“And you get to swim with him as soon as we dock,” Julie said over her shoulder as she steered the boat toward the island that was coming into view. “The dolphins are very gentle, and it’s quite the experience to be close to them.”
“I can’t wait,” Raelene said and pointed to a dock not far from them. “Is that where we stop?”
Julie steered the boat that way. “Yes, it is. Who wants to swim before we gather shells? I’ve got blankets for anyone who just wants to sit on the beach and rest.” She glanced over at Beezy.
“Honey, I’m swimming with the dolphins.” Beezy held up her tote bag. “I’ve got my bathing suit right here, and I don’t give a rip if my hair gets wet. At my age, we got to do what we can when we can, because tomorrow we might be too old and decrepit to even feed ourselves.”
Beezy reminded Travis so much of his grandmother—full of sass and always with a positive attitude.
“Can I grow up and be just like you?” Julie asked with a giggle.
“I’ve already called dibs on that,” Sarah called out from her lounge chair. “I’ve been studying this woman my whole life so I can be as strong as she is when I grow up.”
“Me too,” Macy chimed in.
“You’ve got a great role model to study,” Julie said and then expertly steered the boat right up next to the dock. “If you want to swim first, you can go down the steps into the cabin to change.” She removed her shirt and shorts to reveal a black one-piece bathing suit and then pulled up the top of a bench. “I’ll have enough gear out for anyone who wants to get in the water first, and there are bags for each of you to use for your shells.”
Julie tossed everything from masks and snorkels to plastic bags with the Butler Enterprises logo on them into a net bag and carried it all out to the beach.
“You’re not going to swim?” Travis asked when Grace didn’t head down the stairs.
“I’d rather sit on the beach with you and watch the others. Seeing them have such a good time is more fun for me than getting in the water,” she answered.
“And here I was looking forward to seeing you in a bikini,” Travis said with a grin. “But then, you couldn’t be any more beautiful than you are right now.”
“You really should get your glasses strengthened,” Grace teased.
“Beauty isn’t just what you see with your eyes,” Travis said, “but it’s what you see with your heart, too. You’ve got both covered really well.”
“Thank you,” Grace said. “I believe that just might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Then you’ve been spending time with the wrong men,” Travis told her as he picked up a couple of blankets.
Grace helped spread out a blanket and blinked a few times to be sure that she was awake and not dreaming. Last week at this time, she had just been finishing up her day at the shop, cleaning all the bowls and trays and getting ready for the next morning, when it would all start again. She had been happy doing that and letting her money grow in the bank. Travis was right: if she didn’t use it for something, it was nothing but dirty paper that Audrey—or maybe the generation after her—might go through in a short time.
Maybe this was the universe telling her that she and her family could slow down. If they took a couple of days off each week, she could spend more time with Audrey these last two years that she would be in high school. She wasn’t ready to close the shop, but she was more than ready to cut back on the days when it was open.
All those thoughts vanished when Travis set a small cooler on the edge of the blanket, opened it up, and removed two bottles of beer. He twisted the top off one and handed it to her; then he pulled his shirt up over his head, tossed it to the end of the blanket, and sat down beside her. “I wasn’t sure what brand you like. I hope this is all right.”
“It’s fine,” Grace told him, but her tone sounded breathless in her own ears. Travis had an abdomen that would make most male models jealous. “I’m not particular about my beer. It just has to be icy cold.”
“I agree with you,” Travis said with a nod. “I haven’t had a chance to get out in the sun for a while, so I’m going to depend on you to tell me if I’m getting too pink.”
Grace glanced over at the soft black hair on his chest and clasped her hands together to keep from reaching out to touch him. “Of course. Want me to put sunscreen on for you?”
“I sprayed down good before we left, but now I wish I had that kind that rubs on,” he said and shot a broad wink her way.
“Are you flirting?” Grace asked.
He grinned and locked gazes with her. “I’m trying to, but it’s been a long time since I gave it a shot. How am I doing?”
“Not too bad. I’d give you a high B.” She chuckled.
“That’s probably higher than my ex-wife would have given me.” He blinked and looked away.
“So you were married?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I’m surprised that you didn’t know that, at least through the grapevine. Claud and the guys brought me up on all the gossip about you. I figured they’d do the same about me.”
