Page 24 of The Cottage on Blueberry Bay

She turned to see the elderly secretary sitting on a bench next to the statue.

“Mrs. Michaud?” Meredith couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Call me Ginny,” Mrs. Michaud said, placing her hand on her chest. “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now.” Ginny didn’t move from her seat. She looked up at the statue. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but believe me when I say that Jacob always wanted to do what was best for you and your mother.”

Meredith almost laughed but realized this woman was serious. “Leaving your wife and child is best?”

“Of course not.” The woman shook her head, then slanted it at Meredith. “But that’s what he felt would be best. Whether I agreed with him or not was none of my business, but there’s more to Jacob than just this statue and that house.”

“It’s a bit more complicated for me,” Meredith said, looking up at the statue.

“I know Quinn told you about the storm,” Ginny said. “It was covered by the local paper. You can look it up at the library. I was just a young mother at the time, but my father was on the boat.”

Meredith frowned. “How horrible.”

“There was only one survivor,” Ginny said. “Quinn was two at the time. Never thought there would be survivors after they found some of the wreckage, but then Jacob washed up on shore the next day.” She shook her head. “My husband was one of the volunteers looking for them. It wasn’t pretty.”

“I’m sorry about your father,” Meredith said.

“I’m sorry to hear about Jacqueline.” Ginny looked up at Meredith. “I can’t ask you to forgive Jacob for his decisions, but I can ask you to take your time before you make your own.”

Meredith looked at the statue again.

“Your mother was just lovely,” Ginny said.

“What?” Meredith hadn’t expected that. “You knew my mother?”

The woman nodded. “Jacob always loved her.”

If Remy had been here instead, she would have delved into this woman’s past, asked the right questions and made the woman feel comfortable talking. But that only made Meredith more uncomfortable. Who else knew her horrible situation? Did the whole town of Blueberry Bay know about the abandoned girl of their local hero?

“Thanks for giving me some insight, but I think it’s best if I get going,” Meredith said, stepping a few inches away from the strange lady.

“I would hate for you to leave here not knowing where you came from,” Ginny said.

“I come from outside of Boston, Mrs. Michaud.” Meredith appreciated what Ginny was doing, but she didn’t want to be a part of this world, because it just reminded her of how much she didn’t belong—in any of her families. Not Jacob’s. Not Phillip’s. Not her children’s or Remy’s. That’s when the realization of Gordon’s inevitable death twisted her stomach. She would be alone, alone.

Did she even belong in Andover seeing as how she couldn’t even afford to live there?

“Thank you for your time,” Meredith said.

“Have you seen inside?” Ginny called after her. “You should see inside Jacob’s house before you leave. It’s quite lovely. Needs some work but could really be a nice beach cottage.”

Meredith wondered what was at stake for them being next door. Would a big developer be interested?

Meredith looked back at the statue. There would be more paintings inside the house and the barn. Would there be more paintings of her mother?

“Maybe I’ll head over there before going back home,” Meredith said, changing her mind.

“Would you like me to come with you?” Ginny said. “I can help you go through some of Jacob’s things.”

Meredith looked at the older woman, whose gray hair had been pulled back into a bun. “I should be fine, but thanks.”

Ginny sighed at this. “There’s something you should know before going inside.”

“What’s that?”

Ginny grimaced. “Jacob had a bit of a hoarding problem.”

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