Page 80 of The Cottage on Blueberry Bay

“No need,” Ginny said. “We’ll be fine.”

But the faces in the room told another story. They knew what Quinn knew—there wasn’t another farm that would give them the blueberries they needed, nor for free. The money they earned from the festival gave the town enough to spend on beautiful landscaping for the main street and the harbor park and kept walkways and common areas maintained. But the majority went to the local food pantry for local families in need. It went to help with heating costs for those who couldn’t keep up in winter. It went to help with services for the elderly, like taxi services and food deliveries. How would the town earn that kind of money?

“Did she say we could use the barn?” Hazel asked.

CHAPTER29

Things went by in a blur for Meredith after that. Her days were spent with Remy fixing up the house, spending time at the beach, and getting to know her neighbors. Quinn, Kyle, or Ginny would stop by almost daily, offering help around the house and farm, and one family would eventually invite the other over for dinner.

Each night, she and Remy would sit out on the porch and watch the stars and listen to the waves, planning for the next day.

With the festival just a week away, she needed to do all she could to have the house ready for her children who would arrive that weekend.

All three reacted differently about coming up. Cora had been the most excited, whereas Ryan had seemed indifferent. And Muriel seemed busy.

Remy worked on decorating, and Meredith spent her time fixing things up with Kyle or Quinn—both would offer their help for projects around the house.

At first, she and Remy would go through a room to clean and remove all the clutter. They’d go through the artwork, tag everything, then comb through all the other items stuffed into shelves and drawers.

Then Remy would use her magic to rearrange all the things and place it all into new spots. And voilà! She’d make the room look like something straight out of a magazine.

Each day, Meredith would pick another room to go through. She’d find neat trinkets to place somewhere whimsical in the room. A collection of wooden pears that had been hand carved. A glass bottle with a ship inside. Candles were placed around the rooms. Throughout the barn, she found different kinds of pottery and antique tools and old mirrors with cool frames. Lots of lanterns. And books—books were everywhere.

Each day, the sisters would drive to the hardware store, or the fabric store, or the grocery store. One of the Queens would bring a blueberry dish, and Meredith and Remy would meet the women out in the fields at some point during the day.

Remy started asking for recipes and keeping them in a journal.

Some days, when the sky beckoned them, they’d spend the day at the beach. Most days, they spent together.

“I can’t believe this is the same place,” Quinn said, helping Meredith move a bookshelf from the bedroom downstairs to the living room. “It looks great in here. Like a whole new house.”

“It still needs a lot of work,” she said. “Like the plumbing and the electric, and probably the floors and the foundation. A fresh coat of paint.” She shrugged, looking around the room, thinking of what to do next. “But for now, it’s really turning out to be a perfect little spot to spend the summer.”

“If you can stick around, the fall is when Maine is really magical,” he said. “Going up the coast and seeing the colors.”

She imagined what it might be like. “I’ve always wanted to go out on a boat and see the coast that way.”

“Have you been on a boat?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Well, now you own one,” he said.

“I’ll have to ask someone to take us out for a ride,” she said, smiling.

“But it’s not really the kind of boat you cruise around and look at leaves in,” he said.

“Ah,” she said. “More like dropping some pots kind of boat.”

“Look at you,” he said. “You sound like a true Mainiac.”

She laughed and noticed Quinn looking at her. “What is it?”

He shook his head. “You have a really nice laugh.”

She could feel her cheeks immediately blush. “Thanks.”

“How much time do you have until everyone arrives?” he asked, shifting the conversation suddenly.

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