Page 28 of A Journey in the Bay

“I’m very sure.” Michael smiled, which steadily put her at ease the longer she gazed at him. “The insides are slightly tougher, but I know a bunch of people to call if I get stumped. And the outside will take a lot of elbow grease, but it’s possible. Even rusted stuff like this.”

He tapped on the rusty panel that she’d been eyeing.

“Okay,” Caitlin said softly.

“I promise.” He rested a friendly hand on her shoulder, sending a warm tingle down her spine. “I’ve got it under control. And if something changes, I’ll call you right away.”

Caitlin was about to thank him again and get into what had to be done first, but her phone rang in her pocket. She expected it to be Alissa, maybe asking her if she wanted to grab lunch as they often did, but it wasn’t. It was James. Her stomach sank.

“Excuse me for a second,” she said, her voice wavering.

She went to the far side of the deck and answered.

“Hi, James,” Caitlin said.

“Hi.” Caitlin heard the bustle of the restaurant in the background. “Do you have a second to talk about Pearl? And when she can come see me?”

“Sure, yeah. When are you free?” Caitlin sat down on the side of the boat. She had known this call was coming, but now that it was actually happening, her knees felt too weak to support herself.

“I can make time next month?” James said, almost unsure of himself. That didn’t calm Caitlin’s nerves in the slightest. James was always sure of himself. “Let me get my calendar.”

Caitlin waited for him to get his calendar, biting her thumbnail. She wanted Pearl to see her father, but she was going to miss her desperately. So much of Caitlin’s day revolved around her—waking up, helping her get ready for the day, figuring out what to do. Even before Pearl was born, she rarely had time to herself. She and James were building the business and talking with people all the time to get it up and running. And those were the days when they were deeply in love, spending every other moment with each other because they wanted to, not because they had to.

Now that Caitlin thought about it, she hadn’t had much alone time before that either. In college she’d lived with roommates, and at that age, she’d loved socializing. And before that, she shared a room with Alissa.

Caitlin swallowed. How was it going to feel with Pearl gone for so long? Caitlin knew she’d cope, but she wasn’t sure how well or how quickly she’d adapt.

“Yeah, next month,” he finally said. “I’ll make time.”

After years of hearing that, she understood what he meant—making time meant squeezing time in around the restaurant, not taking time off to just relax. She took a deep breath and let it out. Part of the terms of their divorce meant that he had partial custody, and he’d wanted it. She never doubted that he loved Pearl. Caitlin was just worried about how much time Pearl was going to be spending in the back office of the restaurant with her tablet while her dad worked away at his desk.

Being a parent was difficult, especially with a busy career, but Caitlin cherished every moment of it. She had chosen putting the restaurant aside for her daughter, but it felt like James wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

“What are you planning to do?” Caitlin asked.

“Not sure. Whatever she’d like to do. I mean, it won’t be nonstop fun—I’ll keep her schedule as regular as possible,” he said.

“Okay.” Caitlin’s shoulders relaxed. “And her room is set up?”

James had moved into a condo closer to the restaurant, opting for a two bedroom place for Pearl’s visits.

“Yup. It’s not painted yet, but it has everything she needs.”

They discussed how they were going to get Pearl home, and eventually settled on Caitlin flying back to drop her off with him before coming back to Blueberry Bay. The business-like conversation loosened the knot in her stomach. Even if their ideas on what the restaurant could have been were different, they were able to work together on a common goal if they both believed in it.

“Have you found work there?” James asked once they had the details of Pearl’s visit set.

Caitlin hesitated, but said, “Not yet, no.”

The idea of telling him that she was standing on a cruise ship that she’d bought in the hopes of making it a dinner cruise made her queasy. He’d probably think she was crazy and drill her on the specifics of what she wanted to do. He was focused on the food, so she knew he’d ask her about how she planned to serve high-quality cuisine on a boat when she’d never done that before.

She didn’t want that negativity, not when she was still nervous and overwhelmed.

“Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ll find something,” he said. “I’ve got to get going. Take care.”

“Bye.”

She hung up, letting out a breath. The conversation had gone just fine, maybe even good when looking at it objectively, but she still felt as if the boat were suddenly in the middle of a stormy sea. She was in unknown territory.

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