Chapter 10

Paige sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She'd just wolfed down a burrito bowl during her lunch break at Tidal Wave Coffee, and she could already feel the energy rising back up in her body. She never got too tired on her shifts there, though.

I love this job, she thought.

She glanced behind her at the counter, where Michael was covering for her while she took her break. A few other customers sat at various tables around the cozy coffee shop, sipping their beverages and working on laptops or reading. The atmosphere was cheerful and contented, and she smiled quietly to herself as she started to pick up her food dishes.

Once she'd gotten her table cleaned up, she walked back behind the counter where Michael was.

"Back so soon?" he asked her, his eyes twinkling. "You've still got seven minutes left in your break."

She shrugged, laughing. "I don't mind. Things are pretty slow right now, so it's not like I'm coming back to a stressful environment."

"You don't get stressed even when it is busy," he said, grinning at her. "You're a whiz at customer service."

She smiled, warmed by his words but also feeling a pang. His compliment had reminded her of what she wanted to do—stay in Blueberry Bay and open her own bakery, and really get to use not only her customer service skills, but also her baking skills.

She kept thinking about the scholarship she'd gotten. She knew that she would have to accept it, but her heart sank every time something reminded her of it.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at him. She didn't want to show that she was feeling tense. "I can take over again now, if you want."

"Sure thing. I'll be around, but I do have some emails I should respond to."

He disappeared into the back room, which led to his small office. She turned her attention to the counter, and tidied up what she could, since she had no real work to do without a customer at the moment. It was only a few minutes before Michael came back through the doorway and approached her.

"Something up?" she asked, surprised by how widely he was grinning.

"Paige! Congratulations! I just got a text from Josie about your big news."

She forced a smile onto her face. Not the scholarship again, she thought.

"Yeah, thank you. It's pretty exciting."

"It's more than exciting. You should be so proud of yourself. That's a huge honor."

She nodded, not knowing what to say. She knew he was right, but she didn't feel enthusiastic about her achievement because it meant that she had to leave Blueberry Bay.

"Josie said that she's planning a big party to celebrate your good news. She said she's still picking a date, but I'll do my absolute best to be there, and I'm sure Caitlin will too."

"Thanks." She smiled, but Michael seemed to be able to see past her forced cheerfulness, because he frowned.

"Everything okay? You don't seem all that excited about the party."

"I just—I mean, it's so sweet of Josie. I do appreciate it. A lot. But I wish we didn't have to celebrate it—I mean, not with so much hype. I'd prefer something small, I guess."

He nodded, listening. He was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "Is going away to school really what you want?"

She was surprised by how abruptly he'd cut to the chase.

I guess I'm not doing a good job of pretending to be happy, she thought. Or maybe he's just extra-perceptive.

"I—well, I'm not sure," she confessed, grateful to have someone to confide in. "I love it here in Blueberry Bay. I feel like I've just found a home here, and it makes me sad to think about leaving my sister. I know that this could be a life-changing opportunity, though. You're right, it is an honor, and I know I shouldn't pass that up. I guess I just feel really torn. I don't know what I should do. Like, I want one thing, but the other thing is the one that really makes sense."

"That's a lot for you to think about." He smiled sympathetically, and she guessed that this wasn't the first time he was talking to one of his teenage employees about their future.

He seems comfortable giving advice, she thought. I hope he's got some good advice for me.

"You've got an important decision to make, but I'm sure you'll make a good one."

"It's so hard to know what to do." She sighed. "I mean, I don't know what will happen. I feel like I'd be missing opportunities either way. If I go to school, I'm going to be missing things here in Blueberry Bay that I want to be a part of. But obviously school—and this scholarship—is a big opportunity. Like, crazy big."

He smiled. "Just remember that above all else, you should make sure that whatever decision you make is one that supports the future you see for yourself."

"Yeah." Her mind whirled as she took in his words. She leaned against the counter, staring into space.

What is the future I see for myself?she wondered. Something involving running my own bakery, that's for sure.

In her heart, she knew that she wanted a future there, in Blueberry Bay.

But maybe I need to leave here first in order to be successful later?she thought. Her heart did a somersault. I don't know.

She looked up and smiled at her boss. "Thanks, Michael. I really appreciate your advice. You're right, I do have a lot to think about. I think what you said will help me as I figure it out."

* * *

Caitlin placed the last dinner plate inside the dishwasher with precise care. She loved her dishes—they were a sage green, and she'd purchased them at an artisan's store several years ago. Beside her in the kitchen, Michael was wiping off the surface of the stove. Pearl, always eager to help, was in the dining room wiping the table off with a damp rag.

"That was a delicious meal, as always, sweetheart," he said, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. "I've never had stuffed salmon that tasted that good."

