Page 50 of The Cottage on Blueberry Bay

She looked at Quinn and then back to Kyle. “I guess I don’t even have the equipment up here to mow myself.”

He could almost see the things coming to mind in her head, things she would have to do with owning a second unfamiliar house.

It was a lot of work.

“Whatever we can do to help, we’ll do it for you,” Quinn said to her. He had promised Jacob he could have the house taken care of for at least a year.

She narrowed her eyes to him. “Why are you doing all this for me?”

“It’s not just for you.” He held out his hand at his mother and her friends walking back from the blueberry fields. “To be honest, we’re all kind of freaking out that you’re going to sell.”

This seemed to surprise her. “Didn’t you expect that?”

“We didn’t, no,” he said. “And none of us would blame you if you did, but this is all we know.”

He held out his arms at the fields rolling slowly toward the end of the earth.

“My mother’s whole life.” He huffed out a laugh at the blunder and corrected himself. “All our lives. This is where we were born and raised our families. This is where our community comes together and celebrates. This is our home just as much as it was Jacob’s.”

This made Meredith frown. “Mr. Michaud.”

“Quinn,” he interrupted.

“Quinn,” she said and let out a long sigh. “To be honest, this is the last thing I want to deal with right now.”

His heart sank.

“I have a family and a house of my own,” she said, and that’s when her eyes moistened.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he said, guilt washing over him. What was

he thinking? Was he trying to guilt her into keeping it?

“Stop, Meredith,” Remy said.

Meredith swung her head at her sister, who had set down the paintings among the others in the front hall.

“You are not in a rush to decide anything,” Remy said, shaking her head. “Your children are all grown. They’re fine without you. Your house is fine without you. Take the summer to really think things through.”

This sounded like an excellent plan to Quinn, but the look on Meredith’s face didn’t seem like she agreed.

Meredith set the paintings on the porch floor a little harder than he expected and turned to her sister. “Mr. Michaud, do you mind giving me and my sister some time?”

He nodded, seeing her sister’s smile turn. “Call or text if you need anything.”

He didn’t wait any longer, stepping off the porch just as Kyle was about to pull the cord to the lawnmower.

“Thanks, Kyle,” he said as he reached his son. “I really appreciate you doing this for me.”

“This is my house, too,” Kyle said. “I don’t want some lady ruining everything.”

Kyle pulled the string hard and continued mowing where he left off. Quinn looked back at Jacob’s cottage. At this point, he had no responsibility to Jacob’s daughter. Meredith could do whatever she pleased with the property and house.

And when she did sell, what would happen after that?

CHAPTER20

Meredith seethed inside. How could Remy just speak about her like that?

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