Chapter 6

Josie cracked an egg on the side of the frying pan and let the insides plop down onto a drizzle of olive oil. She cracked another, taking a deep breath of the smell of coffee and baking muffins.

Paige had been there for only a few days. So far, she'd just wanted a quick bowl of cereal every morning before school and hadn't wanted Josie to cook for her. But today, Josie was determined to give her the added boost of energy a really healthy breakfast could bring.

She peered inside the oven, noting that the blueberry muffins were cooking beautifully. In just a little while, they would be done. She hoped Paige liked them. Josie had made them with whole wheat and bran flour, so that they would be extra healthy. Personally, she felt that the blueberries added a tangy sweetness that made the muffins richly flavorful, but she worried that Paige wouldn't like the taste.

"Good morning!" she sang out as Paige shuffled sleepily into the kitchen. Paige was wearing a black t-shirt and a red hoodie. She usually wore dark, angsty colors like that. Josie had been very wrong when she'd guessed that Paige might still like pink like she had when she was a little girl.

"Good morning," Paige said, eyeing the scrambled eggs warily. "Are those for you?"

"They're for both of us," Josie said.

"I've never eaten eggs before," Paige said.

Josie's jaw dropped, and for a moment, she and Paige stared at each other. Paige's expression was almost defiant. "Well, not just by themselves anyway. Mom baked sometimes."

Josie nodded, turning back to her cooking. She felt another wave of guilt, feeling as though she should have tried to take better care of her sister.

"How's school going?" Josie asked as Paige opened the refrigerator and took out one of the bottles of juice. Carrot orange seemed to be her favorite. At least she's eating healthy food now, Josie thought. Small victories.

"It's fine," Paige said. She took a sip of her juice.

Josie exhaled quietly. She wished she knew more about the school so she could ask Paige specific questions, but she didn't know what to ask. She didn't even know who any of Paige's teachers were. "What's your favorite subject?" she asked, even though she felt as though she was starting to try too hard, and Paige would only feel frustrated by her persistence.

Paige shook her head. "I don't have one."

Josie thought that probably wasn't true. Paige's notebooks were all plain except for her history notebook, which she'd covered in cut-out pictures of various historical figures. But it was clear that Paige wasn't ready to open up just yet, and Josie reminded herself to give her sister space.

Josie and Paige ate their breakfast together at the kitchen counter. Josie was proud of the meal she'd made, which consisted of the warm blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs with salt and pepper and a dash of parsley flakes, and sizzling sausages. They both drank glasses of carrot orange juice and mugs of coffee.

"Now that's what I call breakfast," Josie said, sighing in satisfaction. Paige, whose mood had seemed lifted by the delicious food, frowned. She probably thinks I'm insulting Mom, Josie thought. That isn't what I meant—although goodness knows she hasn't eaten well most of this time.

"Are you all ready to go?" Josie asked, standing up when they were finished eating. She began to carry her dirty dishes to the kitchen sink.

"Yeah," Paige said. "I'm ready."

Josie wanted to ask Paige if all of her homework was done, but she decided to keep quiet. She didn't want to come across as meddling or critical. Besides, she knew Paige spent a lot of time on her homework, so it was more than likely all done, and done well.

They walked down to Josie's car and got in. It was a short drive to the school, but Josie still felt as though it lasted for a long time. Every morning she drove Paige to school on her way to work, and Paige barely said a word.

Frosty,Josie thought, glancing at her sister. How do I thaw all that frost?

They arrived at the school and Paige got out of the car.

"I'll see you later!" Josie called, but Paige simply waved goodbye and didn't answer. Josie bit her lip as she watched her sister walk across the front lawn of the school. Paige kept her shoulders hunched together and her head down. Around her, kids were forming couples and groups, talking to each other excitedly and laughing. Josie noticed how alone Paige looked in comparison, and her heart ached.

I know it's too soon for her to be totally settled in,Josie thought. But she felt restless, wishing that Paige had at least a couple of people to greet by now. All the rest of those kids looked very friendly. If Paige wasn't making any friends, it was because she wasn't trying to.

Josie reached for her purse. Inside the front pocket was the card that Wesley Cliff had given her. She turned it over in her hands and noticed that there was another number scrawled onto the back of the card in blue ink.

Maybe his number changed,she thought. She bit her lip. I can't believe I'm doing this.

She dialed the number on the back of the card and leaned back against her seat, listening to it ring. It was probably too early for him to be at the office, but she could leave a voicemail.

"Hello?" Wesley sounded sleepy, and Josie realized with a jolt that she'd just called his personal cell phone, not his work phone.

"Hi. I'm sorry." Josie's heart was fluttering. "It's Josie Garner. I called the number on the back of the card you gave me. I didn't realize it wasn't your work number. I should have. I apologize."

"No, no, you're fine," he told her. His tone was friendly and reassuring. "I gave you that number myself. I meant for you to call it if you needed to get in touch with me."

"Of course." Josie still felt flustered, and now she felt a little silly.

"What's going on? Is everything all right?"

Josie inhaled. She'd had such a strong impulse to call him and ask for advice, but now that he was on the phone with her, she felt as though she didn't have a valid reason to be calling.

"It's—it's really nothing." She thought her voice sounded a little breathless and she concentrated on making it sound steadier. "It"s not official business for a social worker—it's not even a real problem. I guess—well, I'd like some advice. I'm not sure if this is going well. Paige living with me, I mean."

