Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Isaiah ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. He’d been out on the Little Clams playground ever since dawn, working steadily away at setting up the new playground equipment. Even though the morning was still cool, he was warm and sweaty from working hard for hours.

He walked over to his water bottle, deciding he’d earned a short break. He sat down on the bench on the edge of the playground, letting the cool breeze ruffle his hair. He gulped down half his water bottle in one go, savoring the refreshingly cold liquid. He sighed, rolling his shoulders back a little and taking another deep breath. He drank the rest of the water bottle more slowly, knowing he’d have to go back inside the school soon to refill it.

It was shaping up to be a beautiful day, he thought, looking up at the sky and smiling. It had been a cloudy dawn, but now the clouds were breaking apart and the sun was shining through. His heart felt light, and he felt tired in a good way. He knew he had many more hours of work left in him, and he was excited to get a lot done that day. So far, he was a little ahead of schedule for the renovations, and he wanted to keep it that way— otherwise, Olivia would get nervous, he thought to himself with a chuckle.

Cars were starting to arrive to Little Clams, and kids were hopping out of them and running toward the school, usually with a parent calling after them to walk instead or to be more careful. The kids were shouting to each other and laughing—they looked like a flock of brightly-colored birds hopping along the ground.

I’m so glad I get to spend the spring here, he thought to himself with a smile. This town is peaceful, but it’s never boring.

He grinned as he watched a group of kids huddled together, staring at the playground and whispering. One of them pointed toward Isaiah, and he waved at them. The kids squeaked and dashed into the school as if Isaiah was a monster who might suddenly bite.

Chuckling, he finished the last gulp of his water. He hadn’t had this much fun on a job in—well, maybe not ever. He generally enjoyed the projects he worked on, and he found his work of building things very fulfilling. In spite of that, in the past year or so, he’d started to feel that he needed a change. He’d begun to feel restless—and it wasn’t the work itself that he’d become disinterested in. It was as if he’d felt the rest of the world calling to him, calling him away from his hometown in North Carolina. He’d always been fond of the place where he grew up, but he’d been wanting to spread his wings a little, so to speak.

He whistled a little to himself as he stood up and started to walk toward the school, with the intention of refilling his water bottle. His mind continued to wander, jumping back and forth from the past to the future like a kid playing hopscotch. He’d always been optimistic about the future, but now he felt especially excited about it. He was in a place where he was open to wherever life might lead him, and he had a feeling that great things were in store.

As he was opening the back door of the school, he thought suddenly and unexpectedly of Gwen. Maybe he’d been unconsciously comparing his own optimistic attitude toward the future to her uptight, stressed demeanor.

She’d seemed so serious when he’d met her. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of him to assume that she was that way all the time—after all, they’d almost gotten into a car accident—but he’d gotten the impression that she was a no-nonsense, all business type of person.

As he walked along the school hallways, looking for a drinking fountain, he began to wonder how he might be able to lighten her up. He pondered the puzzle energetically—the challenge was something he was looking forward to tackling. He smiled a little to himself as he filled up his water bottle, imagining the serious Gwen starting to laugh and smile. He wondered what he could do to make her feel happy and at ease.

As he was making his way back along the school’s hallways toward the playground, he heard someone call his name. He turned, and saw Olivia hurrying toward him, grinning.

“Hey, you,” she said, giving him a bear hug. “I was just coming outside to pay you a visit. How’s it all going?”

“Great,” he said, returning the bear hug. “I was just coming back inside for some water.”

“I’ll walk you back to the playground,” she said. “My teaching assistant is getting the kids settled for a half hour video, so she told me I could sneak out and talk to you for a while.”

“I have a feeling you want to talk to me about more than just the renovations,” he said, grinning. “You’ve got that impish look in your eyes again.”

She chuckled as they stepped back out into the sunlight. “I might have something to relate that I feel a little extra excited about.”

“What is it?” he asked, and then he knew what it was in the next instant. “You went to visit Gw—that doctor?”

“I did.” She clasped her hands behind her back and sashayed along beside him. “I brought her lemon bars. I’d misplaced my own recipe, but I asked Paige Garner for one and they turned out even better than my usual ones. Of course they would. Paige is a baking wizard.”

“Did she like them?”

