are you coming for movie night tonight, Paige?” asked her classmate, Sarah, at the door.

“Yeah, sounds great!” Paige grinned. “What are we watching?”

“I don’t know, it’s Katie’s turn to pick out the movie.”

“Uh oh,” said their friend Steve. “Katie always picks tear-jerkers.”

Paige laughed. “Ask her to pick something funny this time, would you?”

“I’ll try.” Sarah laughed, and she and Steve left the classroom, waving to Paige as they went.

Left alone in the room, Paige started to hum quietly to herself. She felt proud of the work she’d accomplished that day—and all of the work she’d accomplished that semester so far. She was looking forward to the rest of her classes, and all of the things she was going to learn. Even more than that, she was looking forward to graduating. Even though she loved school and she would be sad to leave it, she was itching to get back to Blueberry Bay so that she could start her own bakery there.

Once her baking station was spotlessly clean, she swung her backpack onto her shoulders and left the classroom. From there, it was a short walk across campus and along a few of Providence’s sidewalks to her apartment building.

She climbed the staircase up to her little studio, feeling tired but happy. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, breathing deeply of the smell of her apartment. It always had a lingering aroma of flour and sugar because she baked in it so often. She practiced baking at least once a day at home, in addition to her studies at school.

She set her backpack down on the little couch she had placed against the window and walked over to the kitchenette. Resting on the counter was the notebook where she scribbled down all her recipe ideas. She kept it there because she used it so often—that recipe notebook was something that she baked out of almost every day. She wanted to make sure she had all of her recipes perfected before she graduated, so that she could begin to launch a successful bakery immediately.

Leaning against the counter, she flipped through a few pages of the notebook, wondering what recipe she should try to make that night. There was a peanut butter cookie recipe she’d been wanting to tackle, and she decided on that. Smiling and humming to herself again, she went back over to her backpack to get her phone. As she started to boil some water for macaroni and cheese, she called her big sister Josie.

The phone only rang a couple of times before Josie picked up, sounding eager.

“Hey, Paige!” she sang into the phone.

“Hey! I just wanted to call and say hi.” Paige smiled as she started to chop up some tomatoes to put in the mac and cheese. “How are you doing?”

“Wonderful!”

Paige grinned. Ever since her sister had gotten married, she’d always responded to that question with “wonderful.” “How’s Wesley doing?”

“He’s extraordinary. It’s amazing getting to see him every day.”

“No domestic squabbles yet, huh? Even though you’re both living in that apartment together now?”

Josie laughed. “We disagree about stuff sometimes, but it’s all raindrops and no thunderstorms, if you know what I mean.”

Paige chuckled at her sister’s metaphor. “Okay, okay. Glad to hear it.” She grinned. “So how long is it going to be until I’m an aunt?”

Even though she couldn’t see her sister, Paige could just picture Josie’s mouth popping open into an “o.”

“Come on, you know I’m going to make the absolute best aunt,” Paige said, opening the box of noodles to get ready for when the water was boiling.

Josie laughed. “You’re right, you will. And we are trying,” she admitted. “We do want kids right away.”

Paige was thrilled, and she spun around in her kitchen. “I can’t wait!” she sang out. “You’re going to have an adorable little baby, and I’m going to spoil him or her like crazy. That kid is never going to want for cookies.”

Josie chuckled, sounding just as excited as Paige felt. “Not too many sweets, though,” she said, and Paige could hear the grin in her sister’s voice.

“Oh right, I forgot about how much you care about eating healthy,” Paige teased. “Okay. I’ll make bran muffins regularly and cookies every once in a while.”

“Hey, those bran muffins you made that one time were amazing.”

“Oh, man, I forgot about those! I was practicing because I knew we were going to be making them in class here. They were okay.”

She grimaced, not being particularly fond of bran muffins herself. Her health-nut sister was another matter.

“They were amazing,” Josie insisted. “At least as far as bran muffins go,” she admitted honestly.

Paige chuckled. “It’s been fun trying all kinds of new recipes here—I’ve gotten really good at making gluten-free stuff—but I can’t wait to graduate so I can just choose all my own recipes. And I can’t wait to come back home.”

“I can’t wait for you to come back home either!” Josie exclaimed. “I’m literally counting the days. Wesley can confirm that.”

