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Michael’s smile grew at her concern for him. She really was a sweet kid. “I’m glad it doesn’t.”
“But if that didn’t happen, then we wouldn’t have um…” Pearl looked to Caitlin. “Animals like cats and dogs and stuff.”
“Mammals,” Caitlin filled in.
“Yeah, mammals. And what if there weren’t any dogs or cats?” Pearl looked horrified.
“Our lives wouldn’t be as exciting,” Michael said, pushing his ice cream toward Caitlin. She took a bite of the crème caramel, nodding and giving a thumbs up. “Isn’t it good?”
“It is. It’s not too sweet.” Caitlin took another small spoonful.
“We got ice cream that day too! But it wasn’t like this. It was a bunch of little itty-bitty snowballs.” Pearl held her fingers up, showing just how small the ice cream bits was. “It was weird. I didn’t like how it felt in my mouth.”
“It wasn’t nearly as good as this ice cream,” Caitlin said. “By miles.”
The two reminisced more about the day, which also included a walk along Lake Michigan, some street performers and cute dogs. Then they told him stories about their old neighbor’s dog, Pumpkin, and how she used to love the peanut butter cookies that Caitlin made. Michael was pleased to hear stories about their life in Blueberry Bay too. They already seemed right at home.
He loved seeing the two of them together, laughing and talking. The affection between them was so palpable, almost contagious.
He meant what he told Caitlin—when you know, you know. And he was more sure of this than he’d ever felt before. He easily saw himself falling in love with Caitlin in the future.
* * *
“Wow, is this even the same boat?” Alissa said to herself when she walked up to the cruise ship in the dock. “This looks amazing!”
She walked along the dock to see the full length of the ship. The last time she had seen it, it was rusted with chipping paint and broken windows. This ship was big, warm, and inviting. The ship had a fresh layer of paint, scrubbed clean. She stepped onto the boat and wandered around.
The inner room on the main deck looked incredible, a complete transformation. The wood floors had been refinished, the walls painted a lovely cream shade. Alissa could easily imagine sitting at the window on date night, full from a delicious meal with a perfect glass of wine in her hand.
She took a peek at some of the other rooms before going downstairs, where she heard some movement. Alissa found her twin organizing some shelves.
“Hey!” Caitlin said, straightening up.
“Hey! This place looks incredible,” Alissa said. “I’m so excited for you.”
“Thank you! It’s nice to see all these hours of work pay off.” Caitlin tucked something into a plastic bin and put it away.
“I bet.” Alissa looked around the kitchen, which looked just as pristine as the one that Caitlin’s previous restaurant had. “This is a huge fresh start.”
“Thanks!” Caitlin bit her bottom lip, as if she were trying to hold in a smile. She was failing. “This dinner cruise isn’t the only fresh start.”
“Oh?” Alissa gaped. The brightness in Caitlin’s face only meant one thing. “Did you and Michael talk things out?”
“We did. We’re dating now.”
Alissa barely suppressed her squeal of excitement and threw her arms around Caitlin. The two of them hugged so long that they started laughing.
“I’m so excited for you,” Alissa said, letting Caitlin go.
“I think that bone-crushing hug told me that.” Caitlin held her ribs, mock-hurt on her face. “How are things with you?”
“Good. Better.” Alissa leaned her hip against a counter. “I got a surprise visit from Johanna when I was going in for my Friday treat.”
“But things are good? Better, even?” Caitlin’s brows furrowed.
“Yeah. I was terrified—I couldn’t even think straight and I just started defending myself and Dane.” Alissa chuckled. “But she told me that Dane talked to her and made her see that Blueberry Bay is the place for him and that I’m right for him too. And she apologized.”
“Wow. That’s a big change of events,” Caitlin said.
