Grace set a tote bag beside the third chair in the row and eased down into it. “I’ve loved every minute that we’ve been here, but...”
“But you are ready to go home so you can see Travis,” Macy finished her sentence.
“There’s that, but that’s not mybutfor today,” Grace said with a smile. “I was thinking that maybe our next vacation could be over the girls’ fall break, and we could go to Colorado or Utah to learn to ski. Wouldn’t it be great to see snow and lots of it? When we do get it in our part of the world, it’s usually just barely enough to cover the ground, and then it’s gone the next day.”
“I love that idea,” Macy said. “And then over their Christmas break, we could come back down here for a few days.”
“Maybe by then Grace and Travis will be a couple, and he’ll invite us to stay in the beach house,” Sarah teased.
“I’d rather stay here.” Macy dug around in her tote bag and brought out a bottle of sweet tea. “It’s closer to the beach, and we don’t have to climb down as many steps, and...” She stopped for a breath.
“And that ain’t likely,” Grace finished for her. “I promised you both I wouldn’t get in a hurry about anything and that I’d go slow.”
“Has he kissed you yet?” Macy asked.
“Don’t answer that,” Audrey said as she set her hat and bag down in her chair and started out into the water with Raelene right behind her. “I don’t want to hear about any kissing going on between old people.”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” Grace called out, and then winked at Sarah and Macy.
Another surge of jealousy shot through Macy’s heart like a spear. Yes, ma’am, she was surely going to have to seriously work on that.
On Wednesday, Beezy announced that she was treating them all to lunch that day in celebration of their last day at the beach. She had chosen an Italian place in Pier Park, and she suggested that while they were there, they could all pick up suitcases. Grace was glad to have something to do that day. For the past two days, she and Travis had texted several times, but today he was in back-to-back meetings, and she wouldn’t hear from him until he called later tonight. She had figured the day would drag by like a snail slogging through molasses, and she really needed something to keep her busy. She hadn’t realized how strong the attraction between them had become until he wasn’t there anymore.
“You need something to take home all your new things in, plus the half ton of shells you’ve each collected,” Beezy reminded them.
“We could hit the thrift stores again,” Raelene said.
“Nope, you will not!” Beezy declared. “I don’t mind thrifting for clothes. You can wash them if they aren’t brand-new, but in today’s world, you never know what might have been in a suitcase. What if they’ve got drug-sniffin’ dogs at the airport, and the previous owner had that kind of thing in their suitcase? You’ve saved enough money on your wardrobe that you can buy new suitcases. Besides, now that you’ve all got a taste for vacations, you’ll be using them again.”
“Never thought of that,” Raelene said. “It would be so embarrassing.”
“And just think of the gossip if it got back to everyone in Devine. The girls who got Crystal and Kelsey in such horrible trouble were caught trying to smuggle drugs,” Audrey said.
Grace finished heating up sausage biscuits for breakfast and set them on the bar. “Speaking of those girls who are declaring that this is all your fault”—she glanced over at Raelene and Audrey—“the principal called me. The investigation is over. Neither set of parents wanted to appeal the decision that was made. You two will be going back to school on Monday morning.”
“Why didn’t their parents fight for them?” Raelene asked. “I figured that their fathers would use their positions to go to battle for the girls. Their mothers told everyone that we were the ones that got Crystal and Kelsey in trouble and none of it was their fault. I figured those two women wouldn’t be happy until the day they saw me and Audrey in jail for assault.”
“We’d never let that happen,” Beezy assured her with a pat on the shoulder.
“It was all verified when the investigation team looked at tapes from the school cameras,” Grace added.
“What about my scholarship?” Raelene asked.
“That’s still up in the air. We can look into things better when we get back,” Grace answered to soothe her. “Y’all come on over here and grab a biscuit and some juice. Are you ready to get back in school?”
“I am,” Audrey said. “My old friends have been texting me and Raelene. And guess what, Mama? I’ve pulled all my grades up while we’ve been on vacation.”
Sarah poured herself a glass of juice and picked up a biscuit. “Looks like everything is working out.”
“Except for my scholarship,” Raelene said with a sigh as she slid off a barstool and headed toward the kitchen.
“Girl, don’t you worry one bit about that,” Sarah told her. “I’ll make sure you get an education if that scholarship falls through.”
Raelene got the milk from the refrigerator and poured two glasses full. “I couldn’t let you do that—not after everything you’ve already done.”
Grace wasn’t sure if it was the right time to bring up the internship for Butler Enterprises or not. She remembered her mother saying something about seizing the opportunity while it was there instead of waiting to chase it down the road when it was a mile away. “Just how much do you have your heart set on that nursing program, Raelene?”
“That junior college was the best offer I’ve gotten, and the two-year program for nursing would give me what I need to support myself quicker than any other job,” Raelene answered and handed off one of the glasses of milk to Audrey. “I wouldn’t have the money to go on to a university without borrowing a lot—and I mean a lot—to go on for two more years. It seemed to be the best chance I had.”
