“Nope, not a word.” Grace wondered what “all the gossip” entailed.
“Erica and I got married right out of college and divorced ten years ago. We were both workaholics, which isn’t good for a marriage, but then she got a huge opportunity to make a career move. The only drawback was that she had to live in London. We soon became living proof that long-distance relationships don’t work so well. End of story,” he said. “I haven’t dated much since then, and Delores says I’m married to the job.”
Grace opened her mouth to say something, then closed it without saying a word. She was proof that it didn’t have to be a long-distance relationship to not work, and even though there hadn’t been a divorce, she hadn’t dated much since then, either.
“According to what the guys told me, I guess we have a lot in common,” Travis said.
“I agree,” Grace said with a nod. “Different circumstances but pretty much the same outcome.”
“On another note, I’ve got something I’d like to run past you,” Travis said.
“What?” Grace’s Spidey-senses—as Audrey would say for a week after she saw anySpider-Manmovie—went on alert. Had he just figured out a new angle to try to talk her out of her property?
Travis opened his beer and turned the bottle up for a drink. “Is Raelene think-tank smart?”
“I’m not sure how smart that has to be,” Grace answered.
“Every summer we hire an intern for the think tank. Some high school graduate who shows signs of being able to compete with our first-floor kids. We pay minimum wage, with a bonus at the end of the summer, and expose them to the world of looking out for corporate opportunities. Lucy, our supervisor in the group, was like Raelene,” Travis said.
“Hey, Mama.” Audrey came over to the blanket. “Aren’t you going in the water?”
“Not this time. I’m going to watch y’all.”
“Will you take pictures for me?” Audrey held up her phone.
“Of course,” Grace answered.
Audrey tossed her phone onto the blanket, and then she and Raelene headed for the edge of the water, with Julie right behind them, giving them instructions about the masks and snorkels.
Grace picked up the phone and turned to Travis. “Were you asking me if I thought Raelene would be interested in interning for you?”
“Yes, I was, but that’s not all. I also hire an intern to work with Delores and her assistant, and she’s been on my case to find one for her this summer. She says she’s going to retire in six years, when she gets to be eighty, and she needs to be training someone to take her place,” Travis replied. “Maybe Audrey could work out as she grows up. As she learns more and more, Audrey might be a big help to her and eventually step into more responsible positions.”
“Sweet Lord!” Grace gasped. “Are you serious?”
“I have a vision, and I believe those two girls are going to grow up to be just like me and Calvin—best friends who want to work together,” he answered. “Just think about it. I won’t even make either of them anoffer if you don’t think I should. But when someone works out in my think tank, or if Delores finds her own protégée, it also means a full scholarship to the university of their choice. The only string is that they have to come work for the company in the summertime. Except for Lucy, all the employees on that floor were interns.”
“Are you that good at judging people?” Grace asked.
“I make a mistake every now and then. Remember, Iamdivorced,” he reminded her.
Grace’s mind went into overdrive. If Audrey had a job working for the same company as Raelene this summer, she could learn responsibility, how to take orders, and the value of a dollar. Seeing her family run a shop hadn’t done that so far. If the girls liked those corporate jobs, they wouldn’t move a thousand miles away from Devine, and Grace could see them both often.
Her mother’s voice popped back into her head:That’s selfish.
Yes, it is, but I’m not taking it back,Grace thought.
“You’re already weighing pros and cons,” Travis said, “and you are wondering if I’m offering this just to ingratiate myself to you. I assure you that I am not. I’m not that kind of man, and you aren’t the type of woman that would do anything other than what is right for your family. I trust your judgment, Grace.”
Grace picked up the phone and snapped a couple of pictures of Beezy and the girls watching Julie demonstrate how to use the masks. “That’s quite an opportunity—but don’t most interns work for free?”
“Some do, but I always pay mine minimum wage,” Travis answered and pointed. “There’s the first dolphin, coming in close enough that they can touch him.”
Grace quickly took a picture of the girls with the dolphin. Her thoughts weren’t on summertime or the money the girls would make; they went way beyond that. She found herself wishing that Justin would have stuck around and been a husband to her and a father to Audrey, and that as a family, they could have gone on vacations like this.
Chapter Nineteen
Sarah picked up a pretty shell and slipped it into her tote bag, then wandered off away from Macy and several other groups who were scattered along the beach. More people arrived by the minute as boats came in to drop folks off in the shallow water close to the shoreline and others gathered up their passengers and left. The traffic reminded her of the streets during the five o’clock rush in San Antonio. Of course, here on the island, folks were rushing off and onto boats rather than driving cars. Everyone wore bathing suits and floppy hats, and most of them had something in the way of a bag to use for gathering up shells.
