Page 51 of A Future in the Bay

He nodded, and Marsha and Olivia exchanged a knowing smile. Olivia felt thrilled, knowing her aunt had been hoping this very thing would happen just as much as she had been.

“Oh my goodness,” Marsha said, pressing a hand to her chest excitedly. “Come on inside, both of you, so you can tell me all about it.”

“I also need the full update,” Olivia said, stepping inside the familiar, cozy house. “I just found out a few seconds ago. I demand every detail, Isaiah.”

He laughed. “Oh boy, I should have seen this coming. But I’m perfectly happy to talk about it.”

They sat down together in the living room, where Marsha had set out some crackers with cheese spread and a pitcher of lemonade. She poured a glass for each of them as Isaiah started his story.

Olivia listened, enraptured, as her brother told them all about realizing that he was developing feelings for Gwen and working up the courage to ask her out. She sipped the delicious lemonade, trying to repress a grin. She felt over the moon that Isaiah had found someone he was interested in, and she had a hunch that the practical, kind-hearted Gwen would prove to be an ideal match for him.

“I like her a lot,” he said finally, smiling that goofy smile again as he finished talking about his first date with Gwen. “She’s smart and funny and… well, we just seem to get along together really well. It’s surprising, I guess, considering how different we are, but we seem to balance each other out nicely.”

“Opposites attract,” Marsha said, shrugging wisely. “She brings out parts of you that have gotten buried beneath the surface, and you do the same for her. Everyone is complicated and multi-faceted, and sometimes we need someone to comealong to remind us who we are. Well, more like who we’re capable of being.”

He grinned at her. “I like that. That makes a lot of sense. I don’t feel like I’m changing for her, I feel like she’s drawing new parts of me to the surface.”

“What happens when you’re done with your work on the school?” Olivia asked, unable to hold the question in any longer. She was squirming with curiosity. “Are you planning on dating Gwen long-distance, or…”

“Well,” he said, drawing out the world playfully. “Even before I asked her out, I was toying with the idea of sticking around here. I really like this town. It’s got pretty much everything a person needs to be really happy with their environment: a good community, things to do, not to mention access to the ocean.” He laughed. “I’ve been debating staying here in Blueberry Bay longer, and I’m very much leaning toward staying here now, as long as things continue to go great with me and Gwen.”

“Ah, amazing!” Olivia clapped her hands, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m so excited about the prospect of you sticking around.”

“I am too. And I’m so excited that you’ve found a woman you like so much,” Marsha said, her eyes shining. “This is a wonderful turn of events.”

“Now we just have to wait for Mom and Dad to move out here too,” he joked. “Then the whole family will be together.”

“They might!” Olivia gasped, thrilled by the idea. “They’ve always talked about moving after they retire, and why not move to this beautiful town where both their beautiful children are? I think it’ll be a no-brainer.”

“Oh, do you really think they might?” Marsha asked, her hand on her heart. “I absolutely love that idea. We could be like one big happy family again.”

“I really do,” Olivia said, taking a bite of a cracker. “They’ve both mentioned how much they like Blueberry Bay, and they keep talking about when they get to visit again. I think it’s got an excellent chance of happening.”

“I hope so,” Marsha said, looking overjoyed.

The three of them continued to talk for a few minutes longer. They spoke excitedly about the future as they sipped their lemonade and nibbled crackers with cheese. Soon a buzzer went off in the kitchen, and Marsha announced that the chicken pot pies were done.

They continued to talk as they sat around the kitchen table together, eating the delicious meal. Olivia’s heart felt full, and she couldn’t wait to hear about what happened next between Isaiah and Gwen.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Caitlin moved her fingers dexterously back and forth as she stitched up the edge of Pearl’s butterfly costume for Kids’ Fest. She pressed her lips together in concentration, focusing completely on her task. She knew that the butterfly costume was important to her daughter, and she wanted it to look wonderful.

It was just one week until her wedding, but for the time being, she was putting all of her wedding-related tasks to the side. It felt refreshing to work on something else for a change—as excited as she was to marry Michael, all of the work of planning the wedding had felt overwhelming at times.

She knew how excited Pearl was for Kids’ Fest, and when she’d learned that her daughter’s presentation was going to be on butterflies, Caitlin had had the idea to sew Pearl a butterfly costume to present in. Caitlin liked to sew, and it wasn’t a difficult project, but after a couple hours of work, her fingers were starting to ache a little.

She leaned back and yawned for a moment, surveying her progress. She saw that she was almost done, and she smiled. She was looking forward to seeing the look on Pearl’s face when she got to try on her costume.

“Hey, sweetheart!”

She turned and saw Michael walking through the doorway behind her, grinning at her.

“Hey!” She tilted her face up and he kissed her. “How are you, sweetheart?”

“I’m good. What’s all this?” he asked, gesturing to the beautiful black and orange costume on Caitlin’s lap. The orange fabric shimmered in the sunlight pouring in through the window.

“A costume for Pearl,” Caitlin said. “I’m almost done sewing it, and then I’ve just got to shape the wire that’s inside it.”

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