Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Bye! Thanks for coming!"

"We'll see you guys soon!"

Paige waved with Josie from the doorway of the apartment as their friends started down the hallway toward the staircase. She glanced at her sister and saw that Josie's eyes were shining, and her heart felt warm.

Paige was exhausted—she'd had a very long day of classes, traveling, baking, and then a party. Her body was begging her to go to sleep, but she didn't want to go to bed just yet. She still felt excited from the party, and she wanted to stay up later and keep spending time with her sister.

"That was amazing," Josie said with a happy sigh as she shut the door. She hugged Paige. "Thank you for helping me get all of that together."

"Of course!" Paige said, resting her chin on her sister's shoulder.

When they finally broke apart, they glanced at all of the dishes that were resting around the apartment, on the table, the coffee table, and the kitchen counter. There were empty plates, mugs, wine glasses, and forks, all of which would take a bit of time to wash.

"What do you say we do the dishes tomorrow?" Josie suggested, and Paige laughed and gave her sister a shoulder bump.

"I couldn't agree more."

"I don't really want to go to bed just yet, though. I don't want to waste our time together."

"I feel that way too," Paige said, grinning broadly. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sounds perfect."

The sisters settled down on the couch together, putting on one of their favorite movies. As they watched, they continued to munch on some of the remaining snacks. Since they'd both seen the movie plenty of times before, they also talked on and off as they watched.

"Do you want that kind of life someday?" Paige asked, gesturing to the movie screen, which showed a cozy white house surrounded by a picket fence. "A house with Wesley?"

"Oh, definitely," Josie said, getting a starry look in her eyes. "I'd love to buy a home with Wesley and just kind of nestle in. Make it our own. Plant a flower garden, maybe."

Paige chuckled over how cute her sister was being.

"What?" Josie protested, laughing.

"You! You're so totally smitten. And you're acting like you're daydreaming about something in the distant future, but you're about to have it." Paige reached over and hugged her sister sideways. "You get to have that house with the flower garden now."

Josie sucked in a breath. "Yeah," she said softly, "you're right."

"And what about kids?" Paige asked, grinning gleefully. "Do you want kids?"

Josie laughed. "Yes, I do. I hope to have both of those things in my future—a house and kids. And a long, happy marriage."

Paige felt a flutter of happiness for her sister. "You're going to be a great mom," she said warmly. "And I'm going to be an amazing aunt."

Josie laughed. "Yes, you are!"

The sisters grinned at each other, and then they turned back to their movie for a while. Paige nibbled contentedly on her bowl of popcorn.

"What about you?" Josie asked after a while, poking Paige playfully in the knee. "What are your plans for the future?"

Paige let out a sigh, smiling. She loved to think about the future—it was something she did on an almost daily basis. She had a careful plan in place in her mind, and sometimes she altered the details of her plan based on what she learned in business school. Thinking through every step of what she intended to do once she graduated had become almost a daily ritual for her.

"Well, I want to come back to Blueberry Bay after my baking program in Providence ends, and then I want to open a bakery here," she said, staring into space and envisioning her dreams coming true. "You know that already. But I have been making more concrete plans for it."

"Tell me about your plans," Josie said, wiggling down in her seat and holding her mug of tea with both hands as if she was ready for story time.

Paige laughed. "Well, I want to start small. I won't have a storefront right away, but I want to start providing baked goods to local businesses right away. Like, how I was baking for Tidal Wave Coffee. That way I can make money and save it, while making a name for myself at the same time. Then, hopefully when I open my own bakery, plenty of people will already know they want to buy from me there." Her eyes sparkled as she talked about her plan. She already had a list in her mind of all the recipes she wanted to offer—it was something she loved to think about.

"That's an awesome idea," Josie said, grinning. "I'm super excited for you, Paige. And super proud. You're being really smart about this, and I have no doubt you're going to succeed."

Paige's heart warmed when she heard her sister's words. She thought about how worried she'd been that Josie would be disappointed in her for not attending college, and for giving up her scholarship.

She smiled at her sister. "Thanks, Josie. I wouldn't be here without you."

Josie shook her head, looking as though she was blinking back tears. "Of course you would be."

Paige shook her head. "I don't think I would be. I wouldn't be in this place in my life if it weren't for you."

The two sisters shared a hug, and then went back to watching their movie, both smiling a little.

I can't believe that when I first came here to Blueberry Bay, I didn't like it, Paige thought. I can't believe I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Now, she couldn't wait to move back to town and settle down in Blueberry Bay. It felt more like home to her than any other place ever had.

As the sisters continued to watch the film, Paige got more and more sleepy. A comfortable drowsiness settled over her and her eyelids began to feel heavy. Just before the movie ended, she dropped off to sleep.

"Paige," Josie whispered, shaking her sister gently.

"Huh?" Paige murmured, sitting up quickly. "Oh."

At first, she'd thought she was in her apartment in Providence, and that it had been her roommate shaking her awake. When she saw that it was Josie, she grinned, remembering where she was.

"I fell asleep," she said, yawning as she glanced at the rolling credits of the movie.

"Time for bed," Josie said, standing and helping her sister to her feet. "You've earned a good rest."

"I could use one," Paige said, stretching. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed."

Josie's face lit up into a smile when she heard her sister's words. Paige smiled back, her own heart feeling light.

"I'm glad you're home, Paige," Josie said.

"Me too."

The sisters hugged again.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth," Josie said, and Paige laughed.

"I won't." It felt good to have someone around who wanted to take care of her.

Paige brushed and flossed her teeth as quickly as she could, already fighting sleepiness again. Then she changed into her pajamas and crawled into her bed, feeling a wave of contentment wash over her. Within a few minutes, she was sound asleep.