Page 62 of The Cottage on Blueberry Bay

“The only person not willing to sell that land is dead.” Quinn didn’t mean to be harsh, but there the truth was. Jacob was dead. They had to face the facts that things could change.

Ginny didn’t say anything, just gave him that look of slight disappointment and slight curiosity. “How’d you get so pessimistic?”

So many reasons, he thought to himself. He wanted to ask her why she buried her head in the sand all the time. Like when his father had died of a stroke, Ginny hadn’t stopped to mourn. She just moved on like it was any other day. Even on the day of his father’s funeral, Ginny was working the fields, organizing the dinner for after the funeral, and meeting with the Queens to take care of the bees.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, leaving before things became an argument.

“For dinner,” Ginny said.

He shook his head. “I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

She let out a huff. “Don’t be like this. Something changed from yesterday to today. She even offered to go down to the boat with Kyle.”

“Kyle offered to take her to the boat?” He closed his eyes at what he imagined his son was trying to do. “Is he trying to buy that dang thing?”

“No.” But Ginny’s eyes couldn’t hide the truth.

“Dang it, Mom, why are you encouraging him?” He stomped out of the office, slamming the door open.

Ginny followed him. “I’m not encouraging him. It’s in his blood. He wants to fish. He wants to be out there with his cousins.”

She pointed at the water. “This is his family, too. Not just yours.”

“He’smyson.” He didn’t mean to come off harsh, but Ginny had crossed a line. “And he’sallI have.”

“You don’t think I love that child as my own?” Ginny’s eyes flashed with hurt. “Quinn, you know the secret to raising bees? It’s that you can’t cage them. Your job is to protect them by giving them a safe space and room to grow. Otherwise, they won’t stay.”

He knew his mother was right. The right thing to do was acknowledge it and just let it go. Right now, he needed to just let it go. He looked down at the docks, then at the paperwork. His hands were shaking.

“I wish you would just stay out of it.” The regret of saying it hit him as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Maybe you shouldn’t join us for dinner.” Ginny left after that, walking to her car parked right out front of his empty law office.

He smacked his hand on his forehead. His mother was right. She was always right about things. She was always right about raising Kyle. She had five children. She should know.

But Ginny often got people wrong. She saw a woman coming home to her roots, whereas he saw a woman being shoved by her past.

He got into his truck and drove to the sheriff’s department, trying to think about anything other than the fact that his son was going to fish no matter what he did about it.

He just hoped he’d get Kyle to college.

Lisa would have killed him. Right?

He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of Lisa’s hopes for Kyle. She had wanted him to become a doctor. Not a lawyer like they were.

“It’s all so sad,” she’d often say about the criminal justice department. “There are so many sad stories.”

Working for the justice department had been Lisa’s dream job, but she’d always had a tough time separating work and home life.

Would she have wanted Kyle to follow his dreams? Even if that meant he put himself in danger?

It didn’t take long to file the paperwork since he knew most of the officers at the police department.

When he reached Bruce’s place, he pulled up to the opulent gates and pressed the call button. The gates opened slowly, dragging slightly and making a horrible cranking noise. One of the gates bounced and looked as though it might fall off at any moment. Bruce should just leave the gates open at that point.

He pulled in his normal spot at Lisa’s childhood home and got out.

Windswept never disappointed. The early nineteen hundred colonial had been built to display wealth and power. Everything about the place was to show off. The six chimneys, the large wraparound porch. The sprawling manicured lawn and carefully trimmed landscaping. Quinn always wondered how much it cost just to live day to day there.

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