“You are, huh? Wow, you must really like me.” Despite her teasing tone, Paige’s heart glowed with happiness to hear her sister’s words.

“You know I do,” Josie said cheerfully. “We’re going to have so many adventures this summer. Boating and hiking and going to celebrations. I’m so excited.”

“I’m counting the days myself,” Paige confessed, laughing. “It’s just a little over a month, and then I’ll be going home.”

“It feels good to hear you call Blueberry Bay ‘home.’ I remember when you first came here, you couldn’t wait to leave.”

“Yeah, that didn’t last long.” Paige thought with a fond smile of how Blueberry Bay had captured her heart. It had started with her friend Tommy Ryan, and then the women of Blueberry Bay had showed her what a supportive community looked like. She’d worked at Tidal Wave Coffee and sold some of her bakery there. All around her had been people who cared about her and wanted her to succeed—even though she had great friends at school and was having a wonderful time there, it wasn’t as great as Blueberry Bay was. She’d had a sense of home when she was there that she’d never experienced anywhere else, and she couldn’t wait to go back. Best of all, her sister was there—her repaired relationship with her sister Josie was absolutely one of the best things in her life. “I love our town. And I love you.”

“Oh!” Josie cooed. “I love you too.”

Paige grinned. “And I can’t wait to be back home so I can start really putting roots down. I want to become an aunt, and I want to meet a guy of my own someday?—”

“Oh really, now?”

“Shush, of course I do!” Paige waved a hand, her cheeks turning pink. “And most of all, I can’t wait to start my bakery. Well, my own business. The actual bakery part will come later.”

“You still want to bake for local businesses first before opening up your own shop?”

“I do. That seems like the smartest choice as far as finances go. I should be able to save up a lot of money that way.”

“Sounds brilliant to me. And I know you’ve got it all planned out, in every detail.”

“I do!” Paige smiled as she poured the box of noodles into the pot of boiling water. “I really do. I’ve got so many lists and charts and everything—and I’m practicing and perfecting all my own recipes so I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

“I’m so proud of you, Paige. I can’t wait to see your plans succeed.”

Paige’s heart glowed over her sister’s words. “Thank you, Josie. I can’t wait to see you and Wesley have all kinds of cute babies and move into your dream home together.”

Josie laughed. “Me either. Although I have to admit, I’m pretty content with how things are right now. Life feels extra sweet now that he’s my husband.”

“Aww, cheesy.”

“Mm, I’m not sorry. Hey, speaking of sweet things, did you talk to Michael about selling your bakery at Tidal Wave Coffee again once you get back?”

“Not yet! Well, not officially—we talked about it last time I was there and he said he definitely wants me to bake for the coffee shop again. But we haven’t discussed the actual business details yet.”

“You should—you should talk to him about the drinks he’s planning on showcasing over the summer. Then you can see if you can kind of follow those themes a little with your baked goods.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea! Thank you.”

“Of course! And the other thing is, Caitlin’s wedding is coming right up. Do you want me to ask her if she has someone lined up to make the wedding cake yet?”

“Oh, wow.” Paige’s stomach flopped in nervousness at the thought. A wedding cake was a big deal—she’d made big cakes before, and they’d studied wedding cakes in her classes at Flourish Baking School, but it was the kind of thing that she felt an enormous amount of pressure to get just right. And she was very fond of Caitlin, and of Michael—she would want any cake for their wedding to be nothing short of perfect. “Yeah, you can ask her.”

“I can hear how nervous you are. Your voice went up almost a whole octave.” Josie chuckled. “Don’t sweat it. I know you would knock a cake out of the park, and I know Michael and Caitlin think highly of your baking already. It’s up to them. If she says yes, I know you can do it.”

“Okay.” Paige smiled, still feeling nervous but grateful for her sister’s encouragement. “Thanks, Josie.”

“Absolutely. Oh, wow, it’s later than I thought it was. I’m still on honeymoon time. I should get going, I’ve got to start making dinner in earnest.”

Paige laughed. “Me too. Talk to you soon?”

“Yes! Good luck with all your classes!”

“Good luck with being married!”

