AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Alissa thought back to James and Caitlin’s wedding. They had looked so in love and so happy. And when Pearl came along, they were elated.
“You guys have had great times together,” Alissa said. “Anybody could see that you guys were in love with each other.”
Caitlin took a deep breath and let it out. “That’s good to know. But it feels different now. Like the distance between us, like we’re two individuals living in a house, parenting our daughter instead of a married couple. But I bring this up to him and he doesn’t see it at all. He says he feels the same way as he always has. That’s the last thing I wanted to hear. How can I fix a problem if he doesn’t see one? I feel so alone in this.”
Caitlin took another deep breath and shakily let it out, as if she were trying to temper her emotions. Alissa reached across the table and gave her twin’s forearm a squeeze. Her heart went out to Caitlin, more than it ever had.
“I don’t have the answers, and even if I did, I can’t tell you what to do. But no matter what you decide, I’ll support you.”
Caitlin finally smiled, her eyes soft. “Thanks, Lissa.”
Alissa smiled back. Even though they had their differences growing up and hadn’t always been close because of their approaches to life. But as they got older, the more those differences faded to the background. They were sisters at the end of the day, and all of these changes in both of their lives had brought them closer than ever. Deep down, they wanted the same things—happiness and fulfillment—and that allowed them to see eye to eye more.
It filled Alissa’s chest with a different kind of lightness, one that she hadn’t expected.
“I’m glad you came, Caitlin,” Alissa said.
“I’m glad I did too.”
They went back to eating, chatting about how incredible all the food tasted. Caitlin’s palate was much more sophisticated than Alissa’s, so Alissa was glad that she loved the food around here just as much as she loved the food back home.
“How have things been at work since your date with Dane?” Caitlin asked.
“Really good,” Alissa said, a smile touching her lips at just the thought of Dane. “I was a little worried it was going to be awkward, but it hasn’t been at all.”
“Yeah? When are you guys going out again?” Caitlin leaned forward to sip her iced tea out of her straw.
“I’m not sure. But we both want to.” Alissa bit her bottom lip, trying to contain her smile. “It was just so nice. So easy and right.”
A pang of guilt filled Alissa’s stomach. They had just been talking about all of Caitlin’s relationship problems and now she was gushing about the butterflies in her stomach that came with a new relationship.
But Caitlin’s eyes didn’t hold a hint of jealousy or displeasure. “That’s great! Do you know what you want to do for your next date?”
“I’m not sure what we’ll do, but I know it’ll be fun.” Alissa ate a spoonful of soup as she thought about it. “Maybe we could do something a little offbeat, like surfing lessons or something.”
“Surfing?” Caitlin laughed. “I know there was the surfing competition but that water is probably ice cold!”
“It might be refreshing!” Alissa laughed too. “Something different. Something to break Dane out of his shell even more. He’s really started to brighten up.”
“No more hiding behind surfer sunglasses and beanies?”
“Definitely not.” Alissa paused. “But I’m just worried that he’ll close back up again if things go the wrong way. Plus he’s my boss, so that throws another wrench into it.”
“He seems like a good person, and if he’s changed this much in such a short time, I’m sure he’ll keep going that direction,” Caitlin said, cupping her iced tea glass with both hands.
“I hope so.”
Caitlin sipped her tea, gazing down at her mostly empty plate, and Alissa took that moment to study her sister. Years ago, Caitlin would have chastised Alissa for dating her boss, but now there wasn’t a hint of judgment in her eyes. Caitlin just wanted her to be happy, just as Alissa wanted Caitlin to be happy.
They finished up their lunch and headed back outside, their moods bright.
“See you back at the B&B?” Caitlin asked.
“Yeah, see you then.” Alissa pulled her into a hug, giving her an extra squeeze.
Alissa walked back to her office, a sense of peace coming over her. They were so close to figuring out what made them happy, and once they found it, they were going to be fine.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
