Chapter 27

"Yes! That looks great." Hannah grinned as she watched Alissa arrange a garland of fake flowers along the edge of a temporary stage that had been set up in the park. She and Alissa and Caitlin and Michael were there with Josie and Paige and many other townspeople, getting the park ready for the Summer Smash. They had been busy ever since lunchtime, setting up the stage and the various games, in addition to arranging beautiful decorations that had either a summer or a nautical theme.

"This park is going to look like a small Disneyland by the time we're done with it," Alissa said proudly.

"I should hope so!" Caitlin laughed. "I've never heard of an event that had so many fun things happening at once. Water sports, games, the costume contest—"

"Hey, don't forget the food!" Josie grinned. "I can't wait to graze a potluck provided by the entire town. We've got an impressive amount of good cooks in Blueberry Bay. And bakers." She gave Paige a playful punch in the shoulder, and her sister beamed at her.

"And Tidal Wave Coffee will be providing the coffee," said Michael, his eyes twinkling.

"I am really looking forward to coffee." Paige laughed. "I wish I had some right now."

"Hmm, we should get some later," Alissa said. "I am looking forward to everything." She laughed. "What about you, Caitlin? What are you most excited about for the Summer Smash?"

"Oh, definitely the costume contest." Caitlin grinned. "Just wait till you see Pearl in her costume! She's adorable."

Everyone continued to talk excitedly about the contest for a few more moments, and then Hannah noticed a couple of people joining one of the work groups across the park.

"Hey! Look! There's Marsha and Olivia." She glanced at Alissa, and the two of them shared a knowing grin.

I hope things are going well with her and Dad,Hannah thought eagerly. She seemed kind of nervous about the whole thing the other day, but hopefully what I said helped make her feel better about everything.

Marsha and Olivia stayed with the group across the park, which was setting up small tents to cover the potluck tables. Hannah kept glancing in their direction, wondering if her father might join that group and she could observe him and Marsha interact from a distance.

"Need any help over here?"

She turned around and saw her father walking toward their group. She beamed at him, happy to see him even if he wasn't joining the group she'd hoped he would.

"Sure!" Michael grinned at Willis. "I could use another man to help me carry some speakers onto the stage."

As they all continued working, Hannah noticed her father glancing over to where Marsha and Olivia were several times. He had a wistful, bittersweet look in his eyes, which made her feel as though she needed to know what was going on with the two of them as soon as possible.

"So, Dad," she said, smiling at him as she adjusted a podium near where he was working with one of the speakers. "How are Marsha's and your costumes?"

"Oh, they're great." He glanced up at her and smiled, but the smile was clearly forced. He had a piercingly sad look in his eyes in that moment, and her stomach flopped, wondering what had gone wrong.

"Have… have the two of you come to an understanding?" she asked quietly.

He glanced at his daughter and nodded. Instinctively, she moved closer to him so that they could speak without being overheard.

"We talked about getting back together, and we decided that it was best to leave the past in the past." His tone sounded as though he was trying not to sound sad. It wasn't quite working—and besides, Hannah could tell by the look in his eyes that he wished they'd decided something different. "We've decided to be friends."

Alissa, who was working nearby and happened to overhear, glanced at Hannah with a disappointed look. Hannah looked back at her friend, biting her lip.

"Okay, Dad." Hannah hugged him sideways. "Thanks for telling me."

He nodded and bent down to continue working on attaching the speaker to the rest of the sound system.

Soon, their group moved over to where the games and a couple of bouncy castles were being set up. Marsha and Olivia were also working there now, and Hannah couldn't help but notice how Marsha and her father kept glancing at each other.

"Look at those two," she whispered to Alissa. "They keep looking at each other, but they aren't really speaking. They clearly both want to be together. They look like a couple of lovesick puppies."

"I know." Alissa sighed. "But we did all we could, Hannah. Whether or not they decide to give their romance another try is up to the couple now."

Hannah nodded.

I guess she's right,she thought. We did what we could. I just hope they decide to get back together after all.

* * *

Marsha sat at her craft desk, gazing out the window. The sun was starting to sink toward the horizon, and it lit up the ocean waves with flashes of white and gold. She appreciated how beautiful it was, but it didn't make the achy feeling in her heart go away.

"Knock, knock!" Olivia stood in the doorway behind her. "I brought you a glass of sweet tea, Aunt Marsha."

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart."

Olivia crossed over to her aunt's worktable and placed a glass of cold sweet tea on a coaster. She pressed her lips together when she saw Marsha's face.

"You look really sad," she said softly. "What happened?"

Marsha inhaled. "Willis and I talked about getting back together. He said he wanted to try, but I—well, I'd been doing some thinking, and I think we should leave the past as it is."

"Why?" Olivia blurted.

"Because—well, it's complicated, sweetheart."

Olivia shook her head. "What you're really saying is that you're too afraid. Why do you feel like you need to fight this? You two are being given a second chance at love. You should take it!"

Marsha shook her head. "We're different people than we were, Olivia. It's—I think it's too much of a risk."

Olivia squeezed her aunt's shoulder. "What is life, if not trying to do what you feel is right, even when you're scared? Everyone needs to try to seize their opportunities for happiness, even when it feels like a risk."

"I—I hear what you're saying—" Marsha began, and then stopped. She remembered what Hannah had told her—that she and Willis could rebuild their relationship.

Maybe that's the key word,she thought. Rebuild. It's not like we'd be trying to have exactly the same thing we used to. We'd be building a new relationship, using the love we still have for each other.

She still felt afraid of going out on a limb, and of disrupting her safe, sheltered life. But she reminded herself that although her life was comfortable in many ways, it was also a little lonely.

And she loved Willis. She couldn't deny that. Her feelings for him felt stronger than her fears, and she smiled as she realized that she could be brave enough to try again.

"Maybe you're right," she said to Olivia, her voice soft. "I think I really do understand what you're saying now. I believe you that it might work, as long as we take the time and effort to work through any problems that might come up."

She gathered her courage, allowing herself to follow her heart instead of just trying to make the safe choice. She reminded herself that the best decision of her life had been to start her own business, and that had been far from a safe choice.

Her niece beamed at her. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, Aunt Marsha!" She reached down and gave her aunt a hug. "I know you can do this. It might feel scary, but I believe it's absolutely going to be worth it. Besides, remember you're both surrounded by people who love you and want to support you."

"You're right." Marsha took a deep breath. "Even if it's scary, some things are worth fighting for."