Chapter 4

A bell jingled over Hannah's head as she stepped into The Outlet. She grinned, excited to see her friends who worked there.

Is it just me,she thought, or does this place always smell like paper? Or do I just think that because I know it's a newspaper office?

She took a deep breath and decided that it definitely smelled like paper. Crisp and new, ready to be printed with news of Blueberry Bay. She felt a kind of tingling excitement just thinking about it. What was it about newspapers that always seemed so thrilling?

She was glad that Alissa Lewis had moved to the small town, and that her sister Caitlin had joined her in Blueberry Bay not long after that. Both women were friendly and kind, and Alissa was an incredible reporter. She and Dane had built the paper into something the whole town was proud of, and they'd even started a magazine together as well.

"Hey, you!"

Hannah turned to see Josie Garner, The Outlet's secretary, standing up behind her desk. Her long blonde hair shimmered in the light coming in through the front windows as she smiled widely. Hannah had admired Josie ever since Josie had moved to Blueberry Bay. Not only did she do her job with a precision that was truly impressive, but she also had a contagious laugh and a confident demeanor that Hannah aspired to.

"Josie!" Hannah hurried across the open area of the office for a hug.

"I'm so excited you're back!" the other woman said, squeezing Hannah in an affectionate embrace.

"We just got here yesterday afternoon," Hannah explained. "I wanted to surprise Dad."

"That's great." The secretary's brown eyes twinkled. "Was he surprised?"

"Very!" She laughed, remembering fondly how excited her father had been. "We stayed up late last night talking about everything under the sun."

Josie nodded. "I actually knew you were here already. Paige told me after she got home from Tidal Wave Coffee last night."

"Oh, of course! You must be so proud of her. She told me about the potential scholarship."

"Yes! I'm on pins and needles while we wait to hear back about it, but I'm not worried. She's a total rockstar."

Hannah beamed. "That's amazing that she has an opportunity like that." She remembered the way that Paige had seemed overwhelmed the day before when they were talking about it, and added, "I hope she's feeling good about everything—this is a very exciting time for her."

Hannah didn't want to say it outright, but she was hinting that things were going better for Paige now that she had moved to Blueberry Bay to live with her sister. Hannah didn't know the full story, but she knew that the Garners' mom had stopped being able to care for Paige because of having to go to rehab. Over spring break, Paige had told Hannah that before coming to town, she'd hardly ever talked to Josie—but that staying in Blueberry Bay had transformed both her perspective of her sister and her confidence in herself.

"It is, for sure." Josie's face lit up with a grin. "She's doing great in school. I know she's got really good things ahead of her—the future holds amazing possibilities for her. And I'm sure she's going to get that scholarship."

"I really think she will too. And hey, speaking of exciting things, how's it going with Wesley?" Hannah grinned, and then laughed when Josie flushed a little.

Wesley Cliff was a social worker, and he had been assigned to Paige's case when she moved to Blueberry Bay. Afterward, taken with Josie, he had asked her out and the two had begun a relationship together.

"Good. Really good. He's such a nice guy."

Hannah was about to ask Josie for more details, but at that moment Alissa appeared, stepping out of Dane's office.

"Oh my gosh, hey!" Alissa hurried across the room and folded Hannah into a hug. "I didn't know you were back in town!"

"I am." She grinned. "Luke is here with me too. I wanted to surprise my dad with a visit."

Alissa beamed at her. "That's sweet. I'm sure he was thrilled. How long are you both going to be here?"

"A few weeks! We're both done with our semesters already, so it's summer break for us."

"Oh, that's great!" Alissa's smile brightened even further. "That means you'll be in town for the Blueberry Bay Summer Smash."

"What's that?" Josie asked, looking curious.

"Wait, they're having that? Blueberry Bay hasn't had that event for years." Hannah felt a flutter of excitement as she remembered how much fun the Summer Smash had been in past years.

I could bring Luke there, she thoughtexcitedly. I'm sure he'd love it.

"I saw that," Alissa said. "And I think the fact that it hasn't been held in years is all the more reason to bring it back. I was going through the newspaper archives and I found the coolest articles about the Blueberry Summer Smash. All those fun contests that were held! It's never been held since I've been in town."

"Me either," said Josie. "I've never even heard of it."

"I remember going to it as a kid," Hannah said. "You're right, Alissa, there were all kinds of fun contests."

"I brought it up to the town council," Alissa said, her eyes twinkling behind her glasses. "I showed them the articles from the archives and suggested that we bring it back. I assured them that The Outlet would give the event plenty of press to ensure that it's well-attended." She paused dramatically, and Hannah swatted her playfully in the arm.

"Oh, come on, tell us! They said yes, didn't they? Or that at least they're going to think about it?"

"They said yes!" Alissa grinned, and Josie and Hannah gave each other a high-five. "Blueberry Bay means so much to all of the people who live here, so I suggested that this year we have a contest where individuals or groups can team up to represent a cherished town memory in costume."

"Ooh, a costume contest!" Josie rubbed her hands together. "I love costumes. I used to sew a little for the theater's costume shop at college."

"Right? I hoped other people would like the idea! I figured we can publish articles about past historical events every week until the event, telling some of Blueberry Bay's best stories, and then people will be able to choose from those stories or others that they remember."

"I love that idea." Hannah's mind was whirling, trying to remember what she knew about Blueberry Bay's history. "I'd love to see some of those articles you found."

"For sure!"

At that moment, the phone on Alissa's desk began to ring, and all three women glanced at it.

"Duty calls," Alissa said, pretending to grimace. "But absolutely, Hannah! Come by another time after work hours are done, and we can look through the articles then."

"Sounds great! I'll let you both get back to work. I'll see you later!"

Hannah parted ways with the other two women as they called affectionate farewells.

I think bringing back those festivities is a great idea,she thought as she stepped out into the early afternoon sunlight. It'll be fun for everyone, but I hope it's especially fun for Dad. He's thrilled to see us, that's clear, but I've been getting the impression that he's starting to get kind of down. He needs some cheering up. Maybe this will do the trick.