The sisters both laughed again, said an affectionate goodbye, and hung up. Paige set her phone down on the counter and began to grate cheese for her pasta. As she worked, she saw her phone light up with a text from her mother. She grinned and picked it up, reading the text eagerly.

MOM: Hey, sweetheart! How are things going at school?

Paige shut her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to feel a rush of relief and hope. After her mother had been sent to rehab, she had made vast improvements in her life. It was clear that she was taking her sobriety journey seriously, and she was putting in the work to be better.

After Paige had chosen to live in Blueberry Bay instead of return home to continue living with their mom, she’d been worried that her relationship with her mother would fall apart. Instead, the opposite was happening—her mother was becoming more dependable and supportive. Her mother had gone to Josie’s wedding, and the three of them had gotten to spend a lot of sweet time together. Things between the daughters and their mother were improving, and it gave Paige a great deal of joy.

She smiled as she texted her mother back, feeling glad that her mother wanted to know about her life. She felt as though she wanted to type out every single detail of what was happening, so that her mother could hear about all of her good news.

PAIGE: Hey, Mom! Things are going great. I just made a successful soufflé earlier, so I’m glad that challenge is in the books! And I just talked to Josie too. Sounds like you might be a grandmother pretty soon!

She knew her mother would respond again in a moment, but for now, she needed to get her food cooked. After dinner, she planned on baking, and then bringing her peanut butter cookies to the movie night with her friends. She set her phone back down on the counter and hummed to herself as she continued her preparations for dinner.

Isaiah muttered enthusiastically to himself as he laid down materials for the new play structures on the Little Clams playground. The pieces were painted a bright blue and they reminded him of when he had been a little kid, rushing around being hyper on the playground with his friends.

He stood up straight and stretched, looking up at the clear blue sky. It seemed to be a lighter echo of the blue of the new playground equipment, and he smiled to himself as he thought about how nice the new playground would look on clear summer days.

“Hey, you! Are you hungry?”

He turned and saw his sister, Olivia, walking toward him, carrying a tray of food. He grinned at her and gave her a sideways hug as she reached his side.

“I sure am. How can you read my mind like that?”

“I’m your sister, I grew up alongside your stomach.” She laughed. “This is left over from the kids’ lunch. I hope you don’t mind peanut butter and jelly.”

“I love peanut butter and jelly,” he said, meaning it sincerely. He picked up the sandwich and took a large chomp out of it. “Oh, thank you. And no crusts. This is sublime.”

She laughed as he took the tray from her. In addition to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, there was a bowl of carrots, a side of ranch dressing, and a chocolate chip cookie.

“You want to sit down on that bench and talk about the renovations while you eat?” she asked, pointing to a wooden bench that was splashed with colors as if several kids had hurled cans of paint at it at the same time.

“Sure. You want some of my carrots?” he offered.

“No, no, you eat those. I already had my lunch.”

Isaiah sighed, since he wasn’t fond of carrots, but he couldn’t help grinning at his sister’s playful banter.

They sat down on the bench together, looking out across the playground. It was a sunny day, and the spring was getting warmer, making it pleasant to be outside in the sun. Nearby, birds chirped in tree branches which rustled in a light wind.

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” she said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

“Just gorgeous,” he agreed. “How are classes going?”

“Fun! Except one bad thing happened this morning. I had a kid—well, uh, lose their lunch so to speak, during class this morning, but their parents came to get them and take them home. I’ve been texting the mom and it sounds like it was just food poisoning or something and the kid will be better soon, so that’s good.”

“That is good.” There was a short pause, and then he said, “If it happened during the morning, wouldn’t it be losing their breakfast then?”

She shook her head at him, laughing.

“Well, I hope that kid feels better soon,” he said, taking another chomp out of the sandwich. “Now tell me all your hopes and dreams about this playground,” he said with his mouth full.

Grinning, she began to tell him where she wanted him to place everything. After he felt clear about all of her instructions for the playground, they talked more about the indoor renovations for the school. Isaiah smiled to hear how enthusiastic his sister was about the school. He was glad that he could be there to help her improve a place that she loved so much.

“Do you think you’ll be able to get all that done in time?” she asked nervously.

He laughed. “Of course! Stop worrying about that. Make me a list of what our priorities are, just in case, but that all sounds more than manageable.”

She pursed her lips. “Okay. Thanks, Isaiah.”

