Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

"What about Samuel?" Alissa Taylor laid a card down on the kitchen table and smiled at her husband Dane, lifting a brow in question.

They were playing cards together after dinner. It was a beautiful winter evening, and the moon was casting blue light on the snow outside, causing it to glisten. Inside their beautiful home, it was cozy and peaceful. Alissa had brewed them both cups of ginger and turmeric tea, and her mug was warm and steaming in her hands.

"I knew a guy in middle school named Samuel, and I couldn't stand him," Dane said, making a face. "Veto."

As soon as they'd started trying to choose a name for the baby, they'd decided that they would each have the power to "veto" the other person's suggestions if they didn't like the name. So far, the only names they'd been able to add to their list of potentials were names that neither of them liked very much.

"My favorite cousin is named Samuel, and he's the nicest guy on the planet," she protested.

"I'm not saying they're the same person." He laughed, taking a sip of his tea. "I'm just saying I don't like the name."

She sighed. "We're never going to be able to decide on a name for this baby."

"Of course we are." He smiled encouragingly at her as he laid down another card. "Besides, now we know that he's a boy, that's lowered our options considerably."

"True." She smiled and laid down a card.

"What about Calvin?" he suggested.

She wrinkled her nose as she considered it. "No, I don't think so. I just don't click with it. Veto."

"Maybe we won't know until we meet him," he said, smiling sentimentally in a way that made her feel warm inside.

"Maybe not," she agreed.

"Is he still behaving himself? Not making his mommy nauseous anymore?"

She laughed. "Oh stop, it's not like it was his fault! And no, I haven't been nauseous in a while. I'm feeling great now. My energy has been fantastic—of course, it also helps that my arm is no longer broken." She held out her arm, which had been broken several months earlier, and sighed in satisfaction. "It's so nice to be able to move without a sling, even if it's still a tiny bit sore sometimes."

"You're an absolute champion," he said, reaching across the table to give her arm a gentle squeeze. "Dealing with morning sickness and a broken arm all at the same time."

"It wasn't all that bad." She grinned. "I'll admit, the broken arm was rough, but that led to getting closer to Johanna, which led to us convincing her to move here, and as far as the nausea goes—well, he's more than worth putting up with a little nausea for." She placed her hand on her stomach, feeling a rush of love for their little one.

"You know," he said slowly, and she knew he was about to make a joke from the way his lips were curving up at the corners. "We could always name him Nauseous."

She threw a card at him, crowing with laughter. "Oh, that's terrible! At this rate we're going to have to wait until he's eighteen, and then he can pick his own name."

He laughed. "What if he picks a name we both hate?"

She groaned, leaning her head down onto the table. "You tell us, baby," she said to her stomach. "What do you want to be called?"

"Maybe we can ask for suggestions at dinner tomorrow night," he suggested, still chuckling. "I know my mom will probably have some good ideas, and I bet our other guests will as well."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Of course, we'll have to make sure they don't feel offended if we don't take their suggestions." She laughed. "Now I'm even more excited about this party. I'm sure Caitlin will have great ideas for names. She's mentioned that we should chat about names at some point, but she's never given me any formal suggestions." Caitlin Lewis was Alissa's twin sister, and she had a darling eight-year-old daughter named Pearl.

"Michael probably will too. He must have heard all kinds of good names after hiring all those teenagers at Tidal Wave Coffee over the years," he joked. Michael O'Neil was Caitlin's fiancé, a handsome surfer who also ran Blueberry Bay's most popular coffee shop, Tidal Wave Coffee.

"Oh, good point. And Marsha and Willis have lived long lives and met all kinds of people. They'll be a great group to ask about names."

"What do you know about Marsha and Willis's guest?" he asked curiously as he set down another card.

She shook her head. "Basically nothing. They just asked if they could bring someone else along, and I said that any friend of Marsha and Willis is already essentially a friend of ours."

He smiled. "I can agree with that. They're two of the nicest people we know."

"We have everything we need, right? An additional guest isn't going to require any extra purchases before tomorrow?"

"We should be good," he said, staring at the ceiling in a way she found adorable as he ticked off items in his mind. "We already bought extra food and snacks, and we already have extra dishes. We'll need an extra chair, but there's that one in the attic we can bring down."

"And clean off." She laughed. "We don't want Marsha and Willis's friend to have to sit on a bunch of spider webs."

"Actually, I was going to volunteer myself to take the attic chair," he said, placing his hand on his heart nobly.

She threw another card at him.

"Hey, don't lose those. You might need some to win."

"I won't need that one," she said, grinning. She dramatically placed down a final card. "I win!" She let out a whoop as he groaned.

"Aw, not again." He stared down at her final card for a moment, accepting defeat, and then he looked back up at her, a mischievous look crossing his face. "I'm happy to let you win, since you're growing our baby."

