“Thanks.” She smiled, then looked down, the moment of connection severed as she turned away and he let go of her hand. “Anyway, do you like the bracelets?”
“I love them. They’re hands-down the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” He winked.
“I thought so.” She held out the hand with the bracelet, and Lucas held out his own beside it. The small white shells clacked together, and they laughed.
“The bracelets are better than wedding rings, I think,” Lucas said.
“Oh, definitely.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Come on, we still have a little while before dinner. Let’s go for a walk.”
Lucas glanced at his phone, and her gaze followed the movement.
“Nope.” She shook her head. “You’ve been on your phone all afternoon. Whatever it is can’t be that important.”
“I guess you’re right.” He got up and held out an arm. “Shall we go, milady?”
“Milady?” Kendra laughed that sweet laugh of hers as she took his arm.
“You like fairy tales, and that’s what they say in fairy tales.”
“Well, all right, then, milord.” She bobbed a curtsey. “Although I really don’t like fairy talesthatmuch.”
“Sure, sure. What’s your favorite one?”
“Hmm. I’ve always been a fan of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’” They started toward the door and exited their room into the hallway.
“Brothers Grimm or Disney?”
“Oh, youdoknow something about fairy tales.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Well, to be honest, I like the Disney versions. I like that they’re so magical and have happy endings. The Grimms’ stories tend to be too violent for me.”
“I always liked Brothers Grimm fairy tales,” Lucas said, escorting her down the stairs. “My mom has a book of them, and she’d read the stories to me at bedtime when I was very young.” His parents lived in Missouri still, and he only saw them once or twice a year, but he still treasured those memories.
“Really? Did you have a favorite?”
“I liked that in ‘Cinderella,’ the stepsisters finally got what was coming to them.” At that, he thought of Jim Adams, his CFO, his former friend, and the man who might have ruined Omegron. While he didn’t want Jim to cut off his toes or have his eyes pecked out like what had happened to the stepsisters, he did hope that Jim faced justice.
“Your favorite part is the vengeance.” Kendra’s eyebrows rose. “I see we like different parts of the fairy tales.”
Lucas laughed. “At least we have something in common, in that we’ve both read some fairy tales.”
“And we like Mexican Coke. So, we’re basically two peas in a pod.” Kendra winked, which made Lucas smile.
They strolled through the resort grounds, passing dozens of other couples eating ice cream, dipping their feet in the pool, or watching the sunset. They passed the spa building where they’dhad their massages, a few restaurants they hadn’t visited yet, the miniature-golf course, and a beach volleyball court before circling back through the pool area.
“What do you think they’re up to?” Lucas asked, nodding to an older white-haired couple who were playing chess with a magnetic board balanced between their lounge chairs.
“You don’t know them?” Kendra raised her eyebrows in shock. “That’s Doris White and her husband, Alexander White. They’re a famous husband-wife chess duo. They even won the international chess pentathlon in Rome last year.”
Lucas glanced at the couple, surprised, then looked back at Kendra. Her green eyes were glinting mischievously again, and he laughed.
“You almost got me there.”
“You don’t believe me?” She pressed her free hand to her chest in mock horror. “How rude.”
“I think the ‘chess pentathlon’ gave you away. There’s no such thing as a chess pentathlon.”
“There is so,” Kendra replied. “It has five events: regular chess, life-sized chess, running, sharpshooting, and horseback riding.”
“So, you expect me to believe that this sweet, elderly couple not only play chess but also run, sharpshoot, and ride horseback?”
