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Caitlin put on some foundation, blush, and concealer, then lined up several lipsticks along the bathroom sink.
“Which color?” Caitlin asked.
Alissa brushed some mascara on her eyelashes, then glanced down. “Third from the right. It goes with your dress.”
“Thanks.” Caitlin smoothed it on her lips.
“I need your help picking out something to wear. I think I’ve changed my mind,” Alissa said.
“Again?” Caitlin raised an eyebrow and Alissa laughed, waving her off.
“I know. But I bought a dress online and it arrived last minute.”
“Come on, let’s have a little fashion show,” Caitlin said, packing up her makeup case.
Alissa threw open the door to her small closet and started pulling out dresses. How Alissa managed to fit it all into the small space was beyond Caitlin. Alissa knew where everything was in the organized mess and unearthed two dresses—a blue sundress that Caitlin had seen her wear before and a dark blue dress with lemons and oranges still attached to their leaves printed on it.
“Definitely the printed one. It’s fun,” Caitlin said.
“That fast?” Alissa shrugged, putting the blue dress away. “The printed dress it is.”
The two finished getting dressed, hip bumping each other to try to get a full view of the mirror, just as they did when they were younger. Caitlin couldn’t hold in her giggles—her mood was so good that they just spilled out of her. She hadn’t had this much fun getting dressed up in ages.
Pearl walked in to the two of them being goofy, making her giggle too. She was already in her favorite purple dress, her hair still a riot of curls.
“What’re you doing?” Pearl asked.
“Just playing around,” Caitlin said, straightening up. “How do you want to do your hair?”
“Like yours!” Pearl marched into the room and sat on Alissa’s bed. “You got all pretty for Michael and I want to look special too.”
Alissa and Caitlin laughed.
“Okay, then,” Caitlin said, going into the bathroom to get a brush and some hairpins.
The three of them sat on Alissa’s bed as Caitlin did her daughter’s hair, the togetherness of it warming Caitlin from the inside out. She couldn’t believe how happy she was. Coming to Blueberry Bay had been such a risk, but it was paying off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Wow. This is the same ship?” Dane asked as he, Johanna, and Alissa got in line to get on the Beyond the Sea Dinner Cruise.
He couldn’t help but grin as he glanced at their surroundings. It looked nothing like the ship he’d seen on a walk down the docks weeks ago. Everything was freshly painted, including the logo for the business painted on the side. The deck had cocktail tables on it, a bartender pouring glasses of wine for the dozens of guests admiring the beautiful ship. Caitlin and Michael had put up fairy lights too, which were going to look great once the sun went down.
It was fancy, but not so fancy that a local would feel too intimidated to reserve a table for a night out. In other words, it was perfect.
“I know, right?” Alissa said, stepping up to the person checking for reservations. “Caitlin and Michael did an incredible job.”
They were led onto the boat and were immediately greeted by a waiter offering them drinks. All three of them got glasses of Pinot Grigio.
“This is a lovely wine,” his mother said, a hint of surprise in her voice. But it wasn’t the same surprise he’d heard in her voice before, tinted with snootiness. She seemed to be genuinely enjoying it.
“It is.” Dane raised his glass. “To a nice evening?”
“Sounds perfect to me.” Alissa grinned, raising her glass as well, tapping it against Johanna’s.
They wandered further onto the ship, taking in all of the changes and greeting people they knew. Johanna even stopped to chat with Willis, waving them along to leave her be. Dane smiled, shaking his head. He hadn’t seen Johanna look this relaxed in a long time, much less on this trip. He was glad she’d finally loosened up.
“The turn-out is great,” Alissa said, tucking one of her curls behind her ear. “I bet Caitlin’s thrilled.”
