Page 31 of A Whisper in the Bay

The light in Alissa’s eyes was contagious. “You didn’t think my article was too long because of it?”

“It was a little long, but all of it was so interesting that I kept most of it,” he said. “I might make it a two part piece.”

Alissa beamed. “That’s so exciting. I can’t wait to tell Caitlin.”

Dane hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to Caitlin one-on-one, but the differences between her and Alissa were obvious. Caitlin was much more prim and collected than Alissa, and she had a certain sadness in her eyes as she looked out into the water.

“How is Caitlin?” Dane asked. “How has her visit been?”

“It’s been better than I thought. She gave me the talk about my career and life choices early on, but she mostly came to escape.” Alissa’s eyes softened. “Her life back home is stressful and she needed some time to figure things out.”

“This place is really rejuvenating for people,” Dane said.

“It is. I hope she gets unstuck.” Alissa bit her bottom lip, concern filling her eyes.

“Here we go,” Hannah said, appearing with two red baskets filled to the brim with their dinners. “Two fish sandwiches.”

“Thanks!” Alissa pulled a napkin from the holder and put it in her lap. “This is one of my favorites.”

“They’re all good.” Dane followed her lead. The sandwiches at The Crab rivaled any of the ones from the best sandwich shops back in New York City. Everything was fresh, especially the fish, and they put inventive spins on old classics.

They enjoyed their food in silence. Dane savored Alissa’s presence as well. Sitting across from her here outside of the office made him realize just how natural being around her felt. She exuded positivity and openness, even when she wasn’t talking. He felt like he belonged when he was with her.

“How’s your novel going?” he asked, popping a fry into his mouth.

“Good! I’ve been working on it in the mornings. The sunrises from my room at Literary Stays are unreal,” Alissa said with a dreamy sigh. “It’s just flowing, you know?”

He knew the feeling well. Or at least he used to. Getting into the zone and having the words fly made time go by in an instant.

“That’s great.” He took a sip of his cider then swirled the drink around in its glass bottle. “How does Caitlin feel about that?”

“I think she’s more okay with it than she is with me up and moving to a place where I thought I was going to visit for a little while.” Alissa chuckled. “But that’s to be expected. In case you didn’t notice, we’re twins but we’re opposites.”

“I did notice.” Even the way they carried themselves was different.

“I understand her in some ways. Stability is comforting. But at the same time, I’d prefer to chase my dreams and my passions and maybe fall down than stand still. Like when I wanted a job withEpic, I read every single back issue I could get my hands on. It was an obsession but it helped when I finally landed an interview.”

The corner of Dane’s mouth quirked up in a smile. He could easily see Alissa doing something like that, tearing through issue after issue, one heel on her chair and her knee resting on her chin as he sometimes found her in her office.

“And even though that didn’t work out, I came here on almost a whim and it’s been the best thing that’s happened to me in a while.” Alissa tucked one of the curls that had come undone from her hairstyle back into place. “It was impractical and maybe a little crazy, but I’d prefer that to leaning into practicality and getting stuck.”

“Do you feel that’s why your sister is stuck? She’s too practical?”

“I think that’s part of it.” Alissa contemplated that. “When we were in our early twenties, I always thought I was so behind in comparison to her. She had a nice boyfriend, got married, had a baby, started a business… and those are fulfilling to her but she clung to them.”

“To the point where she’s not letting herself take a risk.”

“Right. Sorry, I’ve been going on and on about my life,” Alissa said with an embarrassed smile.

“I like to listen to you. We usually just talk about work.” Dane reminded himself that was what this was supposed to be about, but now they were talking about her dreams and taking risks. “You’re a passionate person so I’m not surprised you’re open to talking about it.”

Alissa cleaned her fingers and tucked the used napkin next to her red basket. “What about you, then? You took a big risk starting this paper out here when you were used to living in New York City. How do you feel about it now that the paper has been going well?”

Dane gathered his thoughts so he could answer with the same thoughtfulness and consideration that Alissa had.

“It’s been better. I still care to the point of working myself a little too hard, I think. But being out here has been better for me than I thought. My passion for writing had faded with the breakneck speed of everything in New York. It’s hard to really get into something when it’s going to be swept off your desk minutes later.”

“I get that.”

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