Page 28 of Meet Me on Blueberry Hill

Oversized, intricate cobwebs hung from the corners. Sadie suppressed a shudder as she walked behind the counter and pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. She held it for Dani.

“Man, this brings back memories. Remember when your grandpa let us frost doughnuts and we dropped that huge container of sprinkles into the frosting?”

Sadie laughed. “The kids on the island loved the one-day special on confetti doughnuts.”

She trailed her fingers over the empty racks that used to hold trays of raised glazed doughnuts. Now all they held were memories.

Shafts of light from the streetlamps strayed through gaps between the boards nailed over the window. She shined her light over the industrial ovens that sat cold and unused. The commercial mixers remained silent. The stainless counters thatused to be lined with trays of cookies waiting to be frosted, muffins to be boxed, and pies to be sliced were blanketed in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

Sadie left the kitchen and returned to the dining room where Dani stood in front of the large chalkboard. Gran’s script had been smudged by time, but Sadie could still make out a few faded, chalky letters on the specials board.

“You know, if I close my eyes, I can almost see this wonderful place coming back to life.”

“Me too.” Sadie’s words came out almost hushed, as if she were afraid to disturb the memories.

Dani turned to her. “What would it take to restore its former glory?”

“Money. And time. Two things we have very little of these days.” Sadie lifted her shoulders, then dropped them. “Reopening it doesn’t make sense with my parents in Hawaii. Selling will keep Gran on island. Problem is, the place didn’t assess very high. Mia and I did a walk-through two days ago. She suggested doing some minor repairs, repainting walls, and putting down new flooring to see if it would fetch a higher price. Any idea who I could ask?”

“Cody Hart has been the town handyman for years and helped get the one-dollar houses ready, but he’s also trying to revive the fishing business he’s taken over for his dad.” Dani pointed to the ceiling. “Hunter Barrett lives in the upstairs apartment with his brother Waylen, who is one of the island police officers. The Barretts used to have a construction company on island, but Hunter’s dad left several years ago and moved his construction business to Port Joseph. I think Hunter goes off island to help his dad. Let me text Liam and see if he knows of anyone working at the hotel who could do it.” Her head lowered to her screen as she tapped a message.

Almost immediately, Dani’s phone chimed. She looked at Sadie with a frown. “Liam says the only ones he knows are booked.”

“Bummer.” Sadie turned slowly, phone held up in her hand, and shined the light over the walls painted a soft blue. “This was more than a bakery. At least to me. I’d love for it to be that again to someone else.”

Dani moved next to her, her shirt brushing Sadie’s shoulder. “What about Asher?”

“WhataboutAsher?”

“He knows construction. His dad has a thriving business near Flint, and Asher worked with his dad until—” Dani’s words died suddenly as she bit her lips.

“Until what?”

Dani shook her head. “Nothing. Until he quit to do something else. I think he and his dad had a falling out.”

“You know a lot about him.”

“We’re friends. Like I told you before, I used to hang out with his cousins, even though Eliza was a couple of years older than me. Do you remember her? Dark hair, serious eyes.”

“Asher mentioned her the other day, but I’d have to see a picture to know if I’d recognize her again.”

“Asher knows his way around a hammer, which is why I wanted him to be a part of the stage construction. Wouldn’t hurt to talk to him.”

“He helped fix Gran’s railing. I’d hate to impose on his time for this.”

“Seems like he has a soft spot for Henrietta. Drop her name and see what happens. Or have her ask him.”

“See, that’s the thing. She doesn’t know I talked with Mia about what it would take to up the price. I want to do it as a surprise.”

“Won’t she notice people in and out of the bakery?”

Sadie lifted a shoulder. “Maybe. I’ll figure out something if she asks.”

Dani was right—Asher did have a soft spot for Gran.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk to him. Maybe he could just inspect the place and give her a general idea of how much it would cost to fix.

Somehow, Sadie would get the money, even if it meant going against her word and calling her parents. Anything to give Gran the peace she deserved.

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