“That makes it easy. Y’all feel free to look around. There are bathrooms off each bedroom. Make yourselves at home. We’ll be eating out on the patio,” Travis said.
Audrey pointed toward the kitchen and led the way to the appetizers. “I see stuffed mushrooms. Did you make them, Travis?”
“No, ma’am. Julie knows a little local place that did up the appetizers for tonight,” he answered.
Travis draped an arm around Grace’s shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “I really wanted to spend more time with you.”
“We can still do that in Texas,” she told him.
“I hope so, but we’re free of work and time is ours here in Florida,” he said. “Could we at least have a long walk on the beach after supper?”
“I would love that,” she answered, and turned to face him. She rose up on her tiptoes and brushed a soft kiss across his lips.
His arms went around her waist, and his lips found hers in a long, passionate kiss that heated up his whole body. He had not been celibate since his divorce, but not a single kiss from another woman had set him on fire like Grace’s, and that included his ex-wife, Erica.
“Mama, you’ve got to try these fried green tomatoes,” Audrey called.
“I guess that’s our cue to stop making out,” Grace panted.
“And I guess”—Travis sucked in air—“that from your breathlessness...”
“Yes,” she butted in and took a step back. “If I was wearing socks, they would be flying through the air toward the surf about now.”
“Good thing neither of us are wearing any, then, isn’t it?” Travis said with a grin.
“Mama, where are you?” Audrey called out again.
“I’m on my way,” Grace answered.
“And I’ve got to check on the steaks,” Travis whispered as he bent and kissed Grace on the forehead.
Grace would have gladly given up the best steak dinner she’d ever had to spend more time alone with Travis. She would have bypassed the walk if she could have taken Travis back to her condo, locked the doors, and spent time with him in the bedroom. But with all of them having keys to both rooms, that wasn’t possible.
Later, after supper, when they were alone at last and walking toward the setting sun, she found it hard to think of anything to talk about. Was that an omen? If they ever did enter into a serious relationship, would their worlds be so far apart that they would be like strangers?
“I love this,” Travis finally said.
“The beach?” Grace asked.
“No, that the two of us can find joy in something this simple,” he answered.
“Without words?” she asked.
“Just being together, but”—he dropped down on the sand and pulled her down beside him—“the selfish side of me doesn’t want to go back to work, and that’s quite a thing for a workaholic to admit.”
“I understand,” she said.
He tipped her chin up with his fist and kissed her.
She leaned in for more, but as luck would have it, a group of teenagers jogged past, and one of them yelled, “Get a room!”
“I guess weareacting like love-starved high school sophomores,” Travis said with a chuckle.
“But isn’t it fun?” Grace moved a few inches away from him.
“Got to admit it is,” Travis agreed. “I’ll miss you, Grace Dalton.”
“I’ll be back in Texas next week,” she said. “I got a phone call from the principal of the girls’ school this evening just before we left to come here. I haven’t had time to tell them yet, but they’ll be heading back to school in person soon. Several other students came in with documented proof that they had been bullied by Crystal and Kelsey. I guess some of them had told Raelene about the problem, and she had advised them to write what had happened and to add dates and times. When the investigating committee went back and checked the material from the cameras scattered around the school, they found the kids were telling the truth and not just jumping on a bandwagon.”
