Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Caitlin walked along the deck of the cruise ship, her hair ruffled gently by a light ocean breeze. She’d just been over to the kitchens to sample the new recipes that her chef had wanted to run by her, and she’d approved all of them.
That pomegranate salmon was especially wonderful, she thought, smiling to herself as she took a short flight of stairs down to her onboard office. We’ll have to get some great photographs of that dish so we can feature it on the website.
Her mind whizzed through various business details as she stepped back inside her office. She sat down and jotted a few notes down, grinning as she thought about the news she’d received earlier that day. Sandy had given birth in the early hours of the morning, and both mother and newborn son were doing well. Tommy and Daniel were thrilled to have another boy joining the family, and everyone seemed to be in great spirits.
I can’t wait to meet the little one , Caitlin thought, making a few notes in her planner.
Just as she was scratching out another reminder to herself, she heard a knock at her door.
“Come in,” she said, turning around. She’d assumed it was one of the cruise ship staff, but when the door opened, Michael was standing there grinning at her.
“Oh!” She perked up, crossing the room quickly to give him a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you,” he said, his tone sweet. He hugged her back tightly. “I have a question for you.”
“I already told you I’d marry you,” she joked, winking at him. “What is it?”
He chuckled. “I was thinking about our wedding reception. What would you say to having it on a sailboat? It would have to be more of an informal affair, but I thought it could be a lot of fun. Our guests could zipline and fish, and the views would be spectacular all night. And now that I’ve got the idea into my head of having our first dance on a boat under the stars, I don’t know that I’d be content with anything else.”
“I love that idea!” She smiled back at him as she pictured what he was describing. “It sounds like so much fun—and you’re right, it would be magical to have our dances out under the stars like that, with the lights of Blueberry Bay shining in the distance. Very romantic.” She beamed at him.
“You like it? I was hoping you would. If you really want to do something else, of course we can talk about it—I was joking about having my heart set on it.”
“We can keep talking about it, but I do love the idea.” She lifted her nose up to his and nuzzled it. “And I love it that you came over here in the middle of your workday to ask me that. I love that you’re already thinking about our wedding.”
“Well, of course,” he said, grinning. “I’ve been thinking about marrying you since before I proposed to you.”
They shared a warm smile for a moment, and then Caitlin’s cell phone began to ring. She answered it, and it was the hostess, asking her to stop by the dining area to approve the new table arrangement before the restaurant opened for the evening.
“Of course,” she assured her. “Be there in a moment.”
She hung up and turned to Michael. “I’ve got to run over to the dining room. Do you need to go, or—”
“I’ll come with you,” he said, taking her hand. “I’m already here, I might as well stroll over to the dining room with my fiancée.”
She laughed, and they walked across the ship together, talking eagerly about their upcoming wedding. Once they reached the dining area, Caitlin asked the staff to make a couple of changes to the table arrangement, and she and Michael helped them adjust the furniture.
“There,” she said, laughing a little as she surveyed the room again. “Now it’s perfect.”
At that moment, a man stepped inside the dining room. He wasn’t one of Caitlin’s employees, and he was looking around as if he was uncertain. She’d never seen him in town before, and judging by his muscular physique, damp hair, and athletic clothes, she guessed that he was in the area temporarily for a surfing event.
“Hi,” she said, approaching him. “Can I help you?”
His face lit up into a bright smile when she addressed him—he gave off the vibe of someone who was used to being charming. “Yes, hi. I have a reservation for the Beyond the Sea dinner cruise tonight, and I just wanted to make sure I knew where it was located.”
“You’re in the right place,” she assured him. “This is the dining area. Can I answer any other questions?”
“No, I should be good,” he said, smiling. “Although I’d love to take a look at a menu?”
“Sure.” She smiled. “Tonight’s menu is written on that chalk board near the door. When you arrive tonight, there will be printed copies available.”
“Fantastic, thanks,” he said, flashing a smile. He wasn’t flirting with her, but he was giving off a highly confident vibe that reminded Caitlin slightly of Janelle, and she chuckled quietly to herself.