She shrugged. “She didn’t eat any of them while I was there. I snuck in there in the middle of her workday, so she was probably feeling busy.”

“What did you think of her? Does she seem as serious-minded as I thought she was?”

She nodded. “She definitely does. I see what you were talking about. And I like her. She seems like a kind person, but the type that puts kindness into practice in different ways. Like, she spends her days helping people, but seemed uncomfortable with a friendly conversation. She seems like she doesn’t really know how to let loose.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “Maybe Blueberry Bay will show her how to enjoy the fun side of life.”

“Blueberry Bay and you,” she teased, amusement dancing in her eyes.

He chuckled, lifting one shoulder in a shrug.

“You know,” his sister said slyly, grinning at him, “maybe the two of you will really hit it off. I think she would be the perfect woman for someone like you. You’d provide the fun, and she’d provide the structure. You’re so relaxed that you need someone more structured in your life.”

His jaw dropped for an instant, and then he collected himself and waved his hand through the air, dismissing her teasing.

“Nonsense,” he said. “I’m just hoping to be her friend and tutor her in the ways of optimism. I’m not looking for a relationship or anything like that.”

“Just friendship.” She gave him a look that suggested she could see right through him.

He wondered if the tips of his ears were turning pink, but he just shook his head at her, laughing.

“I do want to spend more time with her. I want to try to make it up to her for almost hitting her with my truck. I don’t want her to think that the people here are inconsiderate, or that I don’t take it seriously that I should have been more careful. And I want to get to know her better. She—she seems like an enigma to me. I’d like to try to crack the code of her, so to speak.”

She laughed, looking impish. “You do, huh? Well, I warned her that you weren’t just going to let the situation go, and you wanted to make it up to her.”

“Really? What did she say?”

“Well, I guess your description of a fish out of water really was pretty accurate. She blinked at me a lot. She didn’t seem totally opposed to the idea, though.”

He grinned. “Did you paint me as some kind of devastated, guilty man who needed to atone for his errors?”

She laughed. “No. I said you were very nice. I think she gets the idea. You’re the type to want to make up for things when you make a mistake, and your outgoing nature makes you the kind of person who’s always willing to approach a stranger and pull them out of their shell. She’ll have all kinds of fun with you. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

He shrugged, grinning. “Hey, at least she’s been warned. Otherwise, me showing up out of the blue with the intent to be friendly might have been too much for her.”

She laughed. “You’re like an extraterrestrial to her. She needed advance warning of the alien landing.”

“Hey, technically we’re both aliens. Neither of us is from here.”

“Hmm, true.” She glanced at her watch, still chuckling. “I should get back in there. Got a lot of kiddos to teach. You text me if you need something, okay?”

“Will do! Have fun with the kiddos.”

“Have fun with the power tools.”

He grinned. “I always do.”

Olivia went back inside, and he smiled to himself as he went back to work. He was looking forward to reaching out to Gwen and getting to know her better.

“That was probably the best chicken alfredo I’ve ever had. Thank you, sweetheart.” Josie patted her stomach contentedly, glancing at her husband Wesley as they stood in their little kitchen together. “That sauce was incredible.”

“The sauce was store bought,” he said, grinning. “But thank you for the compliment.”

She laughed. “Yes, but you added butter and garlic to it. I saw you. And everything else was cooked just right too.”

For a moment, they stood there nuzzling noses, and she felt a rush of contentment.

“I’d better start on these dishes before they get too crusty,” she finally said, drawing back and gesturing to the sink.

They’d decided to take turns with cooking and washing up afterward. Since Wesley had cooked their meal for that night, it was her turn to clean up the dishes.

“Let me help you,” he said, opening the cupboard to grab some Tupperware for the leftovers.

“No,” she protested, tugging on his shirt sleeve. “You made the dinner.”

“I know, but now I want to stay here with my wife and help clean up the kitchen.” He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back and forth a little, dancing with her in the middle of the kitchen.

“Okay.” She laughed, leaning into the dancing. Privately she vowed to herself that she was going to help him with the dishes the next time it was his turn. “You’re trying to win the Best Husband of the Year Award, aren’t you?”

“How could you tell?” he teased, and she could feel him chuckling.

“I have my ways,” she said. “And I’ll give you a tip—right now, the judges are leaning heavily in your favor.”

