Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Johanna took a demure bite of her salad, very conscious of where her elbows were. She wished the table was a bit bigger, so she wasn't in as much danger of accidentally bumping the strange man next to her.

Oh, I wish Marsha hadn't insisted that I sit right next to him like this , she thought, feeling a twinge of discomfort. I have no idea what to say to someone like him. What would I talk about with him? He hardly looks like the type one could discuss Mozart with.

She took another bite of salad and smiled faintly as the whole table erupted in laughter over a joke that Michael had told. Beside her, she could see Marsha glancing at her every now and again, clearly hoping that she would start talking to Everett.

"This is good food, isn't it?" Everett said, breaking the silence first and smiling at her in a friendly way. "I've never had pizza with this green stuff on it before. It's good."

"That's arugula," Johanna said stiffly.

"Hmm. It's good," Everett said through a mouthful of food.

Johanna cleared her throat lightly and took her own bite of pizza. It was very good—she had to commend Alissa for having the courage to follow such a daring recipe.

"Everett, Johanna used to live in New York," Marsha said, smiling. "You've been to New York before, haven't you?"

Everett shook his head. "Just passed by it in a boat. I wouldn't know what to do with a place that had so many people in it. No offense," he added, glancing at Johanna apologetically.

"None taken," she said coolly.

Something was bothering her—something other than having to sit so close to a strange man and being expected to speak with him. It took her a while to put her finger on it, and then she realized that she could smell fish.

"Dane, is there fish on one of these pizzas?" she asked, and she didn't understand when Dane and Michael burst into laughter.

"No, Johanna," Alissa said, shaking her head at Dane and Michael. "We were joking about that earlier, but there's no fish on any of the pizzas."

"I smell fish," Johanna protested. "I'm sure I do."

Across the table, Willis cleared his throat, but Johanna had no idea why. She continued to frown as she took another bite of pizza.

"What's your favorite kind of food, Everett?" Marsha asked.

The fisherman shrugged. "I eat a lot of ham sandwiches. And coleslaw is always nice."

"You were telling me about a coleslaw recipe you were trying the other day, Johanna," Marsha said eagerly. "With Mandarin oranges? You should pass it along to Everett."

"Well, unfortunately, I'm allergic to citrus," Everett said, smiling politely.

Johanna sighed. It was clear she had nothing in common with this man, and she wished Marsha would stop trying to get her to talk to him. She knew her friend meant well, and it was a sweet thought, but the evening felt so stiff and awkward because of it.

As she was taking a sip of wine, Johanna got another strong whiff of the smell of fish.

"I'm sure I smell fish," she said, frowning. "Is there something here made with fish? It couldn't be the salad, could it?"

Everett coughed lightly. "I apologize, I think you must be smelling me. I was out on the boat just before coming here. I got a great haul of cod and trout—so good I was kept busy with it until it was time to leave for the dinner party." He paused, and then said, "I'm sorry if my smell offends you."

Johanna flushed, feeling awkward and off balance. She hadn't meant to insult Everett, but it was clear that he'd been a bit insulted by her words. She felt she had no idea what to say to him.

"Oh, well, I suppose if your job involves fish," she said, a bit stiffly.

He nodded and took another bite of food. The table around them was quiet for a few awkward seconds, and then Caitlin said—clearly trying to rescue the moment—"Pearl told me the funniest story the other day. Pearl, do you want to tell everyone the story you made up? About the pig in the top hat?"

"Oh yeah!" Pearl, who was the only one at the table unaware of the awkwardness, happily launched into telling her story about a pig who went on a grand adventure, trying to get into show business. Soon the table was laughing at her jokes, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the fish moment.

Everyone except Johanna and Everett. She could sense that the big, burly man beside her was uncomfortable, and she herself felt as though she couldn't look at him again. Thankfully, everyone else around the table kept up a lively conversation, and Marsha stopped trying to get her to talk to Everett.

After the delicious meal had concluded, everyone went out into the living room to play board games. They drank tea and nibbled charcuterie and cookies as the snow fell cozily outside. The fire crackled and the room was filled with the sound of laughter. Johanna began to enjoy the evening immensely—but she did feel that her enjoyment was partly due to the fact that she was no longer sitting elbow to elbow with Everett.

When the games were over and everyone was beginning to put on their coats and hats again, Johanna lingered in the living room with Marsha.

"I know you were trying to set me up with Everett, Marsha," she said quietly.

"Oh, I—" Marsha flushed. "Well, I mean—"

Johanna shook her head, smiling. "It was a sweet thought, and I wanted to say thank you. But he isn't really my type."

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?"

"Oh, who didn't?" She grimaced sympathetically. "Willis even cleared his throat at her, hoping she'd realize that Everett was what smelled like fish, but she missed it, I guess."

He chuckled. "She's not used to living in the country. I'm sure she's never smelled fish coming off a fisherman in any of her New York social circles."

"Just caviar." She smiled. "It's a shame that things stayed awkward between them after that. It was clear that Marsha was trying to set the two of them up. I wish it had worked out better!"

"So do I. Everett's such a nice guy. And Johanna deserves to find happiness with someone."

"She does, absolutely. I'm so glad she's moved here. She's really changed a lot since the first time we all met her."

He nodded. "Yes, she has. She's mellowed out quite a bit."

"Yes. I think she's learning to see value in things she never saw value in before. Like small towns." She laughed. "But maybe there's still more change that she'll go through now that she's here in Blueberry Bay. I'm sure she's still adjusting to a lot of changes."

"I can imagine. New York City is very different from Blueberry Bay."

She nodded as she gazed at the beautiful snowscape outside. She thought about Johanna and Everett—trim, sophisticated Johanna and genuine, burly Everett. "Even if she does change some, though, I don't know if she and Everett would ever be a match. It was sweet of Marsha and Willis to try to set them up, but I can't imagine two people more different than the two of them."

"The fisherman and the socialite," he said, chuckling. "Well, I hope both Johanna and Everett find good matches at some point. I'm so lucky that I've found my perfect match in you."

She shifted to look up into his eyes. He was gazing fondly at her, and she grinned back.

"Right back at you, Mr. O'Neil."

"Why thank you, future Mrs. O'Neil."

They brought their heads together for a sweet kiss, and Caitlin felt a rush of happiness as light and glittering as snowflakes swirling in her chest.