Her mouth popped open, and then she laughed. "You didn't let me win at all! That was absolutely a fair fight."

"You're right." He grinned. "A kiss for the loser?"

"As long as there's also a kiss for the winner." They both leaned across the table and gave each other a tender kiss. Alissa's heart was full, and she felt that she couldn't wait for their dinner party the following night.

Dane stood in the doorway of his home, smiling as he watched his mother's car pull into the driveway. It was a beautiful evening—crisply cold, with a clear sky sprinkled with glittering stars. Johanna was the first to arrive for the party, and as soon as she'd gotten out of her car, she hurried up the walkway toward him.

"Oh, it's cold!" she said, shivered as she reached his side and hugged him. "What are you doing standing out here?"

"Waiting for you." He laughed. "What's in the bag?" He took a tote bag from her hands since it looked heavy.

"My famous strawberry Swiss roll cake," she declared proudly.

"Oh, great." He grinned, remembering fondly the taste of the cake his mother had often made for celebrations. He shut the door and turned to her. "How are you doing, Mom?"

"My goodness, you make it sound like you're worried about me! You saw me two days ago."

"I know, but I didn't really get a chance to talk with you then. I'm just wondering how you're settling in. I know Blueberry Bay isn't as busy as New York, and you don't have as many friends here yet."

"But they're true friends here," she said, tapping him gently on the shoulder with her finger and smiling. "That makes all the difference in the world."

"So you're doing well, then?" He grinned at her.

"Never been better."

"Hey, Johanna!" Alissa approached the front entryway, waving at her mother-in-law. "Glad you're here!"

"Hi, sweetheart!" The two women shared a warm hug. "Did you see the latest episode of our show?"

"Yes!" Alissa exclaimed eagerly. "I loved it—didn't the Johnsons' new kitchen look incredible?"

"Oh my goodness, yes," Johanna gushed. "I never would have thought that navy cupboards could look so good, but it was just spectacular."

"That's because they balanced it with those splashes of yellow," Alissa said.

Dane chuckled as he listened to them discuss their favorite series. It was clear that the two of them had bonded over the show, and it was something they loved to discuss with each other. The three of them walked into the kitchen together as Alissa and Johanna continued to chat excitedly about the latest developments in the remodeling show.

"Do you need any help getting things ready?" Johanna asked once they reached the kitchen. "Setting out plates of food?"

"Sure." Alissa hurried over to the charcuterie board she'd just finished arranging. "Let me just bring this into the living room, and you can follow me with those two sauce dishes."

"Oh my!" Johanna exclaimed when she saw the charcuterie board. "That's absolutely a work of art."

"I agree," Dane said, admiring the way his wife had arranged meats, cheeses, olives, crackers, and various other snacks in an aesthetic pattern. "That looks wonderful, sweetheart."

"Well, thanks." Alissa grinned. "Dane, can you follow us with the tray of mugs? I've got a make-your-own tea station all set up, I just need the mugs."

The three of them trooped into the living room, where a cozy fire was already crackling in the hearth.

"I don't know if I've ever told you how good this room looks," Johanna said warmly, gazing around at the comfortable décor. "Sophisticated and comfortable at the same time."

Dane and Alissa shared a secret grin. When Johanna had come to stay with them months earlier, Alissa had been worried that her particular mother-in-law wouldn't approve of their home. Dane knew that a compliment on décor was high praise coming from someone with as keen an eye for detail as his mother.

The doorbell rang—a pleasant sound of chimes jingling.

"I'll get it," Dane announced, and hurried toward the front door. When he opened it, he grinned.

"Well, look at this! My favorite niece!"

"I'm your only niece." Pearl giggled, giving him a hug.

Behind her, Caitlin and Michael were smiling warmly.

"We brought some wine," Caitlin said, and Michael held up a tote bag. "Thanks for hosting this."

"Of course, come on in, it's cold out there," Dane said. As they passed into the house, Michael clapped him affectionately on the back.

"Is that my twin?" Alissa called from the other room.

"Yes it is!" Caitlin called back, and in another few seconds Alissa had hurried into the hallway. The sisters hugged as Pearl scampered eagerly into the living room, probably excited about all of the good smells that were coming from it.

"What's for dinner?" Michael asked, sniffing the air. "I smell garlic."

"Good nose," Alissa teased. "There's definitely some garlic on the menu. We've got cheesy garlic bread, salad, and three different kinds of homemade pizza."

"Oh, amazing!" Caitlin pressed a hand to her stomach, as if already anticipating filling it up with delicious food. "Did you try out that recipe you wanted to? The one with arugula and mushrooms?"

"Yes! It's incredible," Alissa said.

"Arugula?" Michael said in pretend horror.

