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“What?”
“I got a job writing for a paper here!” her twin said.
“Whoa, I thought you were just going to Blueberry Bay to escape for a while.” Caitlin muted the TV entirely.
“I know, but Monica—she owns the bed and breakfast where I’m staying—said that she heard about open writer positions for this new publication,The Outlet. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out,” Alissa said in nearly one breath. Her excitement radiated through the phone. “From what my boss, Dane, says, I’ll be doing all of the things I like, like interviewing people and telling their stories. No big exposes on industries and canned answers.”
“Do you think he’ll be a nicer boss than Stanley?” Caitlin asked. Stanley had been a tough boss and Alissa had frequently talked to her about it.
“Ugh, that’s the one downside. Dane’s so grouchy,” Alissa groaned. “His secretary, Josie, had to practically beg him to give me a shot. Can you believe that? He was dying for writers and he almost sent me packing.”
“He sounds like a treat.”
“I know. But he liked my samples a lot and I’ll get to have more freedom over what I write.” Alissa let out a dreamy sigh. “It’s kind of perfect, really.”
“That’s great,” Caitlin said, even though a stab of jealousy pierced her chest.
Alissa’s life was chaotic and bohemian, which was far from how Caitlin liked to live. Caitlin’s closet was filled with coordinating pantsuits, neutral high heels, and tailored blouses. Back when they were younger and shared a room, Caitlin’s side was tidy while Alissa’s was an explosion of books and papers.
But Alissa’s life sounded exciting. And Alissa sounded happy for the first time in a while, and Caitlin was far from it, not that she’d say anything in Alissa’s happy moment.
“Are you going to move there?” Caitlin asked. “You just got fired and you were planning on visiting there for a week, not forever.”
“I know. But it’s so pretty and charming here. I’ll just see how things will pan out,” she said, her tone sure and steady.
* * *
Alissa’s first day at work outfit was less rumpled than her regular choice of oversized sweater and linen pants, but it still wasn’t as fancy as she’d liked. Dane dressed extremely well and Josie was casual yet stylish. But this outfit had to do—she needed to get going soon.
“Too late to change now,” Alissa murmured to herself as she tried to tame her curls.
It was chilly enough that she needed a hat, but a hat plus her curls plus the wind was a bad combination. The YouTube tutorial she tried to follow was a complete disaster, making her look like she’d rolled off the set of a period drama, but not in a good way.
Finally she threw her hands into the air and resorted to her usual style, loose and curling around her ears. Her dangly earrings, which she had gotten at a craft fair last summer, were the final touch that she needed. Not that it mattered. What was the point in looking good for Dane? He was her boss and he was too much of a scrooge to pay anyone a compliment.
She snorted at the idea of him saying something nice, even. Complimenting her samples was clearly like pulling teeth for him. She was glad that Stanley hadn’t been the type to dole out loads of praise since Dane definitely wasn’t going to do that.
Alissa went downstairs, the scent of a hearty breakfast drifting up to her nose. Back in Denver, she hadn’t eaten a good breakfast on a regular basis. Most mornings she grabbed a granola bar and scarfed it down as she walked, or she just had a cup of coffee from the cart outside of her office. Monica’s breakfasts had quickly changed that. The spread on the dining table made her mouth water—slow cooked oats with berries that Monica had frozen from last summer, cheesy scrambled eggs, crispy potatoes, and smoked salmon.
“Good morning, “ Monica said, poking her head out from the door to the kitchen. “Help yourself—I’m making more coffee.”
“Wow, this looks incredible.” Alissa grabbed a plate from the sideboard and debated what to eat first. But now that she was thinking about actually eating, her stomach flipped in her belly.
But Monica had put in a lot of effort to cook, so Alissa plated up a little bit of everything. She sat down and Monica reappeared with a fresh pot of coffee.
“Are you excited for your first day?” Monica asked, filling Alissa’s mug, then her own.
“So excited. Almost too excited.” Alissa took a bite of the oatmeal, which was way too delicious for something healthy. It was thick, creamy, and just sweet enough. “All of this food is so good but I’m a little too wound up to eat.”
“Braden and some of his crew are coming by later to eat breakfast, so it’ll all get eaten.” Monica chuckled, poking at her cheesy eggs. “They work up big appetites after getting off the water.”
“Oh, good.” Alissa smiled, tasting the smoked salmon with the potatoes. Braden ran his late father’s fishing company, so there were often evenings when his employees would come over for dinner. Alissa loved hearing stories about their time at sea—she mentally filed away some of the turbulent emotions they had to tap into in her writing. “I’m not sure how much freedom Dane will give me, but I hope I can talk to some of the fishermen soon. I think some of their stories would be great for the paper.”
“Their stories are great, aren’t they?” Monica grinned. “Dane’s lucky to have you. You’re already thinking of great ideas and you haven’t even had your first day.”
“I can’t wait to get started.” Alissa laughed, her appetite returning.
“I know you’ll do great,” Monica said.
