Page 31 of A Future in the Bay

“Guess what this is?” she said, shutting the front door and grinning at her daughter.

“Is it—?” Pearl clapped both her hands over her mouth.

“Your dress is here!” Caitlin shook the box excitedly, and Pearl leapt off the couch and raced toward her mother.

“Oh my goodness!” Pearl cried, bouncing up and down. “I can’t wait!”

“You must be feeling better,” Caitlin said, laughing, as she set the box down on a table by the window and started to open it.

“Oh, I am now,” Pearl said. “The dress cured me.”

Laughing, Caitlin finished opening the box and pulled out Pearl’s dress. It was pink and frilly and charmingly designed. The little girl squealed as soon as she saw it.

“It’s so pretty,” she gasped. “Can I try it on right now?”

“Yes, you may!”

With another excited exclamation, Pearl grabbed the dress and took off. Caitlin arched a brow at her daughter as she took off running toward the bathroom, looking as though she was perfectly well. Chuckling, Caitlin began to tidy up the package materials—she broke down the box to be recycled and threw away the plastic bag that the dress had been wrapped in. By the time she was finished, Pearl had gotten changed into her flower girl dress, and her smile lit up her whole face.

“Look at me, Mommy!” the little girl cried, sashaying down the hallway. “Look at how beautiful my dress is.” She paused and twirled, and the skirt of the dress rippled.

Caitlin felt tears spring into her eyes. Pearl looked beautiful, and Caitlin felt sentimental, thinking about her daughter walking down the aisle as a flower girl. It made the upcoming big day seem all the more real. It was such a huge moment in both of their lives, bringing Michael officially into their family. Caitlin was so happy that Pearl was just as excited to celebrate the marriage as she was.

“Come here, honey,” she said, folding her daughter into a hug. “I’m so glad you like the dress.”

“I love it. Thank you, Mom.”

Caitlin could feel Pearl wiggling out of the hug, and she laughed and stepped back.

“You want to go look at it in the mirror?” Caitlin asked her. “The big one in my room?”

“Yes!” Pearl took off running down the hall, and Caitlin followed her, smiling and feeling her heart glow with happiness.

Gwen turned over in bed for what must have been the twentieth time. Outside, the wind was whistling against the eaves of the house, and she could hear an owl hooting in the distance. She felt as though she was living in the middle of the countryside, not tucked into the center of a town. It was late enough that she wasn’t even hearing any cars drive past—only the sounds of nature.

She rolled over again and stared at the ceiling. The streetlamps outside were casting a faint glow across her apartment, and a tree was making shadows across her ceiling.She watched the shadows of the leaves flicker and dance, feeling just as restless as they looked.

“I give up,” she murmured finally, sitting up and clambering out of bed. If she was awake, she might as well be doing things.

She padded into the kitchen in her slippers and began to make herself some tea. She poured a precise amount of water into her tea kettle, and then measured a teaspoon and a half of loose-leaf tea into her tea strainer, which was round and plain.

As she waited for the kettle to boil, she leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, staring into space.

She couldn’t stop thinking about that man, that Isaiah Dunlap. He was so handsome, and he seemed roguish and full of life. She didn’t know why she felt so drawn to him, especially considering how laid-back he was. He was the complete opposite of her in that way—she wanted everything to be done a certain way. She was surprised that she would be drawn to someone like that.

Especially after Ron, she thought, pressing her lips together.

Ron had looked like the put-together type—he dressed very smartly and he kept his appearance neat and professional-looking. At first, Gwen had thought he would be precise about details just like she was. When it had become clear how laid-back he was, at first, she’d told herself it didn’t matter, and that their differences could work together. But Ron had become irritated with her habits—he hadn’t liked how rigidly organized she was. He’d kept telling her that she needed to do things differently, and getting frustrated with her precision, calling her “uptight.”

Ron had clearly not been the right guy for her. So now why was she feeling drawn to another man who was also clearly laid-back—seemingly even more laid-back than Ron was?

I can’t help thinking that Isaiah is different,she thought, lifting the tea kettle off the stove as it began to whistle.He seemslaid-back, but he also seems very competent. He’s smart, and it’s clear that he knows how to work hard.

She frowned as she poured hot water into a mug. Ron really hadn’t been on top of things. Maybe someone who was laid-back wouldn’t be bad for her as long as he was someone who understood what it was to have a strong work ethic.

She started to pace around her kitchen a little as she waited for her tea to steep—she checked the time, wanting it to steep for four minutes precisely. Outside, the same owl hooted again, and she frowned in surprise that she could hear owls even in town.

It just went to show what a sleepy little town it was, she thought. Even wild animals felt comfortable being there at night.

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