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Her heart tightened at the thought of what they’d do. Moving to Blueberry Bay was one of the biggest life changes she’d ever made, on top of yet another one of the biggest shifts in her life. She hoped moving there was the right choice. Something about the little town called to her, and she hoped they were meant to land there.
* * *
Michael O’Neil sat on the end of the dock, looking out onto the ocean. The afternoon sun was hot, but the breeze coming off the water kept him from overheating now that he was off his surfboard. Whenever he came off the waves, he liked to sit down and appreciate what the water had given him.
Some days it only gave him trouble, with weak waves or too few of them, but on other days like this, it gave him waves that he’d dream of for days—perfect waves, perfect environment. It was early August, so the water had finally warmed up as much as it ever did. It was still wonderfully cool, though, especially when the sun beat down on him hour after hour.
The days when he got out on the water were always the best, even if the weather wasn’t great. Perfect days like today boosted his mood, but rougher waters were sometimes the challenge he needed to kick himself out of a rut. As much as he appreciated his good mood today, he had been feeling like he was in a bit of a rut. Nothing too serious, but enough for him to notice that he wasn’t quite as energized at the beginning of each day.
He wasn’t sure what it was. He had great friends and a great business. He was living the life he’d always dreamed of when he was a little younger. So what was going on?
He shrugged it off—he’d just dealt with some stressful issues with suppliers that he’d only recently resolved. Maybe it was just that.
He checked the time on his waterproof watch, letting out a gentle breath. He had to go back to check in on his coffee shop, Tidal Wave Coffee, soon. He’d hired a new barista, a nice teenager who didn’t know much about coffee but was willing to try. He’d trained his staff to train new staff, but he still liked to be there to help out during a new employee’s first few days.
Michael got to his feet, stretching, before walking back toward the boardwalk. He spotted Daniel Ryan, who co-owned Sandy’s General Store in town with his wife, Sandy. Daniel was a big, tall man with a shaved head—covered by a baseball hat today—and a dark beard. Despite his intimidating size, he was a kind man. With Blueberry Bay being so small, all of the business owners knew each other in one way or another. They were always willing to offer each other a helping hand.
“Hey, man,” Michael said, coming to a stop. “What’s going on?”
“Not much. I’m glad I ran into you,” Daniel said. “I have something strange to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s kind of a long story, but the short of it is that I inherited a cruise ship from my late uncle.” Daniel adjusted his hat. “He passed away two months ago.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. He lived a long life and passed peacefully,” Daniel said. “I’d like to sell the ship, I think. He always wanted it to be out on the water again. I don’t have any childhood memories of it, but I think it could be great for someone else.”
“Oh, wow,” was all Michael could think to say in his surprise. Cruise ships could be very expensive and it could bring him a lot of money if he ended up selling it. “That’s a great opportunity.”
“Yeah, it is.” Daniel’s smile turned bashful. “Except I don’t know a thing about boats and I know you do. Can you help me out when it arrives? Just to see how much work I’d need to put into it to sell? And maybe help sell it if you know someone who’s interested?”
“I’d be happy to,” Michael said. He always loved a project, and this sounded like one he could sink his teeth into. Maybe it was just what he needed to get out of his rut.
* * *
“We’re making our final descent into Boston Logan Airport. Please make sure that you have your seat belts fastened and your seats are in the upright position,” the pilot said over the plane’s intercom.
“We’re almost there?” Pearl asked, looking out the window and clutching the armrest.
“Yup, we are!” Caitlin adjusted Pearl’s seat so she was sitting up all the way. “Look at the city over there.”
Caitlin pointed out the window, where Boston was quickly coming into view. Pearl pressed her face up against the window, her eyes wide in wonder. Caitlin peered around her daughter’s head to see what was passing by below them.
“Do you see the city over there?” Caitlin asked.
“It’s so small!”
“It’s going to be really big when we land.” Caitlin tucked one of Pearl’s curls behind her ear.
“Will we get to explore it too?” Pearl glanced back at Caitlin for a moment before looking back out the window.
“Maybe sometime. Alissa and her boyfriend, Dane, will be picking us up to take us to Blueberry Bay, but we can visit sometime.”
“Do they have an aquarium?” Pearl asked. She loved aquariums no matter where they were. Every vacation, they found one and spent an afternoon there. Zoos were her second favorite, but something about the water and all the different fish made Pearl happy every time.
“Yeah, they do,” Caitlin said. “But Blueberry Bay is right on the beach so we can look for seashells and maybe even see some animals there. We might have to go out on a boat to see them, though.”
