Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Johanna Taylor peered over at her friend Marsha Dunlap's fingers in concentration. Marsha was teaching her how to knit, and Johanna felt as though she might never be able to make sense of the hobby—the stitches always just looked like a tangle of yarn to her.

"I just wish the different parts of the stitch were different colors," Johanna groaned, taking a sip of the honey and lavender latte that Marsha had made for her. The sweet, floral flavor of the coffee bolstered her energy, as did the way her friend chuckled at her remark.

"You'll get there, Johanna." Marsha's kind eyes gleamed, and the beaded bracelets she wore on her wrists clinked pleasantly as she continued to knit. "Just look at the shapes. See? Follow that loop with your eyes."

It was a beautiful January afternoon. Outside the windows of Marsha's cozy craft room, snow sprinkled the ground and dusted the finger-like branches of the trees. In the distance, the ocean could be seen, its waves flashing like sapphires in the winter sunlight. Although it was cold outside, the two good friends were warm and cozy as they worked together on knitting.

"Ugh," Johanna said, and took another sip of her latte. "I don't know how you're so patient, Marsha. Patient with me, patient with knitting."

Marsha laughed—a beautiful laugh, like bells. "When you really enjoy doing something, or spending time with someone, it's easy to be patient."

Johanna smiled. Marsha was without a doubt one of the best things that had happened to her since she moved to the charming coastal town of Blueberry Bay, Rhode Island. She had been living there for a few months already, and she was so much happier than she had been when she lived in New York. She got to see her son Dane and his sweet wife Alissa multiple times a week, and she was able to help them out as they prepared for their first child to be born. Johanna was beside herself with eagerness whenever she thought about May, which was when the baby was due to arrive.

"Penny for your thoughts," Marsha teased gently, probably noticing that Johanna was lost in thought and no longer paying attention to the knitting lesson.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about the little bundle of joy that's on the way," Johanna said, laughing. "I can't wait to become a grandmother!"

Marsha set her knitting down, leaning back a bit. "I'm so happy for you. How's Alissa doing?"

"Just great." Johanna smiled. "She's being so careful, watching what she eats and taking all kinds of special vitamins. I'm doing what I can to help her out. Washing dishes and bringing over casseroles, things like that."

Although their relationship had started out a bit strained, Johanna and her daughter-in-law Alissa were now quite close, and got along together very well. A few months earlier, they had bonded over the fact that they both had broken bones, which had caused them to be home alone together a lot. During that time, they'd discovered a mutual excitement over a home renovation TV show and their relationship had only flourished from there.

"They can count on me to bring over some meals once the baby is born as well," Marsha said warmly. "We should make a list of people who want to cook for them."

"Already on it." Johanna gave a firm nod. She loved being efficient, and she was determined that her son and daughter-in-law would have it as easy as possible when their baby was born.

Marsha laughed. "Well, you can formally put me on that list. In the meantime, I've got some homemade peppermint tea. It's really something special, and it helps with nausea. Is Alissa still feeling nauseous?"

"That sounds lovely—I'll be sure to offer it to her. But she's been doing great lately. She's been getting over the nausea, and she's not as tired as she was."

"I'm thrilled to hear that," Marsha said, her green eyes shining. "Those two are so cute together. I can't wait to see them interacting with a baby."

"Speaking of people being cute together," Johanna teased, "how are Olivia and Corey doing?"

"Oh, wonderful. I really think those two are made for each other." Marsha's voice took on a particularly warm tone when she talked about her niece's relationship with one of the local shop owners, Corey Easton, who also had two darling eight-year-old twins. "She loves Max and Haley so much already. She's always come to life whenever she's been able to teach or take care of kids, but these two are really special to her."

"Hmm, do you think she'll end up being their mother someday?" Johanna asked slyly, grinning.

Marsha laughed. "I think it's more than likely. Even more likely than you knitting any kind of a decent row today. I've never seen so many backward stitches in my life," she teased.

Johanna tossed her knitting down onto the craft table. "Burn it. I give up."

"No," Marsha urged, still laughing. "You're just too posh, that's your problem. City girls like you don't take easily to down home things like knitting."

Johanna shrugged, smiling. "I'm not a city girl anymore. I've left New York behind me for good. And thank goodness! Never once in all the years I lived there did I have a friend as nice as you."

Marsha waved a hand, although she looked flattered. A moment later, they heard the front door open.

"Hey, honey!" A man's voice called from the front of the house.

"Oh, Willis is here!" Marsha's cheeks immediately flushed, and she sat up a bit straighter, clearly excited to see her beau.

Willis Jenkins, Marsha's dark-hair boyfriend and the owner of the popular Blueberry Bay restaurant The Crab, stepped into the craft room, grinning at both the women.

"Knitting? What a cozy activity." He leaned down and kissed Marsha tenderly, his eyes shining just as brightly at her as hers shone at him.

Johanna saw how in love the pair was and felt flutters in her chest. She was so happy for her friend, but seeing Marsha and Willis interact made her feel a little twinge of sadness for herself. It had been a long time since she'd had a romantic partner.

"How's the knitting coming along?" Willis asked, taking a seat next to Marsha at the craft table.

"Very well," Marsha said, gesturing to the yarn around them.

"Liar," Johanna protested, laughing. "Yours may be going very well, but mine looks like something a dog chewed up."

Marsha shook her head, chuckling. "It may not feel like it, Johanna, but you are definitely making progress."

"Better than anything I could have made," Willis said good-naturedly.

Marsha shook her head at him. "Oh, you could absolutely knit. You have very skilled hands."

Willis had built many of the buildings in Blueberry Bay with his own hands, including his restaurant, The Crab. He was often seen around town in his truck, making repairs to various establishments.

"Not for delicate work like that," he said, holding up his big hands. "Unless I used giant knitting needles."

"They have those," Marsha said, winking at him.

"Maybe I should use those instead," Johanna joked. "It might be easier for me to understand the stitches."

The three friends continued to chat for a while, and outside the sun began to sink toward the horizon, creating a breathtaking winter sunset. When the clock on Marsha's wall chimed, Johanna stood up.

"I should be getting home," she said. "Thanks for having me over, Marsha."

"Of course!" Marsha sprang up and offered her friend a hug. "I'm excited for the next time we spend time together."

Marsha walked Johanna to the door, where Johanna put on her coat and hat and gloves.

"Stay warm out there," Marsha said. "Drive safe!"

"I will," Johanna said. "Enjoy your time with Willis."

"Thanks." Marsha's eyes took on an extra glow at the mention of Willis's name, and Johanna felt another twinge of loneliness.

Johanna stepped out the front door and walked down the front path, which was made of charming cobblestones and had been shoveled and salted carefully. When she reached her car, she turned back and saw that Marsha was still standing in the front doorway, watching her. She waved.

I'm lucky to have a friend like her, Johanna thought, smiling and waving back before getting into her car. Sometimes, though, it's hard not to feel lonely, going back to an empty house day after day.

She pulled out onto the road, amazed at how breathtaking the snow was. She smiled quietly to herself, thinking about how glad she was that she had moved to Blueberry Bay. She shouldn't feel lonely, she reminded herself, since she was surrounded by people who cared about her, and there were plenty of fun things to do.

And besides, she loved her darling little home. She decided that when she got back to it, she would make herself a cup of tea and sit down to read a good book. Books were always good company and they kept her from feeling too lonely.