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Dane skimmed his emails, absently reaching toward his desk drawer for a little candy. Right in the middle of opening the drawer, he remembered that he’d eaten the last of it yesterday. But to his surprise, a small bag of his favorite chocolate-covered espresso beans from Tidal Wave Coffee were sitting there, a pink Post-it note attached.
Figured you’d need these as a pick-me-up for the afternoon :)
Love you,
A
Dane grinned, his heart swelling with affection. Of course Alissa did something like this—that was the kind of person she was. Always thinking ahead and thinking of others.
He tore open the back and popped several of the chocolate covered beans into his mouth. He’d been thinking about it for a long time, but this little gesture confirmed he—he needed to make her his wife. Whenever he thought about the future, she was a prominent part of it. Figuring out how to ask her in the perfect way was his next challenge.
* * *
Of all the things Caitlin missed about Blueberry Bay, The Crab was toward the top of the list. The sandwiches there were top notch, some of the best she’d ever had by far. All of the ingredients were so fresh and the specials were just the right blend of innovative and classic.
Today she’d gotten the crab roll, one of the few menu items that was a permanent staple. It was perfect, light but not so light that she’d feel hungry in an hour. And the homemade chips were perfect too—some thick and crunchy, others light and crisp. Caitlin poked around the generous pile that she was splitting with Pearl until she found a folded up, extra crunchy chip.
“Here’s a good one,” Caitlin said, holding the chip up to Pearl.
“Thank you!” Pearl took the chip and crunched on it, a smile on her face. She had a grilled cheese sandwich, one of her favorites.
Caitlin smiled, happy that Pearl loved The Crab just as much as she did. Her daughter wasn’t picky, thankfully, though she was a fan of the usual kid staples like chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. Since she and James loved food, they wanted to expose her to as much as possible. It didn’t hurt that they were both good at making things taste good. She understood why some kids hated vegetables. She’d hate them too if she had to eat sad, boiled green beans or something from a can.
“Hey there.” Willis Jenkins, the owner of The Crab, greeted them as he approached their table.
“Hi, Willis,” Caitlin said with a wave.
She’d spoken to her fellow restaurant owner quite a bit in her visit to Blueberry Bay before, exchanging tips with one another. He was a guff man, rough around the edges, but he softened when he saw Pearl.
“You must be Pearl,” Willis said, squatting down so he was at Pearl’s level. “I’m Willis.”
“Hi.” Pearl still had half of her sandwich in her hand, preoccupied by it.
“You like your grilled cheese?” Willis gave Pearl, then Caitlin a half-smile. Pearl nodded. “That’s what I like to hear.”
“Grilled cheese was Hannah’s favorite when she was about that age. That was all she’d eat, breakfast, lunch, or dinner,” Willis said, standing up again. “I tried to get her to eat a little broccoli and she screamed her head off until I slathered it in cheese.”
Willis’s daughter, Hannah, had worked at The Crab the last time Caitlin had been there. Caitlin smiled, trying to imagine her as a little girl. Hannah was a lovely young woman with a bright future ahead of her, but Caitlin was able to imagine her at Pearl’s age, filled with energy and bouncing around The Crab.
“How is Hannah, by the way?” Caitlin asked.
“She’s good. She moved to Indiana to study music.” Pride radiated from Willis even though he wasn’t actively smiling. “With Luke Ward. He’s Sandy and Daniel’s nephew. This year is his last year of business school.”
“That’s great,” Caitlin said, even as a tinge of melancholy came over her.
It had nothing to do with Hannah personally. She really was happy for her. Hannah was a sweet young woman. But Caitlin couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like starting out again with a fresh slate.
When she’d been Hannah’s age, around twenty, she’d been in college, studying and dating James. She’d had her life plan set out in stone. Graduating, marriage, a baby, a business. Deviating from that path had been out of the question in her book. Her future had never truly been wide open for her to discover what was there, to maybe find happiness in a new way.
Alissa had always followed her dreams while keeping her options for her future open. As Caitlin took on summer courses to graduate faster, Alissa was backpacking across Europe. While Alissa was spending her evenings at poetry readings and write-ins, Caitlin was getting her business plan together with James, planning it down to the last cell on her spreadsheets. Caitlin was all about budgets and saving, while Alissa threw money at something she truly believed in.
Despite all the anxiety watching Alissa flit through life had brought Caitlin, Alissa’s more carefree attitude led her to Dane. They were so happy together, and again, Caitlin was thrilled for her sister too. It just felt like everything was working out for everyone but her. Her life had gone from enviable and perfect on the outside, organized to a T, but now she had no idea what was coming next and that dream life was in the past.
Caitlin sighed, trying to straighten up and not appear as depressed as she felt.
“Yeah, we’re proud of her. She’s been posting some of the songs she’s been writing online, if you want to listen,” Willis said.
“I’d love to. Where can I find them?”