“You still look nervous,” he teased.

“Well—” She bit her lip, chuckling. “I know how optimistic you are. I’m just wondering if maybe you’re not really calculating all of the time you’re going to need properly. Like, taking trips to bring the lumber here, things like that.”

“I already got all the lumber,” he said proudly. “I brought it over in my truck the other day.”

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I would have liked to see how you managed to get all of that lumber in your truck at once.”

“It fit—but I have to admit that while I was transporting it, I nearly had a run-in with the new doctor.”

“You got injured?” she asked in concern.

“No.” He laughed. “I was backing up too fast and I almost hit her car. Almost!” he added as Olivia’s eyes widened.

“Well, I’m glad it was all okay!” Her brows rose, curiosity clear in her expression. “I didn’t know we had a new doctor in town. That’s great news. What’s she like?”

“Very pretty,” he blurted, and immediately regretted his honesty when his sister’s smile turned into a mischievous grin.

“Oh, she is, huh?”

He felt as though the tips of his ears might be turning a little pink, but he was determined to ignore the feeling. “Just… you know, objectively. She’s a woman around our own age, not an old man or anything like that.”

“Right. Because the only way to tell me that she’s a younger woman instead of an old man is by saying that she’s pretty.” Her lips twitched as if she was hiding a smile.

He wrinkled his nose at her and kept talking. “She seems like a fish out of water here, I have to admit. She’s got ‘city’ written all over her. You know, she seems on edge and in a constant hurry. That type of person. Everyone in Blueberry Bay is relaxed—people here know how to take things easy. She seems pretty out of place here.”

“Well, you’re new too. You’re also a fish out of water.”

“Sure,” he said, grinning, “but I’m already blending in with the locals and charming everyone with my pleasant, laid-back attitude.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I can’t argue with that. I know your charming nature and your jokes have probably won the hearts of the people of Blueberry Bay already.”

“See? Even my own sister thinks so. And she’s sick of all my jokes by now.”

“I’m sure that serious-minded doctor was another story, though,” Olivia pointed out. “I bet she was having none of your jokes.”

He chuckled. “Well, I didn’t exactly tell her any jokes, but yeah, she didn’t seem too pleased. But I can’t blame her for being stressed under the circumstances, and she wasn’t mean or anything. I don’t think she’s all bad. She seems interesting—and I expect she’ll acclimate to Blueberry Bay before long.”

“Well, I hope so. If she’s the stressed-out type, she might not give herself the time to really let go and get to know people.”

He nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve decided I want to help her settle in here.”

“Oh, really?” Her expression was almost gleeful, and he knew he was going to get teased again in a moment or two.

“What’s so surprising about that? We’re both new. I figured I could help her feel more comfortable here. And I could maybe help her kind of learn how to take on a more… uplifted attitude.”

She arched a brow. “You have a very optimistic way of moving through life. Is it your mission to make sure that everyone else is optimistic too?”

He grinned and dipped a carrot in the ranch dressing before popping it into his mouth. “I don’t see what harm it would do. And this doctor seems like the perfect candidate.”

“Hmm. I see what you’re saying. And the fact that she’s pretty has nothing to do with your benevolent intentions, huh?”

He lifted a brow at her. “Who else in this town do you propose that I teach how to be optimistic?”

She nudged him with her shoulder. “That’s a good point. And all kidding aside, I think that’s a sweet idea—to help welcome her to town. If she’s new here, she’s probably feeling lonely and out of place. It’s always hard to move somewhere new and leave an old life behind.”

For a few moments, they sat comfortably side by side, both looking out across the playground. Isaiah ate a couple more carrots, finding that he was enjoying the taste more than he thought he would. He kept thinking about meeting Gwen, and wondering what kind of a person she was underneath her curt exterior.

“I think I’ll go over to the doctor’s office and welcome her as well,” Olivia said after a few moments, smiling. “I’ll make something for her. Lemon bars. I make some seriously good lemon bars. That should make her feel welcome.”

Isaiah thought privately to himself that it was ironic that his sister wanted to bake something with a sour flavor for the less-than-sweet newcomer.

And anyway, it’s going to take more than sugar to sweeten that woman up, he thought to himself.

Then he smiled. He was up for the challenge.