“Wow,” he said, dipping her backward. “I hope I win.”

Both of them were laughing as he lifted her back onto her feet and they finished doing the dishes together. It didn’t take a great deal of time, especially with both of them working together, and soon they were setting the last pot down into the dish drainer.

“I’ve got to make a phone call, sweetheart,” she said, kissing him. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“To your mom?” he asked, clearly excited for her and the way her relationship with her mother was improving.

She shook her head, smiling. “No, but I did get to talk to Mom yesterday and she’s doing great. Tonight I’m calling Caitlin—I asked Paige if she’d be interested in baking the cake for Caitlin and Michael’s wedding. I don’t know if Caitlin already has someone lined up or not, but I wanted to ask her.”

“That’s a great idea,” he told her. “Paige would knock a wedding cake out of the park.”

“I know! And I’m sure Caitlin feels the same way—but I have to ask her and see if she’s already got someone to bake the cake or not. I hope she doesn’t—this could be such a great opportunity for Paige. Most of Blueberry Bay will be at the wedding, so it would be a wonderful way of showing everyone what she can do.”

“Well, I’m excited to hear what Caitlin says. I have a feeling Paige is going to be making Michael and Caitlin’s wedding cake.”

She grinned at him and stepped into their bedroom to make the phone call. She dialed Caitlin’s number and then sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling a little as she listened to it ring.

“Hey, Josie!” Caitlin’s voice said cheerfully from the other end of the line. “How are you doing?”

“Hey!” Josie grinned as she heard her friend’s voice. “I’m doing great, how about yourself?”

“Oh, busy.” Caitlin laughed. “It’s been a lot trying to plan this wedding—but I’m sure you know all about that! How’s married life?”

“Absolutely amazing,” Josie said, flopping back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Good.” Josie could tell from Caitlin’s tone that she was smiling. “I’m so happy for you. Wesley is a great guy.”

“He really is. And speaking of great guys, how’s Michael doing?”

“Wonderful as usual. He’s been helping me with all the wedding planning—he’s been insisting on that, since he was the one who suggested having a big celebration instead of a simple courthouse wedding. He’s been so enthusiastic about the whole thing—and so has Pearl. They’re helping me choose joy over stress, if you know what I mean.” She laughed again.

“I absolutely know what you mean—and I think I might be able to help you with some of that workload. Or at least, I hope I can. Do you have someone lined up to bake the wedding cake yet?”

“No, I don’t—oh! Will Paige have graduated by then?”

“Yes, she will. How would you feel about her making the wedding cake for you guys? She’s made wedding cakes before, but only in practice.”

“I’m definitely intrigued by the idea. I adore her baking—we all do. Do you think she’s up for such a big task, though? There’s a lot of people invited to the wedding, so it would have to be a pretty big cake, maybe bigger than what she’s made before.”

“I know she can handle it.” Josie smiled, feeling a glowing sense of pride in her sister. “After all, this is Paige we’re talking about. I’m sure she’d practice the cake three or four times before the wedding.”

“That’s a good point! I know how hard working she is—and no one can argue the fact that she’s talented. And besides, I’ll never forget the support that I got from our community when I was first starting the Beyond the Sea Dinner Cruise, and I’d absolutely love to help out another aspiring businesswoman. Especially one as dedicated as Paige.”

“Thank you! I mentioned it to her already and told her I’d ask you what you thought. She said she’s up for it if you still need someone.”

“Sounds great. I’ll give her a call and we can discuss everything. Michael and I have yet to decide on a flavor, and I bet she can help us with that.”

“Definitely. Thanks, Caitlin! I’m really excited about this.”

“I am too. I—oh wait, hold on a second.” For a moment, Caitlin stopped speaking, and Josie could hear Pearl saying something in the background. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey,” Caitlin said, her voice a little muffled. “Hey, Josie? Pearl isn’t feeling well. I should go. I’ll call Paige as soon as I get a chance.”

“Thank you! I’m sorry to hear that. Tell Pearl I hope she feels better soon.”

“I will. Have a good night!”

“You too!”

The friends hung up, and Josie sat on her bed, staring into space. She hoped that Pearl felt better very soon, and that Caitlin decided to hire Paige to bake the wedding cake. Smiling to herself, she stood up and went out into the main part of the apartment to find her husband.