"In what ways?"

Josie felt grateful for how patient he was being. She felt as though they were sitting somewhere together, talking, and his presence was bolstering her spirits. "I'm worried she isn't settling in well at school. She doesn't seem to be making any kind of friends at all. I feel like she's resisting Blueberry Bay." And me, she thought, but she didn't say that part out loud.

"I understand," Wesley said. "Those are all valid concerns, but you shouldn't worry yet. These things can take a bit of time. Just be patient. She's adjusting to a lot right now."

Josie nodded. "Yes, she is."

"How are things going between the two of you?"

Josie realized that she didn't feel threatened by his concern anymore. She wanted to talk to him about it, hoping that he could help her figure out how to best treat Paige while she was acting the way that she was. Briefly she told him about how she felt that Paige was keeping her at arm's length, and he listened respectfully and then offered her some suggestions. His words were kind and calm, and she found herself soothed by his voice. She was surprised by that, considering how much he had frustrated her only days before. She considered telling him more details—she had an impulse to tell him how discouraged she felt—but she decided against it. It didn't feel right to her to open up that much to someone who was a total stranger.

After they had chatted for a few minutes, she told him that she should get going. "I've got to head to work now," she told him. "Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it."

"Of course. You can call me anytime." Wesley's tone was warm, and Josie felt her heart swirling with gratitude.

They said goodbye and hung up. Josie's mind was whirring as she drove the rest of the way to work. She had a great deal to think about, and although she still felt concerned, Wesley's advice made her feel less helpless.

She arrived at work and strode briskly into the office. She kept a pleasant smile on her face, determined to hide the fact that her life was in upheaval.

* * *

Caitlin sighed as she crumpled another piece of paper and let it drop to the floor. She was sitting at a table by a window at Tidal Wave Coffee, scribbling down ideas in a tiny flip notebook. Every once in a while, she would pause, stare at her list of ideas with a frown on her face, and then tear the page out of the notebook and crumple it up.

"Looks like progress."

A deep voice that she recognized spoke from nearby, and Caitlin looked up as Michael approached her. There was an affectionate smirk on his handsome face, and she found herself smiling back. His cheerfulness was contagious, even when she felt far from cheerful.

"I'm making a mess. Good thing Pearl isn't here to see me breaking my own rules."

Pearl was at Little Clams, Blueberry Bay's elementary school. The little girl loved going there, and Caitlin was trying to use the distraction-free time to brainstorm ideas for what she could be doing next. She'd decided to work at Tidal Wave Coffee so that she could spend a little time with Michael as well.

"You're doing great," Michael assured her, sitting down in the chair across from hers. He slid a drink across the table toward her. "I made this for you."

"You did?" Caitlin felt overwhelmed by his sweetness. How did she get so lucky, getting to date such an amazing guy? She took a sip of the drink. Peppermint mocha. One of her favorites. "Thank you. This tastes amazing."

Michael winked at her. "How are the ideas coming?"

In answer, Caitlin gestured to the floor, which was littered with crumpled papers. "Not well at all. None of the ideas I'm coming up with seem good enough."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Michael reached across the table and took her hand. "You're going to come up with something. It will come to you."

Caitlin groaned and massaged her temples with her other hand. Michael smirked as he took a sip of the drink that he'd brought over for himself, a straight black coffee.

"Don't push it." Michael squeezed her hand. "The best ideas come when you're not trying to force them."

"What do you mean?" she asked. She wasn't sure how to not force an idea. All she knew how to do was sit and think as hard as she could.

Michael stared into space for a moment, a wistful smile on his face. "It's like surfing," he said, and she grinned at him. He laughed. "No, really, it is. It's like when you're riding a wave—you have to stay relaxed. If you tense up, you're going to limit your potential. You're not going to perform as well. And every wave is different. You have to figure out how to best ride each one as you're on it. Coming up with ideas is like that. The ideas are going to come to you. Just ride them to wherever they're going to take you. If you don't like one, paddle back out and wait for the next wave to come at you."

Caitlin smiled at him, feeling so much admiration and affection for him at that moment it was like a head rush—almost as if she really was surfing by his side, and he was showing her how to navigate a whole new world.

He's such a steady influence in my life,she thought. He's always got my back. She thought about how consistently supportive of her he was, and how kind he was to Pearl. She thought about the memories they'd already made together—she saw pictures in her mind of them laughing together, cooking together, gazing into each other's eyes, and holding hands. She realized that she was falling in love with him, and her heart began to beat faster.

They hadn't said those words to each other yet, but she could feel them building up inside her. As she continued to work—or try to—and Michael busied himself around the coffee shop again, she watched him moving around with a kind of glowing feeling in her heart. She loved him. She felt too scared to say the words out loud yet, but after a while she stood up and crossed over to Michael. She wanted to show him how she felt.

"What's up?" he asked, smiling.

She didn't answer with words. Instead, she placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted

her lips to his. She felt his arms wrap around her in a tight hug as he kissed her back.

"What was that for?" he asked, pulling out of their embrace and grinning at her.

"I—I just felt like it." Caitlin laughed. She felt happy.

"That's the best reason." Michael winked at her, and she grinned in response.

It's been a very successful afternoon,she thought, as she went back to her temporary desk at the window. I may not have figured out my next big plan yet, but I figured out something even more important.

She took a sip of the delicious peppermint mocha and gazed out the window at the ocean with a smile on her face. She felt much better than she had before.