Page 61 of A Journey in the Bay

Pearl rushed off to her bedroom, which Michael had helped them paint purple. Moments later, the doorbell rang again. This time, it was Sandy, Daniel, and Willis, all with wine in tow.

“I hope you don’t have too much wine!” Sandy said, handing her another bottle. “We weren’t sure what to bring.”

“No, it’s perfect, thank you!” Caitlin gave her a hug. “I have a big charcuterie board, so it’ll be nice to have a lot of wine options.”

Alissa and Dane helped Caitlin bring the food into the living room, where the party really started. The conversation flowed and everyone loved the charcuterie and tartes. Eventually Josie arrived, this time with a dessert, which Caitlin put in the fridge.

Pearl convinced Sandy and Alissa to play Uno with her, and Caitlin and Willis exchanged tips on the restaurant business. The topic drifted back to the dinner cruise, which had several more successful evenings.

“I have so many new ideas for the menu in the fall,” Caitlin said. “The seasonal produce around here has been so amazing so far and I bet it’ll be even better in the fall.”

“It’s great,” Willis said. “I can put you in touch with some of my fall favorites.”

“That would be great!”

Caitlin’s excitement only grew despite the huge to-do list ahead of her. Now all of the things ahead of her invigorated her. The near constant feeling of being overwhelmed that she’d experienced when she’d first arrived had settled into something she could handle. Something she could take seriously without letting it consume her or let her miss the fun in life.

Late in the evening, her eyes met Michael’s across the room. His smile made her heart flip in her chest. She almost couldn’t believe this was her life now, but she was so glad it was.

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