Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Caitlin combed her long hair carefully as she stood in front of her bathroom mirror. She loved seeing her engagement ring glimmer on her hand, and she couldn’t stop grinning. She was getting ready to meet her twin sister Alissa at The Crab for lunch, and she was bursting with excitement because she still hadn’t told Alissa about her engagement. She’d wanted to save the news for an in-person conversation, since she felt it would feel more special that way.
She carefully reapplied power foundation, and then took a couple of steps back from the mirror to double-check her makeup. Satisfied that she looked more than presentable, she smiled to herself and left the bathroom, pausing in the kitchen to grab her purse before slipping out the front door.
Since it was a gorgeous day outside, she decided to walk to The Crab. When she was about halfway there, she suddenly had an idea that made her laugh.
Oh, that would be fun , she thought. Poor Alissa. But the prank won’t last for very long.
Grinning to herself, she reached The Crab and stepped inside. The restaurant was cool and smelled deliciously of savory seafood. Alissa was waiting for her at a table in the back corner.
“Hey!” Caitlin hugged her sister tightly, being careful of the arm that was still in a sling and feeling yet another thrill of joy that she was—in a way—also hugging her new niece or nephew. “How are you?”
“Feeling less nauseous and my arm hurts less.” Alissa laughed, her eyes shining. “And I think I’m probably happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
They sat down, and Caitlin was careful to hide the hand that held her new engagement ring under the table. Briefly Alissa shared that in addition to her and Dane’s good news of the baby, Johanna had decided to move to Blueberry Bay permanently.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Caitlin said, knowing that Alissa and Johanna’s relationship had vastly improved and the two were now good friends. “I’m sure Dane is thrilled too.”
“He is,” Alissa said happily. “And it’ll be lovely to have her around when the baby is born.”
For a moment, the two women shared a joyful smile.
A waitress came by and took their orders—both of them ordered parmesan-crusted baked cod with sides of coleslaw and mashed potatoes, and the waitress joked that it was like they were “twins or something.” They all chuckled, and as soon as the waitress left their table, Alissa leaned forward, grinning.
“So. You told me you had news.”
Caitlin nodded, pressing her lips together and pretending to be a little upset. “You know that I’ve been a little stressed ever since Janelle came back into town. I’d been worried that maybe Michael and I are too different from each other to really be happy together.”
Alissa’s mouth popped open into a little “o” of worry. She shook her head and reached across the table to grab her twin sister’s hand. “Everything is going to be okay,” she said consolingly. She seemed to be worried that Caitlin was about to tell her that she and Michael were going to break up. “There’s so many good things in your life, and there’s always life after heartbreak, and—”
“Yes, you’re right.” Caitlin nodded, trying with all her might to keep from grinning. “At least he gave me something to make sure I’ll always know how he feels about me.” She lifted up her hand, showing the ring, and started to laugh.
Alissa’s eyes widened, and this time her jaw dropped into a big ‘O.’
“You… you… scamp!” She threw back her head laughing. “Oh, how dare you. You had me believing you for a second, but I absolutely should have known better.” Then, as if the full realization of the news had hit her, she covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes shining. “Congratulations, Caitlin! This is so exciting.”
“Thank you!”
Both sisters stood up and folded each other into a hug, rocking each other back and forth a little. Caitlin blinked back a few tears of joy.
Once their hug had broken, Alissa grabbed Caitlin’s hand and stared at the ring. “Oh,” she cooed. “It’s gorgeous. It’s almost worthy of you.” She winked, and Caitlin beamed at her.
They sat down again and Alissa demanded to know every detail of the proposal. Soon their food arrived, and as they began to eat the delicious meal, they started talking about wedding planning.
“I have to admit, I’ve been saving ideas on Pinterest for a while,” Caitlin said, laughing.
“Share the board with me,” her twin begged. “I want to see what all of your ideas are.”
As they continued to eat, they swapped ideas and showed each other pictures on their phones. Alissa was already starting to brainstorm ideas for the bachelorette party and the bridal shower, and Caitlin felt loved when she saw how enthusiastic her sister was about celebrating her.
They were just finishing eating, when the doors of The Crab opened again, and a familiar face walked in.
“What?” Alissa asked, noticing her sister glance toward the entrance.
“It’s nothing,” Caitlin said to Alissa. “Janelle is here.”
Janelle flounced into the restaurant, clearly looking for someone—and Caitlin felt sure she knew who it was. Janelle was wearing athleticwear and had a pair of designer sunglasses perched on top of her head. This time, however, Janelle’s pursuit of Michael didn’t upset her in the slightest.
Alissa turned, curious. “Where? Want me to tell her that she’s being rude and she needs to leave your fiancé alone?”
Caitlin laughed. “Don’t you dare. Michael can handle it. I’m determined to not pay her any attention anymore.” Cheerfully, she tasted the final sip of her Chardonnay.
“Okay.” Alissa was staring at Janelle with lifted eyebrows. “She’s looking for someone.”
“Probably Michael,” Caitlin said, “but that’s not my problem.” She winked at Alissa, who grinned at her.
At that moment, Michael also stepped into The Crab. Caitlin’s heart jumped up in happiness when she saw him—and Janelle looked thrilled to see him as well. The surfer tossed her hair at the sight of him and started to stride across the restaurant toward him, her face lit up as though she was eager for a conversation.
Michael didn’t even notice her, however. His eyes immediately landed on Caitlin, and he hurried across the restaurant toward her, his eyes shining. The moment he reached her, he pulled her up into an embrace.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, and kissed her tenderly.
Even though she felt a little flustered about being kissed in public, Caitlin’s heart swelled with happiness, and beside her, she could hear Alissa cooing a little.
I love how affectionate he is , she thought warmly. And he’s been even more affectionate since our engagement.
She kissed him back enthusiastically, and he dipped her backward a little bit. Laughing, they broke apart from their kiss, and Caitlin noticed Janelle watching them. The surfer had a look on her face that showed she had finally gotten the memo. She gave Caitlin a somewhat resigned smile, almost as if to say, “You win.”
Caitlin grinned and turned back to Michael and Alissa.
“Congratulations, Michael!” Alissa said, giving her future brother-in-law a hug. “Caitlin and I have been starting to plan the wedding already. Well, mostly me. I’m too excited to not think about it.”
Michael laughed, and for a few minutes the three of them talked excitedly about the engagement and wedding plans. Once Caitlin and Alissa had paid their checks, they left The Crab with Michael.
“See you both soon!” Alissa said warmly, heading in the opposite direction, toward The Outlet . “I can’t wait to tell Dane about all this.”
Caitlin and Michael grinned and waved goodbye, and then began to walk along the sidewalk together, holding hands. It took Caitlin a few minutes to realize that Janelle must have left The Crab before they did—she’d forgotten all about the other woman.
“Thanks for stopping by,” she said, gazing up at him. She felt happy and confident, and so excited for her upcoming wedding and marriage. “I always love to see you. This was a nice surprise.”
“I always love to see you,” he said, winking at her. “I was walking past and I remembered you were getting lunch with Alissa, so I thought I’d pop in and say hello.”
“I wish I’d known you were coming, I would have saved you some food to try. That meal was incredible.”
He chuckled. “Next time, save me a French fry or something.”
“Note to self, get French fries for Michael,” she teased.
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “Show me that ring.”
She held her hand up, laughing, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Yup, gorgeous. And so is the ring.”
They paused in their walk for another hug and kiss.