Page 23 of A Whisper in the Bay

“While you’re working?”

“I’ll be observing and talking to people. It’ll be fun.”

Caitlin stirred her stew and thought about it. It was either the competition or she’d be here all day, reading and worrying about what to do with her marriage.

“Sure, I’ll go with you,” Caitlin said.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

The beach was alive like it was the middle of the summer, not a sunny but chilly day. Surfers with their boards, spectators, and judges milled around, talking excitedly. A row of food booths, including one from The Crab, were on the far side of the event, preparing for lunch time. Vendors were managing crowds of guests alongside them.

Alissa had never seen or felt this level of excitement in Blueberry Bay, and it was contagious. She tried to soak it all in and savor it so she could recapture it when she was writing. It was such a magical feeling --- everyone together, looking forward to the same thing.

“This is such a great turnout!” Alissa said, tugging her hat down so it covered the tips of her ears.

“Yeah, there are a lot more people than I thought there would be,” Caitlin said. She tucked her hands into the pocket of her peacoat. “Where should we go?”

“Hm…” Alissa looked around at all the different groups of people. Most of them were surfers at this hour, dressed in wet suits and stretching out, but there were clusters of spectators gathered on the bleachers, huddled together with warm drinks. She had a wealth of people to talk to. “Let’s just take a walkthrough to decide.”

They were on the side of the event closest to the parking lot, so they walked straight through. Alissa said hello to a few people she knew, including Michael, the owner of Tidal Wave Coffee in his wet suit. Several people were hanging on his word, laughing along with him when he told a joke. He was clearly the favorite—none of the other surfers had as many people around him as he did.

Alissa hadn’t had the chance to talk to him about his surfing career yet, but she told Dane she wanted to write a piece on him someday. She just knew he had some interesting stories in him, ones that no one in town knew.

Alissa’s head spun with possibilities for her article on the event and she pulled out her notepad, trying to walk and take notes at the same time. Did she want to talk to a young family first, or some people who were examining the surfboards with an expert’s eye? Or did she want to talk to some vendors to see how the event was in comparison to last year? Or maybe a surfer who could tell her about how the waves were? The hardest part of this assignment was going to be narrowing it all down.

Even Caitlin had lightened up, taking in all of the excitement as they reached the end of the competition space. It didn’t take away Alissa’s worries about her, though. When she first arrived, Alissa assumed her visit would be filled with lectures about her decisions. And yes, Caitlin was more than happy to talk to her about that. But sadness lingered around her twin everywhere she went and she hadn’t opened up about it.

Later. Alissa had to give her sister time or she’d retreat into herself again. There had to be more to this visit than Caitlin was saying.

“I think we should find a place to watch the competition since it’s going to start soon,” Alissa said, her eyes scanning the bleachers.

But then she spotted a shock of bright auburn hair under a dark blue cap, the man’s tall frame familiar. Was that Dane? She took a few steps forward and confirmed it. He didn’t look like he did at the office at all, though he fit in with what everyone else was wearing. Instead of his usual tailored shirt, slacks, and pea coat, he was wearing a big jacket, black joggers, surfer sunglasses that he likely picked up from a vendor, and a knit cap with a surf brand logo on it.

Alissa held in a laugh. It was like he’d tried to be his own opposite for a day.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back,” Alissa said to Caitlin, squeezing her shoulder and approaching Dane. He was so focused on the activity that he didn’t notice her approaching. “You said you weren’t going to come.”

“Well, I changed my mind. I didn’t have a lot to do this morning and I figured I’d stop by.” He shifted his weight between his feet and took off his hat, running his fingers through his hair. It stuck up in five different directions “If the paper is covering it, it would make sense for me to come. Purely business.”

The corner of Alissa’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “So if it’s just business and it makes sense for you to be here, what’s with the disguise?”

“Fine, you’re right.” Dane chuckled, cupping the back of his neck, like he was trying to hide how red it had gotten. “Is my disguise that bad?”

“It’s not bad at all.”

In fact, she liked it. The only other time she had seen him in vaguely casual clothes was at The Crab, and even that had been much dressier than how the locals dressed. Seeing him in joggers and a big jacket, his usually tidy auburn hair windswept, made her heart skip a beat.

“Do you want to sit with me and Caitlin?” Alissa asked, gesturing toward the bleachers. “We were just about to sit down.”

Dane paused for a moment, then said, “Sure.”

Alissa guided Dane over to where Caitlin was waiting, looking out onto the ocean.

“Caitlin, this is my boss, Dane. Dane, this is my sister, Caitlin,” Alissa said.

“Nice to meet you,” Dane said, giving Caitlin a firm handshake.

“Nice to meet you as well. Want to grab a seat?” Caitlin asked.

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