"Don't worry." Alissa laughed. "There's a regular ‘meat lovers' pizza too. I made that for you boys."

"Perfect." Dane and Michael shared a satisfied look.

Before they could start toward the living room, the doorbell rang again.

"Oh, that must be Marsha and Willis and their guest!" Alissa said eagerly.

Dane opened the door again—and sure enough, there was Marsha and Willis and another man he didn't recognize at first. The man appeared to be in his early sixties, with dark brown hair flecked with gray, broad shoulders, and some stubble. He was wearing a red hat and smiling good-naturedly. In another moment Dane recognized him as Everett Howell, a man he'd met at a couple of different social events before.

"Thanks so much for inviting us, Dane," Willis said, shaking his hand firmly. "This is my friend Everett. I believe you've met him before?"

"Yes. Nice to see you again, Everett," Dane said. He liked the older man. Everett gave the impression of someone who worked long and hard but had still managed to keep an optimistic spirit. He remembered having an interesting conversation with him about fishing and admiring Everett's knowledge and enthusiasm.

"Everett!" Alissa stepped forward to shake the fisherman's hand eagerly. "So good to see you again. I didn't realize you were going to be Marsha and Willis's guest. I might have experimented with making a fish pizza."

Dane and Michael groaned, and Everett laughed warmly. "The world may not be ready for a fish pizza," he said, still chuckling, "but I appreciate the thought. I do love fish."

"Well, next time you come over, we can make fish," Alissa promised.

"I'll bring it. Earn my keep," he joked.

They continued to joke and banter as they all made their way to the living room. Johanna was sitting in an armchair, reading a book to Pearl, who was sitting near her on the couch. When the group stepped through the doorway, Johanna looked up curiously. Her eyes locked onto Everett immediately.

"I don't know you, do I?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," Everett said. He stepped forward to shake her hand. "I'm Everett Howell."

"Johanna Taylor," she said, shaking his hand firmly. "Please don't ever call me ma'am ever again."

Everett let out a low chuckle. "Yes, ma—yes, Johanna." He grinned at her, and she offered him a small smirk in return.

Alissa went to put the pizzas into the oven, and the guests lingered in the living room, nibbling appetizers from the charcuterie board.

"The plan is to come back in here after dinner as well," Dane said. "We thought we could play some games."

"Sounds great," Caitlin said, standing over the charcuterie board and smiling at it as if it was art instead of something to eat.

Outside, a light snow began to fall. Dane felt a sense of joy, surrounded by his friends and family members, in the home that he'd created with his wife. The fire crackled pleasantly, and the group discussed what games they'd like to play after dinner.

"Pizzas are ready!" Alissa announced a short time later. "We can all go into the dining room."

As they started to move into the other room, Marsha hurried over to Dane.

"Hi, Dane," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "Thank you again for inviting us and letting us bring a guest."

"Of course," he said. He could sense that she was about to ask him something—she had a kind of hushed, conspiratorial tone. "Everett's a great guy."

Marsha nodded. "Could you—well, could you help me make sure he sits next to your mom?"

Dane blinked. "Um, yeah, sure."

Alissa, who was walking just ahead of them, turned and raised her eyebrows at her husband.

"Great!" Marsha rubbed her hands together excitedly.

They entered the dining room, and Everett took a seat near the end of the table. Marsha quickly hurried forward and took a spot one chair down from him.

"Johanna, come sit by me?" Marsha asked, gesturing with one hand.

Dane glanced at his mother. She was standing near the table, her eyebrows lifted. She seemed to be aware of what Marsha was trying to do, and the way her whole body stiffened in response was a little comical.

Oh boy, I don't think she likes him too much , Dane thought, trying not to chuckle.

Johanna approached the table, clearly headed toward the chair on the other side of Marsha, not the one next to Everett. Dane, remembering what he'd promised, hurried forward and took the chair that Johanna was walking to.

"I'm excited about this pizza," he said, trying to cover up the fact that he'd just intentionally stolen Johanna's other chair option.

Johanna let out a slight huff and sat down on Marsha's left, next to Everett.

"Me too," Alissa said, clearly having just witnessed the chair snatch. She was trying not to laugh. "Da—Willis, would you come help me grab these pizzas? I know you're good at carrying trays with all your work at The Crab."

"Sure," Willis said, following her into the kitchen.

Dane squirmed a little—he didn't like not helping his pregnant wife bring in the food, but he knew she'd asked Willis instead to keep up pretenses. In another few moments though, nobody was thinking about anything except the pizza. Willis and Alissa set the pizzas down on a side table in the dining room, and the guests got up one by one to help themselves to pizza, salad, and garlic bread.

The food was incredible, and the conversation around the table was cheerful and animated. Dane was enjoying the evening heartily, and he kept glancing at his mother and Everett, wondering how things were going to go between them.