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“Ready?” Michael asked.
“Yup!”
He and Pearl paddled over to where the teams were catching waves. The waves had been fairly mild and their waves were no different.
“Okay, just like we practiced,” Michael said. “One, two, three.”
They paddled, the swell of the wave coming up behind them. Michael caught the wave and so did Pearl, though she wobbled. She stayed up for a few seconds, but fell off not long after. She popped out of the water moments later, a huge smile on her face.
“You okay?” Michael asked. Pearl gave him a thumbs up and he grinned. “C’mon, let’s make space for the next team.”
They paddled back to where the others were gathered. The rest of the competition flew by, with Pearl having an even better surf her next round. Eventually the rounds were over and everyone gathered on the beach, sun-kissed and happy.
“Everyone did an amazing job,” the event coordinator said. “And our judges have made their decision.”
Michael held his breath as the judges read out the names of the top three teams. He and Pearl weren’t one of them.
“It’s all right,” Michael said. “There’ll be plenty of other competitions in the future.”
“It’s okay.” Pearl’s big, warm smile melted his heart. “I don’t care about winning. I just had a lot of fun with you.”
Michael’s smile grew and he ruffled Pearl’s damp hair. He hadn’t expected to land here, but he knew for certain that this was the kind of life he’d been waiting for.
* * *
“Should I pin my hair up, or keep it down?” Caitlin asked, squeezed into Alissa’s small bathroom. She swiveled her elbow out of the way so she didn’t hit her twin with it as she held her hair into place.
“Maybe half and half?” Alissa slid behind her and showed her what she meant. “Oh, definitely that. It’ll look great with your dress. Want me to do it for you?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Caitlin watched as Alissa pinned her waves into place, her heart fluttering with excitement. Today was the grand opening of the dinner cruise. The last few weeks had been a blur—while Pearl and Michael prepared for the surf competition, she had gone into overdrive finishing up the ship. Michael had finished the technical tune-ups and Caitlin had finished buying the kitchen supplies, tweaking the menu, hiring the staff, and spreading the word across town. And most importantly, she’d chosen a name—Beyond the Sea Dinner Cruise.
They were starting with a soft launch to work out the bumps in service. Caitlin hoped they’d have regular cruises soon.
Caitlin had spent most of the day making sure everything was in order. Getting dolled up with Alissa was a great way to de-stress before the first dinner service.
“Remember that time in high school when I cut my own hair before a date?” Alissa asked, holding a pin between her lips.
“Of course I do.” Caitlin snorted. “Because I told you eighty times not to do it, but you did anyway.”
Alissa grinned. “I know. I still don’t understand what I was thinking. But you saved me with some creative hair clips.”
“Well, sort of. You went a little nuts with the scissors.” Caitlin leaned toward the mirror to take a closer look when Alissa finished. “This looks amazing. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Alissa stepped back, admiring the updo that she’d given Caitlin.
“Now, makeup,” Caitlin said, unzipping the pouch that held her makeup. She wasn’t much of a makeup person, but she had more than enough to prepare for an evening out.
“No, music.” Alissa grabbed her phone and started tapping around. “I found this playlist—remember this song?”
Alissa pressed play and nostalgia immediately washed over Caitlin. The song was an upbeat pop anthem from a one hit wonder that had taken over their high school years.
“I haven’t heard this song in ages,” Caitlin said.
“I know! This whole playlist is full of them.” Alissa propped her phone up so they could both hear the music better.
Caitlin dug through her makeup case, absently dancing to the beat. How long had it been since she’d had fun like this?