She smiled warmly, pleased by his praise. "Thank you! I was trying out a new recipe tonight. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Thanks for feeding me. Next time I'll be here early enough to help you cook."

"Don't feel like you have to do that! I know you have responsibilities to Tidal Wave Coffee. I don't want you to feel like you need to leave there to come here to help me cook. Besides, I like cooking."

"Well, I like helping you." He winked.

"Well, you're welcome to come help anytime. I just don't want you to feel like you have to—"

"Shh," he urged her, pulling her into a hug. She laughed and hugged him back. "I like cooking too. I especially like cooking with you."

She beamed at him, but before she could kiss him, Pearl came bounding into the kitchen.

"What's for dessert?" she cried, and the adults laughed.

"Banana cream pie," Caitlin told her. "But first, I was thinking that we should decide what our costumes for the Summer Smash should be."

"Yes!" the little girl cried. "Can I go as Rapunzel?"

"Well, we have to choose people from Blueberry Bay's history for the Summer Smash competition," Michael explained gently. "But you can dress up as Rapunzel another time."

"Oh, okay," Pearl said, pleased.

Caitlin smiled at how good Michael was with the little girl. "I don't know very much about Blueberry Bay's history, I have to admit. Michael, do you have any ideas?"

He shook his head. "I'm far from being a historical expert myself, I'm afraid. But we can always look up the history online."

"That's a good idea!" Caitlin said. She finished pouring dishwasher detergent into the dishwasher and turned it on. "And The Outlet has been publishing articles recently about Blueberry Bay's best stories, so we can always use that for inspiration."

"Let's not, Mommy. Then other people might choose the same costumes as us."

Caitlin laughed. "That's true, Pearl! That's a very good point."

Michael winked at the little girl and they fist-bumped.

"Should we go into the living room?" Caitlin suggested. "We can look things up on my laptop."

A couple of minutes later, they were sitting on the couch together, all looking at Caitlin's laptop. They eagerly debated what costumes they could make as they scrolled through everything the internet could tell them about the history of Blueberry Bay. Pearl was happily perched on Michael's lap, leaning forward to peer at the computer screen.

"Look at that, Pearl," he told her, pointing to an old black and white photograph. "That's the firehouse. It's been in Blueberry Bay since eighteen-twenty-one, can you believe that?"

"That's because firehouses don't start on fire," she said proudly.

Caitlin laughed, and her heart swelled to see the two of them interacting together so sweetly. Her gaze fell on a picture propped up on the mantelpiece that Pearl had drawn of the three of them at the park the other day.

They're just darling together,she thought. I'm so glad Michael agreed to do this with us. We're all already close, but I think having a project like this will bring us even closer together. It almost feels like we're a family.

"Caitlin?"

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned back to Michael in surprise. "Yes?"

He laughed. "Did you hear what I just said?"

She shook her head, chuckling a little. "I didn't, sorry. I was too distracted, I guess. Lost in thought for a moment." She smiled. "What did you say?"

"I said," he said ceremoniously, as if revealing some kind of grand prize, "what do you think of this?"

He tilted the laptop toward her, showing her a photograph of a couple and a dog that appeared to have been taken in the nineteen-fifties.

"This couple was out walking when it started to downpour. A terrible thunderstorm came up suddenly. They heard barking, and soon a dog appeared. It started urging them to safety." His eyes scanned the article as he spoke, paraphrasing it into a condensed version. "The dog led them to an abandoned cabin in the woods. It appeared that the owner of the dog had lived there some time ago but had either passed away or moved out of town, leaving the dog alone. The couple was so taken with the dog that had rescued them that they decided to adopt it as soon as they were sure that it didn't belong to anyone else. They named the dog Star, since they said it was like a star helping them navigate an ocean of water." He laughed.

Caitlin clapped her hands to her cheeks. "What a sweet story! I love it." She gazed at the photograph of the couple. They looked to be around her and Michael's own ages at the time the picture was taken, and they even bore some resemblance to them—the man also had long dark hair and the woman had long brown hair, like her own. "But shouldn't we pick a story with three people in it? A kid, or—"

"I can play the dog!" Pearl cried, and Michael started laughing.

"That is what I was thinking," he said, grinning. "You like that idea, Pearl?"

"Arf! Arf!" She held up her hands like paws and pretended to pant like a dog.

Caitlin laughed so hard she had to wipe tears away. "I love that idea. I think it will be adorable."

"Perfect, we'll print out this picture and use it as a guide." His eyes were twinkling. "Ready to go back to the nineteen-fifties with me, Caitlin?"

"I can't wait." She grinned at him. "Now we just have to construct the costumes."