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“Here’s a note.” Caitlin plucked a folded piece of paper from the basket and opened it.
Michael read it over her shoulder.
Just a reminder to sit down and enjoy lunch. :) Plus some flowers to brighten up the place until it’s all fixed up.
Alissa’s signature finished off the note.
Michael exchanged a look with Caitlin, his eyebrow lifted. Alissa’s intentions were blatantly obvious—she wanted them to get to know each other instead of just eating and running.
“This is a very Alissa thing to do,” Caitlin said with a laugh.
Michael laughed too. “It’s very considerate. And we might as well eat it since it’s here. Saves us a little walk.”
“True.” Caitlin gathered the checkered picnic blanket from underneath the basket. “Let’s eat.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Caitlin sat down on the blanket that Alissa had included underneath the basket. It wasn’t very big, so her knees almost brushed his. Luckily Michael put their basket between them, easing the awkwardness.
But it didn’t ease the annoyance building along with her hunger. Alissa wasn’t being subtle whatsoever about her attempts to push her and Michael together. She’d never known Alissa to be this forward as a matchmaker. In fact, the only time she remembered Alissa trying to set her up was way back in college, where she brought one of her friends to a party they’d both gone to.
Caitlin was so uncertain about everything post-divorce—who she was, what her life would look like, everything. And she was especially uncertain about how to be single.
Her cheeks flamed. Alissa’s attempts at pushing her and Michael together were even more embarrassing now that she thought about that fact. What if she was too rusty to even date? She was able to talk to him just fine, but looking at the interaction through the lens of attraction and flirtation made her clam up.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” Michael said, his eyes bright as he set out the food from the basket. To Caitlin’s relief, he didn’t seem annoyed or bothered by Alissa’s lack of subtlety. “Which sandwich do you want?”
“I’ll take…” Caitlin looked at what was available. “The chicken pesto.”
“Good choice. Willis has had it as a special before and I loved it.” He handed it to her. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Michael poured them each coffee and Caitlin split up the chips and fruit. The chicken pesto sandwich was the perfect choice—fresh and herbaceous. Michael chose the crab salad sandwich.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had this,” Michael said, unwrapping his sandwich. “He hasn’t had it on the menu for more than a few days at a time in a while.”
“I’ll have to catch it next time. This chicken pesto sandwich is amazing.” Caitlin sipped her coffee. “This tastes like the cold brew from Tidal Wave.”
Michael smiled. “It does because it is. Nice catch.”
“Can I ask what the secret is?” Caitlin took another sip, savoring the smoothness. “I’ve never had cold brew that tasted this smooth. Not bitter at all.”
“It’s all about time,” he said. “We make a bunch of it at once and let it brew cold and slow. Some places try to fake it and just cool down hot coffee, which isn’t the same.”
“Definitely not.” Caitlin shook her head. “If that were the case, I’d enjoy those cups of coffee I let get cold on my desk day after day.”
Michael’s face brightened. “Yeah. I’ve had a few too many of those mornings. As much as I love my coffee, I get caught up sometimes. Employees need my help, customers come in, suppliers make surprise appearances.”
“I totally understand. I can’t imagine successfully running a coffee shop where most of my employees were mostly teenagers. How do you do it?”
“I just show them that I believe in them and their potential.” He shrugged. “And that goes a long way. I think a lot of teenagers just want to feel like they’re capable in order to be capable, if that makes sense.”
“It does.” And she liked his attitude a lot. That was another point of contention between her and James at the restaurants. He always wanted to hire the most experienced people instead of giving those with potential a shot. Sometimes she won out and proved her point.
Caitlin took a longer sip, looking out onto the water. She spotted some people bobbing on surfboards way off in the distance.
“How did you get into surfing?” Caitlin asked.
