Page 8 of A Future in the Bay

Once that was all settled and the delivery man had driven off, she sat down at the kitchen table with her laptop, getting ready to resume her work on the babyproofing article.

Her fingers moved at a regular speed at first, but after a few minutes, her mind started to slow down with sleepiness. The sunlight flickering across the kitchen table was warm and soothing, and she found herself being lulled into a heavy, pleasant drowsiness.

The next thing she knew, she was snapping awake to the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

“Oh,” she grunted, stretching and looking at the time. She’d only dozed off for a few minutes, but her neck felt stiff from sleeping sitting up. “Coming!” she called after whoever was at the front door knocked again.

She hurried to the front door and opened it, and her face broke into a grin when she saw that it was her mother-in-law, Johanna Taylor, standing there. She was surprised to see her, but very glad to. Johanna’s brown hair was pulled back into a tidy chignon, and she was wearing a beautiful purple sweater that Alissa guessed her friend, Marsha Dunlap, had knitted for her.

“Hey, Johanna!” she said, giving the older woman a hug. “To what do I owe the surprise?”

“I brought over a casserole for you two for dinner,” Johanna said, smiling warmly. “It’s filled with all kinds of good things—noodles and tomatoes and black olives. It’s an old family recipe. Dane loves it.”

“Oh! That’s so thoughtful of you. I didn’t expect anyone to bring us meals until after the baby was born.” Alissa laughed.

Johanna spoke delicately. “Well, Dane told me that you’ve been a bit tired lately. I thought I could step in and help you take it easy. Remember you’re growing a whole person; you need your rest.”

“You’re right,” Alissa said, glancing down at her growing belly. “I keep thinking I’m all right, that I’ve got plenty of energy to keep going on, but I was dozing off just now before you got here.”

Johanna tutted affectionately, and the two of them went into the kitchen together.

“The casserole is pre-made,” Johanna said, turning on the oven, “but it should cook for another hour or so. It’s similar to a lasagna.”

“That should be perfect—it’ll be ready right when Dane will be getting home from the office.”

“I know,” Johanna said, and Alissa grinned to herself as her mother-in-law placed the casserole dish into the oven. Timing things out carefully was typical of the efficient Johanna—Alissa wasn’t surprised that her mother-in-law had arrived with the meal at the right time so that it would be ready by dinnertime.

“Now,” Johanna said, straightening and grinning at Alissa. “I think it’s time to watch our favorite show.”

“Oh! Well, I should—” Alissa glanced at her laptop, and remembered the way she’d just fallen asleep. “I guess I do need to rest.” She laughed. “Perfect. Let’s go watch our show.”

The women trooped into the living room together and settled down comfortably on the couch. Johanna used the remote to find their favorite show, and they settled in to rewatch a season that they’d both already seen. They had bonded over the homerenovation show when they’d both had broken bones, and their relationship had been significantly closer ever since.

“Oh, I remember this!” Johanna said eagerly. “This is the cottage with that amazing loft. This is one of my favorite episodes.”

“Mine too.” Alissa looked over at her mother-in-law, feeling grateful for her. Johanna had proved to be a fun and steadfast companion, and she felt happy that their relationship had deepened and changed as much as it had. All at once, she felt a rush of affection for her mother-in-law, and she leaned over to give her a big hug.

“Thank you,” she said. “For the food and for coming over and spending time with me. And reminding me that I need to rest. And for being a good friend.”

Johanna flushed a little, smiling warmly and hugging Alissa back tightly. “You’re so welcome,” she said softly. “Thank you for being a good friend.”

The two women smiled affectionately at each other and went back to watching their show. A few minutes later, Johanna got up to make them both cups of peppermint tea.

Alissa sighed with contentment as she sipped the fragrant tea. Her feet were resting on the ottoman, and she was snuggled up with a soft blanket. She hadn’t realized how much she needed some rest until she was there getting it.

She glanced over at Johanna again and smiled quietly to herself. The savory aroma of the casserole filled the house while the two women laughed and chatted over their show, waiting for Dane to come home for dinner.

CHAPTER THREE

Gwen looked around the office of her clinic with a sigh of satisfaction. In only a very short amount of time, she’d gotten the place to look far more polished and professional than it had when she’d arrived. She looked out the window, noting that the early morning sky was a cloudless blue. She told herself firmly that today was going to be a good day.

I’m silly to be nervous,she thought, scolding herself.It’s not like it’s my first day as a doctor.

She had to admit, though, she cared very much about their first official day as an open clinic in Blueberry Bay going well. She wanted to ensure that whatever reputation her clinic earned in the town, it was a good one—ideally, a great one. Her practice had been well spoken of in New Hampshire, so she had plenty of reason to be optimistic. No matter how much she told herself that though, it didn’t make the butterflies in her stomach go away.

She stepped out of her office into the lobby, which she had also spent time redecorating. She’d replaced the photographs hanging on the walls with canvases of beautiful modern art in pastel colors. She’d also put in new chairs for the waiting area—chairs that were more comfortable and also more modern-looking.

“Big day!” Heidi, Gwen’s nurse, walked over to her with a grin. “Are you excited?”

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