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“That sounds fun!”
“Look over there at the ocean. It’s the same water, but we’ll be going to a different spot.” Caitlin pointed at the dark blue ocean off in the distance.
“Wow.” Pearl pressed her face as close to the window as possible.
She stayed there until they landed, a big smile on her face.
Caitlin’s relief was overwhelming. Pearl had been excited all day, no complaints about going through security, waiting at their gate, or flying. But that had been the easier part. As excited as Pearl was, her energy was inevitably going to dip. Blueberry Bay was still a bit of a drive from the airport and if they hit a traffic jam, Pearl might get cranky.
And then there was the future. How was Pearl going to react to the divorce once the excitement of their plane journey wore off? There were likely hard times ahead, but for now, Caitlin was grateful things were going as smoothly as she’d tried to make them.
“Wait for me, Pearl,” Caitlin said as they got off the plane. The airport was packed with other travelers and Pearl was practically skipping with excitement. One of Caitlin’s biggest fears was losing Pearl in a crowd like this, especially with the rest of her life up in the air.
Caitlin held onto Pearl’s hand as they wove through the crowds toward the baggage claim.
"Ooh…” Pearl dragged Caitlin closer to the baggage carousel. “Where’s our stuff?”
“It’s coming.” Caitlin glanced up at the screen above it. “We’re actually down here.”
They went to the next one, which was slowly chugging along.
“If I rode it, where would I go?” Pearl asked. Caitlin knew Pearl’s tone well. Her daughter was a good kid overall, but she was a curious one. Sometimes that curiosity led to tears or a scraped knee.
“I don’t know. Nowhere good.” Caitlin pointed to a sign that said ‘no climbing on the carousel’. “See the sign? No climbing.”
“At all?”
“Nope, not at all.” Caitlin watched bags chug by them. “But you can help me spot where our bags are. Do you want to do that?”
“Sure!”
Caitlin guided Pearl closer to the front of the baggage carousel. Pearl watched until she spotted their bags, pointing at them excitedly.
With a grunt, Caitlin loaded their huge suitcases onto a cart and texted Alissa to let them know they were nearly outside.
“Can I help?” Pearl asked, putting her hands on the cart’s handle.
Caitlin held in a smile. “Sure, we can work together.”
It took them longer to get outside with Pearl “helping”, but eventually they made it. The air was warm and humid to the point where Caitlin knew her wavy hair would frizz.
“Caitlin! Pearl!” Alissa called from the pick-up line.
“Hey!” Caitlin waved and helped Pearl push the cart toward Alissa’s car.
Alissa met them halfway, pulling Caitlin into a tight hug. Caitlin held onto her sister tightly, a few beats longer than their normal hugs. When they broke apart, Alissa adjusted her glasses and studied Caitlin’s face, worry creasing her forehead. Caitlin understood her sister’s concern, but getting through the day of travel with Pearl in tow and the weight of everything she had to think about… Caitlin didn’t want to answer any heavy questions.
Alissa thankfully read Caitlin’s mind and turned her attention to Pearl. Pearl threw her arms around Alissa’s neck.
“Look at you! You’re getting so tall!” Alissa said, ruffling Pearl’s hair. “Ready to head to Blueberry Bay?”
“Yeah!” Pearl tried to push the cart on her own, making the sisters laugh.
“Here, let me help,” Dane said. He’d gotten out of the car and come to where their cart was. “Good to see you both.”
“Good to see you too,” Caitlin said.
To Caitlin’s surprise, Dane Taylor was in an untucked button-down shirt and shorts. When she visited Blueberry Bay before, his style had been buttoned-up and formal. He’d stood out, especially with his height and perfectly styled auburn hair.
