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“I’m sorry, Caitlin. That must have been hard to see,” Alissa said softly.
“But you don’t think I’m blowing this out of proportion?”
“No, I don’t think so. He should be looking at you that way and giving you some attention. Even if this woman is a colleague, it sounded like their conversation wasn’t all business. Plus, you guys are supposed to be working things out. He should be going out of his way to make you feel like he’s still fighting for your family.”
Caitlin let her head fall back against the couch. Alissa was right. Besides going to marriage counseling, James hadn’t shown that he was taking what they learned to heart. It had just been business as usual, stilted conversations about the most basic things like who was picking up Pearl and who was going to make dinner. No extra time spent together. No signs that she was his wife and not just a woman he lived and worked with.
“Thanks, Alissa,” Caitlin said. “That’s true. I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten this off of my chest. I think I’ll bring it up with James soon. I can’t keep going on like nothing is happening so the only way to resolve it is to face it head on.”
“Good. I’ll be here for you no matter what.”
The weight lifted off her shoulders even more. With Alissa’s support, she could get through this.
“Anyway, how are things in Blueberry Bay?” Caitlin asked. “How are things for the luau?”
“Good! Still preparing for the big event. It’s all coming together so well.” Alissa’s energy seemed to drop. “I’m going to be writing something after, which I’m preparing for. Dane still hasn’t asked me yet, but it’s no big deal. I’m sure he will soon.”
“I’m sure he will too.”
They caught up about how Pearl was doing in her day camps and what other things were going on in their lives before hanging up.
Caitlin put her phone on the coffee table in front of her. Even though Alissa had glossed over Dane not asking her to the luau yet, she could tell that it was bothering her. She hoped that they could move past this little rough patch. Dane was a great guy, especially for Alissa. He truly cared about her and wanted her to be happy. She hoped they’d work out. She wanted to believe it was possible.
* * *
Alissa sipped her latte and stretched her other hand out. She had been typing up a storm this morning, working on a long-form article on the luau for the magazine, and her fingers were cramping up. Since she’d already done all the research for the piece, she was flying through the actual writing of it. And that was good too, since she had a whole inbox of emails to attend to also.
Even though it was Saturday, The Outlet’s office was busy. Both Josie and Dane were hard at work at their own desks. The paper and the magazine were thriving because of their teamwork, and she was so proud of all the work they’d done.
Alissa rolled her chair a little to the left so she could see Dane through her office window. He was focused on his screen, a slight furrow between his brows. Despite his frown, he was still ridiculously handsome. He had let his rich auburn hair grow out a little, falling slightly onto his forehead but not to the point where it hid his vibrant green eyes. His beard was always so soft under her fingers and she loved tracing the strong angle of his jaw underneath it. She never tired of looking at him, ever, and some days she wondered how she’d lucked out so much.
She turned back to her work with a soft sigh. Dane had always been complimentary of her work, but he was even more so these days. But was he overcompensating for his waning interest in her?
She bit her bottom lip, then cupped her hands around her latte cup for its last remnants of warmth to comfort herself. He still hadn’t asked her to the luau even though she’d been dropping hints more and more frequently. Was he not asking her because he didn’t think she cared? She hoped that wasn’t the case.
After talking with Caitlin, her own anxieties took on a new turn. Had Alissa been brushing things off that were actually significant? What if Josie had feelings for Dane and she was showing it in subtle ways. Or what if Dane had some feelings for Josie that he’d been hiding this whole time, and now Josie was giving off signs that she felt the same way?
Alissa sighed and looked up at the decorations she’d put up. Even though the anxieties behind why Dane hadn’t asked her to the luau lingered in the back of her mind, she was still excited for the event.
The front door of the office opened and Alissa leaned over further to see who it was. It was Michael, holding a large iced coffee. He smiled at Josie and brought it over to her. Alissa’s eyes widened. Was he making a move on Josie?
Josie thanked him and he turned toward Alissa’s office. Alissa straightened up, pretending that she hadn’t been watching their interaction with intense interest. Luckily, Michael didn’t seem to notice she had been staring.
“Hey, Alissa,” Michael said, pulling his phone from his pocket and holding it up. “I just wanted to give you the dates for the upcoming surfing competitions.”
“Oh, perfect! Thanks for reminding me. Let me open a document. Just a second.” She opened a note on her computer. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Michael read off the dates and Alissa took them down. She was excited to attend them. The very first one she had been to was a lot of fun, even in the cold weather. It was a lot like the luau in that people from all over the region came to watch people surf and enjoy all of the small businesses the town had to offer. Michael had won, too, though he had been favored to win by almost everyone.
Alissa had written a few pieces about the event, piquing her interest in the sport. She still hadn’t tried it, though.
“Thanks!” Alissa said, saving the dates in a folder on her desktop.
“No problem. I’ve got to get back to the shop. See you around.” Michael nodded to Alissa, then waved to Josie on his way out.
Alissa waited for a few moments before bursting out of her office and into the main entryway where Josie’s desk sat. Josie’s eyes widened as she sipped her coffee.
“So, when did this thing with Michael start?” Alissa asked with a grin.
