Page 10 of A Wedding in the Bay

She saw Marsha’s eyes dart toward the doorway behind them, and she turned and saw Everett standing there. It was clear from the expression on his face that he’d overheard her words. Johanna wished the floor would swallow her.

“What do you all say to a short night walk?” Dane asked. “It’s a beautiful night, and not too cold. Now that the snow has stopped, it should be perfect for a winter walk.”

“Oh yes,” Alissa agreed eagerly. “All the tree branches will be dusted in snow.”

“Yeah!” agreed Pearl eagerly, and the rest of the adults seemed enthusiastic about the idea as well. Everett didn’t say anything, and Johanna wondered if he would have agreed to the walk if Marsha and Willis weren’t his ride.

They finished putting on coats, hats, and gloves, and trooped out into the chilly winter night. The moon was shining on the glittering snow, and the recent dusting of white had turned Dane and Alissa’s yard into a winter wonderland.

The group walked down the driveway and along the road, since the snow was only a couple of inches there. Johanna intentionally walked as far away from Everett as possible, and he seemed to be maintaining the distance intentionally as well.

Oh, this is so awkward, she thought. I’ve learned a lesson tonight—in a costal town, the smell of fish might not be coming from the food.

Once the walk was over, the guests began to pile into their cars. Johanna hugged Marsha, Alissa, and Dane, and then hurried into her vehicle. She felt ready to escape her discomfort and go back to the pleasant haven of her little house.

She drove home carefully through the snow. The route was impeccably picturesque, and more than once she murmured to herself as she saw a particularly beautiful sight.

When she returned home to her cottage, she hurried inside, ready to be warm and comfortable. She made herself another cup of tea and sat down by the window with a good book. She still felt a bit rattled by everything that had happened with Everett, but she was determined to push the matter from her mind.

She opened her book and began to read, but she found it difficult to concentrate. The story centered around a middle-aged farmer—a strong, dependable man who took good care of his family—and she found that she was unable to read about the character without picturing Everett.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, she closed her book, finished her tea, and decided that it was high time she went to sleep.

“That was a lot of fun tonight, wasn’t it?” Caitlin smiled at her daughter, who was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, wearing purple pajamas covered in pictures of kittens and brushing her teeth.

Pearl nodded, since she couldn’t talk through a mouthful of toothbrush. She spit into the sink, and then rinsed off her toothbrush. “Yeah! I really liked the pizza. And walking through the snow. That was fun.”

Caitlin beamed at her. She felt glad that Pearl had had a good time even though no other children had been present. It showed how comfortable she was with all of the adults who had been at the party.

“I’m glad you had a good time, honey,” she said, kissing the top of her daughter’s head. “That food was really yummy, wasn’t it?”

Pearl nodded. “We should make pizza tomorrow. The kind with pepperoni and sausage at the same time.”

Caitlin chuckled. She typically kept their menu on the very-healthy side, but every once in a while, she’d cook something that was better for the tastebuds than the body. “I think we could make some pizza tomorrow. How about a Hawaiian pizza too? With ham and pineapple?”

“Hawaiian pizza?” Michael stuck his head in the doorway of the bathroom. “That sounds great to me.”

Caitlin laughed, and Pearl ran to give Michael a hug.

“I thought you left,” she said.

“Nope,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ve been in the kitchen cleaning things up for your mommy so she can go to bed sooner.”

“Oh, Michael, you didn’t have to do that,” Caitlin said, feeling a rush of gratitude that he was so considerate.

“I wanted to,” he said, kissing her forehead also. “Besides, I want to stick around so we can have some time alone together.”

“Now you both can come tuck me in!” Pearl said and scampered off toward her bedroom. Laughing, Caitlin and Michael followed her, and they each read a picture book out loud to her before tucking her in and turning out the lights.

Caitlin let out a happy sigh as she closed Pearl’s bedroom door behind them. Michael wrapped an arm around her and together they walked into the living room, where they sat down together on the couch.

“The snow looks nice,” she said, snuggling up to him.

“Beautiful,” he said, looking right at her. She blushed, realizing he wasn’t talking about the snow at all.

“That party was great,” she said. “I’m so happy that Dane and Alissa have such a nice house to host from. And it was a good group of people, don’t you think? We all had plenty of things to talk about together.”

He nodded. “Did you notice what happened with Everett and Johanna though?”

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