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“Yeah. He’s loosened up a lot.” She watched Dane shuffle the cards in a way that delighted Pearl, biting back another smile.
For a moment, Alissa wondered what their kids would look like. Would they get Dane’s auburn hair, or maybe his eyes? Or would they have the curls that Alissa had? Or maybe a little bit of each of them?
She pulled herself out of those thoughts, as pleasant as they were, and poured herself more wine. She and Dane had discussed having a family down the line, but they weren’t there yet.
“Have you made any progress on the job front here?” Alissa asked Caitlin.
“Yeah, actually. You know how Daniel inherited that ship from his late uncle and Michael is helping him fix it up to sell?” Caitlin asked. Alissa nodded. “I’m thinking of starting a dinner cruise if I buy it. I mentioned the idea to Michael and he said it sounded like something Blueberry Bay needs.”
“Wow, that’s a great idea.” The gears in Alissa’s head started to turn. “So you’ve been talking to Michael?”
Caitlin gave her twin a knowing, annoyed look and Alissa put her hands up, smiling.
“What?” Alissa asked. “I’m just wondering.”
“You had that mischief written all over your face.” Caitlin sipped her wine, still eyeing Alissa.
“It’s nothing. I’m just glad you’ve found such a great idea,” Alissa said. “A dinner cruise with the kind of food you can make? People would go crazy for it.”
“You think so?” Caitlin brightened.
“For sure.”
Alissa believed in Caitlin with her whole heart. If anyone could fix up an ancient boat and make it into a dinner cruise that people travelled all over the region to go on, it was Caitlin. When she had an idea, she could make it happen with some determination and grit. But as excited as she was about Caitlin’s idea, Alissa was more excited about the possibility of Michael and Caitlin getting to know each other.
Alissa had been wracking her brain for someone to set up with Caitlin and the perfect opportunity had fallen right into her lap. Fixing up that boat was going to give them plenty of opportunities to get to know each other—maybe even fall for each other. The more Alissa thought about it, the more she loved the idea.
* * *
Caitlin rolled over on the guest room air mattress that Alissa had loaned her. Pearl was fast asleep next to her, her stuffed cat tucked underneath her arm. Caitlin didn’t want to wake her with all of her tossing and turning, so she slipped out of bed. A walk usually cleared her head.
She exchanged her pajamas for leggings and a t-shirt, then slipped out of the room. Alissa was still up, watching TV on the couch with the volume turned low.
“Hey. Can’t sleep?” Alissa asked.
“No. I’ve got a lot in my head so I’m going for a walk.” Caitlin tucked her phone into the pocket of her leggings. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Okay, see you later.”
Caitlin stepped outside, breathing in the clean night air. The temperature had dropped to a comfortable warmth, not too humid but not too dry either. She started off down the street, which wasn’t far from the center of Blueberry Bay. The streets weren’t completely quiet yet, though most people had retired for the night.
Once she turned to go on the boardwalk, she saw even more people. A few walked in groups, chatting excitedly, while others stopped and looked up at the full moon over the water. Now that she was outside, getting fresh air, she started sorting through all the thoughts that had kept her awake.
Purchasing the cruise ship from Daniel and fixing it up with Michael felt so permanent. It wasn’t just moving, though packing up her whole life hadn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Buying something as big as that ship, putting time into it, and starting a business cemented her status as a local of Blueberry Bay.
The idea of it excited her as much as it scared her, leaving her chest filled with butterflies. She’d never done something of this magnitude by herself. And opening the restaurant with James had been a huge endeavor, and he’d thrown himself into it entirely.
But even though she hadn’t spent quite as much time in the restaurant as James had, she still had everything it took to make it happen.
She sighed, slowing to a stop to look out onto the water also. Even though she and James were officially divorced, it was hard to think about the fact that they’d never be together again. All of her memories of her adult life were filled with him, so the idea of the future without him was fuzzy. She had no doubts that divorce was the right thing to do, but that didn’t make it any easier to pretend it was all okay.
Her feelings toward James were mixed too. Sometimes the nostalgia of certain random things—getting a croissant with her coffee, hearing a commercial jingle, going through her email—overwhelmed her. They’d had so many good times. But it had slipped through her fingers before she knew it.
The melancholy felt like a weight on her shoulders and she hated the feeling. She’d had so much time to contemplate and think about what had gone wrong in her marriage, but wallowing in it wasn’t doing her any good anymore.
The moonlight shimmered across the water and the breeze gave Caitlin a new resolve. The divorce paperwork was done and she was here now. She had her daughter and sister to support her, along with many people who could become her friends. And she had this idea—the dinner cruise. She could devote her time for that. She deserved a fresh start.
She kept walking, her thoughts feeling much less tumultuous. Now they were filled with hope and excitement. She was taking steps forward in her life, on her own for the first time in ages. It was scary, but she could do it.
