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She walked back over to where Michael was taking a look at some wiring underneath a podium inside the large interior of the boat. He glanced up at her and put his tools down.
“Hey, you okay?” Michael asked.
“Yeah. It’s just hard to juggle the divorce,” she said, suddenly feeling fatigued. “That was my ex-husband.”
The words spilled out in a rush, making her neck heat. She hadn’t meant to be so candid and vulnerable. She hadn’t even spoken the word “divorce” or “ex-husband” aloud to anyone but Alissa. But here she was, saying it to Michael.
“I’m sorry.” His expression softened. “I can’t imagine the heartache of that. Was it a smooth process? Or as smooth of a process as it could be?”
Caitlin sat on the windowsill and Michael got up, sitting next to her.
“Sort of, yeah.” She swallowed. “It was a long time coming. We’d grown apart so much over the years without even noticing until it was too late. It started with fewer date nights and eventually led to awkward nights where we hardly spoke to each other.”
She blew out a breath and looked out through the window to the other boats on the docks. Getting it out was taking the pressure off her chest, little by little, so she continued.
“We owned a restaurant together, which you probably know. And while we were really devoted to it when we started it years ago—together. But then the restaurant started to take off and Pearl came along… We were busy, which I expected, but it felt like he chose to be busier than he had to be at our expense. One day it felt like we had the same view of the future, then another day we didn’t.”
Michael nodded in understanding. Now that she was saying it out loud, she had a realization and chuckled wryly.
“Starting a business I’ll need to be married to isn’t very smart, is it?” she said. “After what it did to my marriage? What if it pulls me away from Pearl?”
The swell of feelings nearly overwhelmed her until Michael pulled her into a hug. His body was warm and he smelled like the ocean breeze, clean and salty. She relaxed into his arms and hugged him back.
“You’re a great mother, Caitlin,” Michael said, pulling back. “Anyone can see that. I don’t think Pearl would ever feel like you aren’t there for her.”
“You think so?” Caitlin asked, her voice soft.
“Yeah, I know so. You’re a great example to her. You’ve been so strong through all of this,” he said, running a hand up and down her back.
Caitlin dabbed at her eyes even though no tears had fallen.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m worried about keeping her away from James too. As much as our marriage went downhill and as often as he was away, I never doubted his love for her.”
“Then she’ll get to see him.” Michael folded his hands together again. “He’ll always be her father, but she needs you in her day to day life.”
Caitlin smiled a little and she gently leaned against him, just enough to feel the softness of his t-shirt against her skin. How had he made her feel so much better in such a short amount of time?
“Why don’t we take a break?” Michael asked once they broke apart. “I want to show you something.”
“That sounds good,” she said, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. How had he sensed that she needed a break? Was her face giving it all away, or was he just perceptive?
Either way, she liked spending time with him and she needed something to keep her mind off of things.
“Let’s go, then,” Michael said. “Come with me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Caitlin followed Michael to his car, a well cared-for pickup truck. An old surfboard was in the back, along with a toolbox. She hopped into the passenger seat, taking in its clean scent.
“Is that your surfboard?” she asked.
“Yup.” Michael turned on the truck. “Not the one I use regularly. I got that one at an auction and I’m planning on restoring it. It’ll be amazing once it’s fixed up.”
“Wow.” Caitlin looked over her shoulder at the board again. “I never knew that surfboards could be restored like that.”
“They can. It’s a small community but a lot of my surfing buddies are into it. Some have restored really old boards and surfing on them is like an entirely different sport.” Michael took a left turn and got onto the road that crossed the island.
Caitlin glanced at Michael as he drove, his work-worn hands steady and sure on the steering wheel. His life was very similar to hers in that they were both business owners, but his life had an entirely different dimension to it that she couldn’t help but be curious about. She’d never been so curious about another person in her life.
