Page 2 of A Wedding in the Bay

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.

CHAPTER TWO

Marsha stood in the doorway of her house, waving goodbye as Johanna pulled out of the driveway and drove away. She smiled quietly to herself, reflecting as she had many times before that she was very lucky to have found such a good friend in Johanna.

She closed the door and turned to smile at Willis, who was approaching her along the hallway behind her.

“How was your day, sweetheart?” she asked him as he enveloped her in a bear hug.

“Oh, fine.” Willis usually spoke gruffly about his work, as if it was some kind of wild animal he had wrestled. “Business was good at The Crab today, even better than it’s been all week. This is the best January we’ve ever had. Then I stopped by The Homestead Grill just now to fix a leak in their ceiling.”

“Blueberry Bay is lucky to have you,” she told him adoringly.

“Oh, shucks,” he said, kissing her nose.

“Heard from Hannah and Luke lately?” she asked as they walked into the kitchen together, holding hands.

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