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“Oh. Well, you can always change your mind and come if you want.” Alissa checked her watch again. “Ah, I have to get going. See you after lunch.”
“See you.”
Dane watched her put on her coat and leave, then decided to go get lunch as well. Despite the chill in the air, he walked all the way to The Crab ten minutes away to give himself time to think.
He wished he could embrace things the way Alissa could. She had jumped head first into all the new quirks and experiences the town had—the way things closed early, long conversations with strangers at the store, seeing the same people walking around town day after day. All of these things were the opposite of city living, but she had taken them on just fine.
Maybe she was right. With her on board writing such good articles, he could afford to get back in touch with the part of him that craved new experiences. It was going to be a big change, but it was going to be worth it.
* * *
“Hey, Alissa,” Caitlin said as her sister walked through the door of Literary Stays. She closed her book and put it aside.
Caitlin had been enjoying the front library, as Monica had called it. It was more of a sitting room than a library, a place where people could gather and chat rather than curl up and read. But it was closer to the dining room than the main library and Caitlin wanted to greet Alissa at the door, so she had stayed there for most of the morning.
She had intended to spend some time thinking about what she’d come here to get through, but she ended up wrapped up in a book. That was the point of the room, she supposed. It was impossible not to want to curl up with a book in there.
“Hey! I’m not late for lunch, am I?” Alissa pulled off her hat, making her wild spiral curls even crazier.
“No, you’re right on time.” Caitlin resisted the urge to calm Alissa’s hair. “Monica said it should be ready right about now.”
The two sisters walked to the dining room, which was adjacent to the front library. The smells of rich lentil, kale, and sausage stew made Caitlin’s stomach growl even though she had been more than sated by the quiche Monica cooked for breakfast.
“Perfect timing!” Monica said as Caitlin and Alissa sat down. “The soup is ready.”
Monica served them both, topping off the meal with thick, crusty bread and a winter green salad. Caitlin was immersed in the restaurant world, so having something this delicious and homemade was a treat. The stew warmed her belly from the inside out, and the bread was so perfectly textured that she wanted to meet the baker who made it and ask about their secrets.
“How was your morning?” Alissa asked Caitlin.
“Good. I relaxed and read a book.” Caitlin glanced up at Alissa. “How was your morning at work?”
Alissa hesitated, buttering a slice of bread. “It was great. Fridays are usually busy but all of us got a lot done already.”
Caitlin nodded. “So you still like it?”
“Yeah, I do. I think Dane is loosening up a little bit and he’s really loved everything I’ve written.” Alissa’s face was bright with excitement, but then she raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure that you still liked it because you got the job spontaneously,” Caitlin said, dunking her bread into her stew. “Sometimes spontaneous things don’t work out.”
Not that Caitlin knew firsthand. It had been a while since she had done anything spontaneous, aside from this trip. The last time might have been before Pearl was born and she and James had gone on a weekend vacation to Montreal. That felt like centuries ago, back when they could talk for hours without an awkward gap or a glance at their phones.
When she told James that she was taking this trip for a few days, he had just said ‘okay’ and told her that he could take time off to stay at home with Pearl and had everything at the restaurant under control. No ‘I’ll miss yous’ or even questions about why she wanted to randomly make a trip out to Rhode Island in the middle of winter.
Her heart sank into her stomach just thinking about it. She assumed he’d at least showsomeconcern or at least curiosity. He still loved her, yes, but was he still in love with her?
“I think this is working out pretty well. I was such a mess back in Denver.” Alissa laughed, the brightness coming back into her eyes. “Then I stumbled on a job that just happened to be a great fit in a great town. I didn’t know I needed something like this. I really love my work and my creative energy is back. I’m even working on a novel I put aside years ago. I lucked out.”
It was good luck. But that was the crux of it—luck. So much about Alissa’s life was chaotic and subject to the whims of whatever was around her. What if she hadn’t heard about this job atThe Outlet? What if her boss wasn’t a fan of her writing style? What if this bed and breakfast wasn’t as nice as it appeared to be on the outside? So many factors could have gone wrong.
But everything had come together and Alissa was happier than Caitlin had seen her in ages.
Caitlin took a spoonful of stew and ate it, trying to suppress the burning jealousy in her chest. Even though Alissa’s life was chaotic, she loved it. And having everything in order wasn’t a guaranteed way to stay happy, that was for sure. The only thing that Caitlin felt was perfect was how it all looked on the outside.
“I’m super excited about my next assignment,” Alissa said, putting down her bread. “Did you know that surfing is pretty big around here?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“It is, and there’s a big competition tomorrow. I already interviewed some people in my first article about it, which was more to build excitement for the event. It was great. There are a lot of old timer surfers who used to use these boards that were ridiculously heavy compared to the modern ones.” Alissa’s words came out in a rush, like she couldn’t wait for Caitlin to hear them. “They had so many great stories that I’m talking to a few of them tomorrow too. The old boards are going to be on display, kind of like an exhibit alongside the competition. Do you want to come?”
