Page 29 of A Future in the Bay

“Stay as long as you like,” Michael said, handing the owner of The Crab a muffin wrapped in wax paper and a cup of steaming coffee. “But I’m going to start writing now. You can help me edit as I go, if you want.” He grinned.

“I’m sure you’ve got it covered,” Willis said, chuckling. “Besides, I should get back to The Crab. I like to take mybreaks there just in case something starts on fire—literally or figuratively speaking.”

“I hear that.” Michael smiled and waved as Willis started toward the front door.

“Let me know how it goes,” Willis urged him. “Call me if you get stuck again.”

“I will,” Michael said warmly, touched by his friend’s thoughtfulness.

Willis nodded a goodbye, since his hands were full, and stepped out of Tidal Wave Coffee. With a grin, Michael took his pencil out from behind his ear and began to scribble down sentences in a hurry. He planned on running what he wrote down by Willis when it was done—but he knew he wasn’t going to need any help composing it anymore. The words were spilling out of him now, and he knew exactly what he wanted to say.

Isaiah grinned to himself as he stepped back and looked over the work that he’d accomplished on the playset at Little Clams. His cut hand still hurt a little, but he was able to use it, although he was favoring his other hand more. He’d been working hard all day, continuing to set up the playground with all of the fun new equipment he was building.

The students had left about half an hour earlier, but he still felt like pressing on. It was a perfect day outside—balmy, sunny, with a fresh wind off the ocean that smelled vaguely of flowers. He’d been enjoying being outside all day, and despite the way his hand ached a little, he was eager to get a little more work done.

“No more shortcuts though,” he muttered, chuckling to himself. “From now on, I’m making sure I sand everything before I try to set it up.”

He continued to work for a while longer, whistling under his breath and feeling the wind ruffle his hair. He was just standing up after securing a blue-painted pole into the ground, when he heard someone call his name. He turned toward the school and saw Olivia and his aunt Marsha walking toward him.

He hurried over to them, grinning. “Well, this is a nice surprise,” he said, folding his aunt into a hug. “Are you here to visit Olivia?”

“I’m here to visit both of you,” his aunt replied cheerfully. “Olivia’s been so excited about the work you’re doing here, and I wanted to come see it for myself.”

“And in addition to that, we’re here to kidnap you,” Olivia said, playfully punching his shoulder. “It’s time for you to stop and come get dinner with us at The Crab.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, grinning. He’d wanted to keep working a little longer, but he knew that it was always more important to spend time with loved ones if work could get done another time. His stomach grumbled, and they laughed. “My body agrees with me,” he said. “It’s time for some food.”

“First I want to see this playset,” Marsha said, looking at the work that Isaiah had done with a spark of pride in her eyes. “Tell me all about what it’s going to look like when it’s completed.”

“But it is completed,” he teased, pretending to be hurt. Olivia punched his shoulder again and he laughed. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But it is getting there. Let me give you the tour, Aunt Marsha.”

He walked with both of them through the center of the play area, explaining what he needed to finish and what structures really were complete. Olivia’s eyes were shining as she looked at everything—he knew how excited she was for the kids to have their new playground. He felt just as excited as she did—it really was going to be a nice play area, much better than what the kids had had before.

“Well done, Isaiah,” Marsha said warmly. “The kids are going to be thrilled.”

“Yeah, I think so,” he agreed as they started to walk away from the school. “They talk about it all the time.”

The three of them strolled along the sidewalks of Blueberry Bay, catching up on everything. Isaiah wanted to know all about how his aunt was doing, and how her relationship with Willis was going. He thought it was cute how she blushed like a teenager when she talked about Willis.

The Crab wasn’t too far of a walk from Little Clams, and they reached it in a few minutes. They were soon seated at a table by the window, and Isaiah took a deep breath of the incredible savory smells that filled the restaurant. Around them were the sounds of people laughing and talking, and the clinking of glasses and silverware.

“Oh, there goes my stomach again,” he said, laughing as his stomach growled loudly. “I’m ready for some fish and chips. With clam chowder to start.”

“That sounds delicious,” Marsha said, smiling. “I think I’m going to go with the crab cakes. Willis makes the best crab cakes I’ve ever had.”

Olivia grinned. “I think I’ll just ask for a surprise meal. Everything here is good, and I’m not allergic to anything, thankfully.”

“And you’re not a picky eater anymore,” Isaiah teased. She threw her napkin at him.

Their waitress stopped by to take their order and she grinned when she heard that Olivia wanted a surprise. “Sounds good. We’ll get your food back out here in a jiffy.”

She started back toward the kitchen, and Isaiah took a long drink of water. It had been a rewarding but tiring day, and he was excited to rest and eat some amazing food.

“How’s your hand?” Olivia asked him, looking in concern at his bandage. “Any better than it was this morning?” Before her classes had started, she’d stopped by where he was working to say hi and check on him.

“About the same,” he said, shrugging. “But at least it’s not worse. The pain isn’t too bad, and I’m glad that I can still use it, you know?”

“Just be careful, okay?” Olivia said, looking worried. “I know you like to do the thing where you’re so optimistic you stop being careful.”

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