Page 18 of A Wedding in the Bay

“Or when the sun is rising.” He nodded, a gleam of enthusiasm coming into his eyes. “I fish during the night a great deal. Being out on the boat when the sun comes up—there’s no feeling like it.”

For a moment, the two of them smiled at each other, and then she turned away, feeling a fluttery feeling in her chest all of a sudden.

“What about you?” he asked. “What are some of the things you like about Blueberry Bay?”

“Oh, I like how quiet it is. I can hear myself think here. Or—I guess it’s more that I don’t feel like I have to listen to what other people are thinking all the time here.” She chuckled. “New York was like that. Somebody always had something very important to say. It was noisy. Here, people have the space to be by themselves if they want to be. I like that. I guess it’s kind of like what you said. It’s closer to nature.”

“I didn’t expect you to be a nature girl,” he said, grinning.

She scoffed, pretending to be offended. “I’m not one for camping, I’ll admit it.” She lifted one shoulder, chuckling as she added, “But I do like some aspects of nature very much. I like flowers, and looking at the snow, and the stars! Even before I moved here, I loved how much easier it was to see the stars here in Blueberry Bay. I’ve always had a thing for stargazing.”

She could feel a blush warming her cheeks as she admitted it. It wasn’t something she’d talked about with anyone before, but she owned a couple of books on astronomy, and she loved to sit quietly and look up at the stars—sometimes for hours.

“You have?” he asked, sounding excited.

“Yes.” She smiled shyly. “I’ve always found the stars absolutely fascinating. I keep meaning to buy a telescope now that I’m out here where the stars are more visible. I could actually use one here. In New York, that wouldn’t have been feasible. I think it would be so exciting to own a telescope, don’t you agree?”

Everett blinked. “I have one.”

Her jaw dropped. “You do?”

“Yeah. I also love stargazing. And astronomy. I have a telescope at my place. A really nice one, actually. Very high quality. I saved up for it for a long time before I bought it.”

It was Johanna’s turn to blink. “Oh my goodness. That’s very exciting. Too bad you can’t bring it out on the boat with you.”

He laughed. “One false move, and plonk! Goodbye my second most treasured possession.”

She groaned sympathetically at the thought. “What’s your first most treasured possession?”

“My boat,” he said without hesitation, and she laughed. “What?” he asked, smiling.

“You men and your machines,” she teased.

He shrugged. “I couldn’t do what I need to do without it. I’m very attached to it. Aren’t you very attached to that hand mixer?” he teased, nodding toward the mint green electric mixer that was resting on the edge of her mixing bowl.

“I suppose so.” She laughed. “But if I had a telescope, that would be my most prized possession. I’d use it every night.” She paused in her work, gazing dreamily into space for a few seconds. She thought about what it would be like to be able to get a better view of the stars, and her heart rate picked up in excitement.

“I do look through it pretty often,” he admitted, smiling.

“Have you ever seen a comet through it?” she asked eagerly.

“A few times! The best part is looking at the stars, though. I subscribe to Astronomy Magazine, and I always know which constellations I’m looking at.”

“I do too! Did you read that article about deep-sky objects?”

Soon the two of them were chatting excitedly about astronomy. She finished preparing the pie and set it into the oven, and then she sat down across from Everett at the kitchen island. They continued to discuss the stars and telescopes and Astronomy Magazine while the pie baked, filling the kitchen with a warm, sweet aroma.

She found herself enjoying their conversation immensely. All of the awkwardness that there had been between them seemed to have completely melted away.

He’s so fun to talk to, she thought. His manners are so comfortable and friendly. And to think, at the dinner party I’d felt sure that we would have nothing to talk about!

Soon the pie was ready, and she cut both of them a generous slice.

“This looks delicious,” he told her, smiling as he took the plate she was handing him. “You’re a regular expert at baking.”

She laughed lightly. “Well, I enjoy it. Like how you enjoy fishing, I suppose.”

He rumbled a laugh and took a bite of the pie. His eyebrows lifted and he nodded in approval as soon as he could taste it.

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