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She wasn’t sure what to say next—his presence was scrambling her brain. She cleared her throat and got to work, trying to sort out what she felt. She went to the kitchen again, trying to focus on her work, but her mind kept drifting to Michael. What if she made a move instead? A small one? It didn’t have to be a date. Just an invitation to a social event.
She liked that plan. The problem was actually getting the courage to tell him how she felt.
Scrubbing the last little nooks and crannies of the kitchen, plus making several checklists put her head on straight and made her feel in control again. Riding the wave of courage she’d built, she went to where Michael was working on the ship’s electrical system. She cleared her throat so she wouldn’t startle him and he turned to look at her.
“Would you want to come to Alissa’s for dinner?” Caitlin asked, her words coming out in a rush.
Michael opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated for a moment. “Do you think Alissa would mind? I don’t want to intrude.”
Caitlin snorted and rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth quirking up. “She’s made it her second job to push us together. I’m sure she’ll be excited.”
Michael smiled too, but got serious moments later. “You’re sure it’s okay with you? I don’t want you to feel like you have to invite me just because I’m working on the ship. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
Caitlin’s chest filled with warmth, as did her face. He was so sensitive to her needs despite not knowing her for very long.
“I don’t mind at all. I think it’ll be great,” she said.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Michael arrived at Alissa’s apartment with a bottle of wine, nerves buzzing through his veins. He wasn’t sure why—Caitlin had made it clear that this was casual and nothing like a date. But it was the first time he was going to be socializing with her outside of the boat and he wasn’t sure how it was going to go. What if things were awkward?
He’d agonized over how casually to dress and how early to arrive. At least he’d shown up right when he intended to, though he worried his t-shirt and nice jeans weren’t hitting the mark.
He knocked on the door and took a deep breath. Alissa answered the door moments later. The smell of delicious food wafted to his nose. Alissa was dressed in a similar outfit as he was—a t-shirt, but with casual linen pants. At least that worry could be checked off his list.
"Hey, you’re here,” Alissa said. “Come in.”
“Thanks for having me. I wasn’t sure what Caitlin was making so I just brought over some chardonnay,” he said.
“That’s perfect. Thank you.” Alissa took the bottle from him and guided him toward the back of her apartment.
Caitlin was at the stove, tasting something and moving around with the grace of someone who knew what she was doing. She looked over her shoulder and greeted Michael, her cheeks flushed. Was it because of him, or because she was standing over a warm stove? Michael hoped it was the former.
“It smells incredible in here,” Michael said.
“Oh, thank you.” Caitlin turned down one of the burners. “It should be ready in just one minute.”
“Here, sit,” Alissa said, pulling out one of the seats at her dining nook table. “Let me get you some wine.”
Alissa poured him some wine and topped off her own, sitting down with him. Pearl was in the adjacent room, watching TV.
“It’s best if we stay out of her way,” Alissa said, as if she’d read his thoughts. He didn’t want to sit around if there were things he could help with.
Soon Caitlin had everything plated up and allowed him and Alissa to help her out on that front. She called Pearl in to eat as well.
“We have pork tenderloin with a Dijon garlic sauce, mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus,” Caitlin said, gesturing to each.
“This looks amazing.” Michael had come hungry and seeing all of the food spread out in front of him was making him even hungrier.
They served themselves and dug in.
“Oh, wow,” Michael blurted after he took his first bite of the tenderloin.
The pork was perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful, even without the sauce. And when he dragged a bite through the sauce and tasted it, it got even better. He actively slowed himself down so he wouldn’t wolf it all down in a matter of minutes.
“You like it?” Caitlin asked, almost unsure.
“I love it. This is the best pork tenderloin I’ve ever had,” he said, meaning every word.
