Page 11 of Bluebell Tides

“What makes you think you know her better than she knows herself?” Sophie asked.

This stumped Tyler, although he didn’t seem angry or upset. Sophie thought he seemed more receptive to this kind of conversation than most of the men she’d encountered at East Oregon State.

Three blocks from the waterline, they could hear the whirling of carnival rides and the twinkling music of carnival games. When they were two blocks away, the band kicked off, playing an oldies song that brought tears to Sophie’s eyes. What was wrong with her?

Tyler spotted the Harper sisters before Sophie did. “Over there. By the wine tent,” he said, laughing.

Sophie led the charge toward her mother, who was talking enthusiastically to someone Sophie didn’t recognize. On either side of Celia stood Wren with baby Nelly, Ivy, and Juliet, all shifting their weight and smiling at whatever Celia spoke about. Juliet spotted Sophie first and raised a hand, trying to interrupt Celia.

“But that’s the thing about Bluebell,” Celia was saying, mostly to the forty-something woman that Sophie didn’t know. “We tried so desperately to get away. But there’s an enormous amount of love here. Maybe there’s something sinister. Certainly, there are wealthy elites on the edges of this town who we have nothing to do with. But…”

“Celia!” Ivy cried. “Turn around!”

Celia balked, then spun around to find Sophie, all bundled up to hide her burns and keep warm. Celia gasped and nearly spilled her wine as she reached out to hug Sophie. Immediately, Sophie turned to mush in her mother’s arms. This was the reason she’d traveled across the continent this morning. She hadn’t known what to do with herself. She was a failure at grad school and in relationships. She hadn’t even managed to save the forests, mountains, and animals therein. But here, in her mother's embrace, she was just Sophie again. Could she turn back the clocks? Could she make amends?

“But Sophie,” Celia cried, drawing back. “What are you doing here?”

Sophie laughed. “Oh. I mean…”

“You said your semester was over early,” Tyler reminded her.

“Yeah! I have two more papers to write, but I can turn them in from here,” Sophie said.

Celia’s eyes searched hers. “But I thought you were going to stay in East Oregon for the summer? You said something about a conservation effort…”

This had completely slipped Sophie’s mind, of course. She’d planned to spend all summer volunteering in the mountains and surrounding forests, learning more about Oregon's climate, environment, and animal species, all to improve the thesis she’d planned to write next year. All of that had crumbled to ash in the fire, metaphorically speaking.

“Actually, I’m going to change my thesis to something more to do with Maine,” Sophie lied. “But it means I need to live somewhere in Bluebell for the summer.”

Celia’s eyes widened. “Oh! This is great news.”

“But I guess you’ll have to ask Landon?” Sophie winced, realizing how little she’d really considered not only her mother’s summer but also her new husband’s.

“He’ll be overjoyed. He loves you,” Celia said. “Oh, this will be brilliant! We’ll be a family of five, all together.”

Just behind Celia, the woman Sophie didn’t recognize sipped her wine and seemed to try to make herself look as small as possible. But Celia soon introduced her as “Ruth Landers, a travel journalist spending time at the Eco-Lodge.”

Sophie shook Ruth’s hand, surprised and intrigued at how difficult it was for Ruth to look Sophie in the eye. “Pleased to meet you,” Sophie said, her voice wobbly.

“Congratulations on the end of your semester,” Ruth said. “Your mother speaks so highly of you. I look forward to talking to you more about your studies.”

Sophie grimaced. Because the woman was a stranger—and a writer with good instincts, probably—Sophie had the strange impression that Ruth could see right through her lies. But even if she could, Sophie reasoned, Ruth had no reason to ask Celia if Sophie was lying.

“What do you think of Bluebell Cove?” Sophie asked Ruth. Celia had drifted away to buy Sophie a glass of wine.

“I think it’s lovely,” Ruth said, but the hesitation in her voice confused Sophie.

“I can’t wait to read your article,” Sophie said.

Ruth’s smile faded, but she thanked Sophie, then glanced at Ivy, as though praying someone else would speak instead.

Soon enough, the Harper women were in full celebration mode. Tyler spotted some high school friends near one of the rides and headed off, shoulders forward, heavy, like the man he was becoming. Sophie pointed this out to Ivy, who shook her head.

“Tyler’s in the midst of a thousand changes right now,” she said. “Elliott told me it’s all to be expected. On paper, I know that. But it’s still difficult to watch it all happen in front of me. I hope he’s okay.” Ivy sipped her wine. “Did he mention anything to you? About his life? About what’s going on?”

Sophie knew better than to share Tyler’s secrets about his failed prom date, so she said, “It’s a difficult time, but he’ll pull through. Summer’s around the corner, and from what I know, there’s no better place in the world than Bluebell Cove in the summertime.”

Ivy gave her an appreciative smile.