Page 12 of A Future in the Bay

Paige grinned. Ever since her sister had gotten married, she’d always responded to that question with “wonderful.” “How’s Wesley doing?”

“He’s extraordinary. It’s amazing getting to see him every day.”

“No domestic squabbles yet, huh? Even though you’re both living in that apartment together now?”

Josie laughed. “We disagree about stuff sometimes, but it’s all raindrops and no thunderstorms, if you know what I mean.”

Paige chuckled at her sister’s metaphor. “Okay, okay. Glad to hear it.” She grinned. “So how long is it going to be until I’m an aunt?”

Even though she couldn’t see her sister, Paige could just picture Josie’s mouth popping open into an “o.”

“Come on, you know I’m going to make the absolute best aunt,” Paige said, opening the box of noodles to get ready for when the water was boiling.

Josie laughed. “You’re right, you will. And we are trying,” she admitted. “We do want kids right away.”

Paige was thrilled, and she spun around in her kitchen. “I can’t wait!” she sang out. “You’re going to have an adorable little baby, and I’m going to spoil him or her like crazy. That kid is never going to want for cookies.”

Josie chuckled, sounding just as excited as Paige felt. “Not too many sweets, though,” she said, and Paige could hear the grin in her sister’s voice.

“Oh right, I forgot about how much you care about eating healthy,” Paige teased. “Okay. I’ll make bran muffins regularly and cookies every once in a while.”

“Hey, those bran muffins you made that one time were amazing.”

“Oh, man, I forgot about those! I was practicing because I knew we were going to be making them in class here. They were okay.”

She grimaced, not being particularly fond of bran muffins herself. Her health-nut sister was another matter.

“They were amazing,” Josie insisted. “At least as far as bran muffins go,” she admitted honestly.

Paige chuckled. “It’s been fun trying all kinds of new recipes here—I’ve gotten really good at making gluten-free stuff—but I can’t wait to graduate so I can just choose all my own recipes. And I can’t wait to come back home.”

“I can’t wait for you to come back home either!” Josie exclaimed. “I’m literally counting the days. Wesley can confirm that.”

“You are, huh? Wow, you must really like me.” Despite her teasing tone, Paige’s heart glowed with happiness to hear her sister’s words.

“You know I do,” Josie said cheerfully. “We’re going to have so many adventures this summer. Boating and hiking and going to celebrations. I’m so excited.”

“I’m counting the days myself,” Paige confessed, laughing. “It’s just a little over a month, and then I’ll be going home.”

“It feels good to hear you call Blueberry Bay ‘home.’ I remember when you first came here, you couldn’t wait to leave.”

“Yeah, that didn’t last long.” Paige thought with a fond smile of how Blueberry Bay had captured her heart. It had started with her friend Tommy Ryan, and then the women of Blueberry Bay had showed her what a supportive community looked like.She’d worked at Tidal Wave Coffee and sold some of her bakery there. All around her had been people who cared about her and wanted her to succeed—even though she had great friends at school and was having a wonderful time there, it wasn’t as great as Blueberry Bay was. She’d had a sense of home when she was there that she’d never experienced anywhere else, and she couldn’t wait to go back. Best of all, her sister was there—her repaired relationship with her sister Josie was absolutely one of the best things in her life. “I love our town. And I love you.”

“Oh!” Josie cooed. “I love you too.”

Paige grinned. “And I can’t wait to be back home so I can start really putting roots down. I want to become an aunt, and I want to meet a guy of my own someday?—”

“Oh really, now?”

“Shush, of course I do!” Paige waved a hand, her cheeks turning pink. “And most of all, I can’t wait to start my bakery. Well, my own business. The actual bakery part will come later.”

“You still want to bake for local businesses first before opening up your own shop?”

“I do. That seems like the smartest choice as far as finances go. I should be able to save up a lot of money that way.”

“Sounds brilliant to me. And I know you’ve got it all planned out, in every detail.”

“I do!” Paige smiled as she poured the box of noodles into the pot of boiling water. “I really do. I’ve got so many lists and charts and everything—and I’m practicing and perfecting all my own recipes so I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

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