As if she’d been summoned by Caitlin’s thoughts, at that moment, Janelle walked through the doorway.
“Janelle!” Caitlin said, surprised. Surely the other woman had given up on chasing Michael now that she knew he and Caitlin were engaged. Why was she there?
“Hi,” Janelle said, smiling at Caitlin. She still tossed her hair dramatically, but for once her expression looked a little apologetic—almost shy. “Could I talk to you and Michael for second?”
“Sure,” Caitlin said, surprised but perfectly willing to be friendly. Michael was still on the other side of the room, but she waved him over and his eyebrows rose all the way up when he saw Janelle.
“Hi,” the surfer said to him when he reached Caitlin’s side. “I wanted to come talk to Caitlin, but it’s even better that you’re both here.” Her voice still had a kind of overly-cool tone to it, but Caitlin could tell by the look in the other woman’s eyes that she meant what she was saying. “I want to congratulate you both on your engagement. I hope you’re really happy together.”
“Thank you, Janelle,” Caitlin said, offering a handshake. “That’s sweet of you.”
Janelle smiled a smile that seemed to say, “I know,” and then shook Michael’s hand—but Caitlin was pleased to see that Janelle was no longer flirting with him. It seemed that the surfer was finally willing to concede that Michael truly was spoken for.
“Who’s that?” Janelle asked, noticing the surfer who was reading the menu on the wall. All at once her eyes lit up with interest, and she didn’t turn to Caitlin when she responded.
“I don’t know, he’s a stranger in town, I think. He said he has dinner reservations here for tonight,” Caitlin said.
“Oh, does he now?” Janelle said eagerly, and without saying goodbye to Michael or Caitlin, she flounced over to the surfer.
Michael and Caitlin exchanged an amused look, and laughed as quietly as they could, watching as Janelle introduced herself to the surfer. She was clearly turning on all her charm for her new quest, and the young man seemed to be lapping it up like honey. The two of them talked enthusiastically together for a few minutes, and Caitlin and Michael went back to busying themselves around the dining room. Caitlin couldn’t help but overhear the surfer ask Janelle if she’d like to get dinner with him that night.
Chuckling to herself, she watched as they stepped out of the dining room together, still actively engaged in conversation. She looked at Michael, and when she saw that he had noticed as well, the two of them shared a grin.
“Would you help me with something in the linen closet?” Caitlin asked Michael, starting toward a doorway that led to an “Employees Only” hallway.
“Certainly, madam,” he said, imitating a butler voice and causing her to laugh.
The hallway was hushed and smelled faintly of laundry detergent. Once they were alone together again, Michael slipped his hand easily around hers.
“I have to admit, it’s a bit of a relief to see that Janelle has moved on,” she said, chuckling. “And that she’s not too heartbroken.” She winked.
He chuckled as well. “Yes, I’m sure she’s going to be just fine. But even if she hadn’t moved on and she was still after me, it wouldn’t matter. Because you’re the only one who has my attention.”
She beamed at him and they shared an affectionate kiss.
“Are you sure you won’t miss being spammed by dolphins, though?” she asked slyly as they approached the linen closet.
He pretended to grimace. “I’ll be happy if I never see another dolphin again,” he said, opening the closet door.
He jumped as he saw the huge blow-up dolphin that Caitlin had planted in the linen closet, and she dissolved into laughter.
“You did this?” he said, turning to her and laughing.
“I thought you might miss the dolphins,” she teased, still laughing uncontrollably.
“Come here you,” he said, and she dashed away from him. He chased her around the hallway, both of them laughing like children. When he finally caught her, he pulled her close for a kiss.
She kept chuckling even through their embrace. “So, what I’m getting is that you don’t want to be spammed by dolphins. Are you sure?”
“Definitely not,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “But you can prank me anytime you want.”
“Wow, that was a pretty daring statement. You might regret that.”
He grinned. “I will never regret having fun with you.”
She beamed at him, and they shared another kiss.