“I think you’re just saying that.”
“I am. Because you look cute.”
“You don’t know what it’s like.” Frankie glanced at her sister. “You have a very nice figure. I have…this.” She patted her hips.
“You have a nice figure, too. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s notnice. Besides, I had the benefit of not having children.” Harper wanted to hug her sister. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re so much more than your body. You’re beautiful. You’re incredibly smart. You’re kind. You’re creative in ways I couldn’t even imagine being. And you have two of the most perfect kids anyone could hope for.”
Harper crossed her arms, on a roll and not ready to stop. “And despite what you think about yourself, Lucas doesn’t seem to think the same way.”
“Stop it. We’re just friends.”
“Mm-hmm. I see the way he looks at you. And it’s not in a just-friends kind of way.”
“Maybe you should get your eyes checked.” But Frankie was smiling a little. “I’ve packed enough for a week.”
Harper snorted. “Pare it down. We’re only going to be out for a few hours.”
“That’s what everyone aboard theSS Minnowthought, too. But I will. Are we bringing any food? I get the sense that between Joyce and Lucas, we don’t need to.”
“Same. I only packed snacks for Archie.”
“Okay.”
“How long before you’re ready to go?” Harper checked the time on her phone. “We’re supposed to be at the marina in half an hour.”
“Soon. I just need to pull out half of what I put in my bag and—oh, I just thought of something.” Frankie rubbed her chin.
“What?”
“How big of a boat is this? Is there going to be a bathroom? I don’t think I can go more than three hours tops without abathroom. What am I going to do? You non-child-bearing types have no idea what it’s like when you hit a certain age.”
Harper laughed. “If you have to pee, you can always get in the water. I have no idea if the boat will have facilities or not. It could be a fishing boat for all we know.”
Frankie grimaced. “I don’t know about this.”
“We’ll see when we get there. We’ll figure something out.” Harper pushed away from the door. “See you downstairs.”
It took another fifteen minutes to get them and all their gear loaded into the golf cart. Archie looked excited, but he usually did, unless he knew he was headed to the vet’s office. Today was clearly not about that.
The marina parking lot was only half full when they arrived. Most of the vehicles were golf carts. Harper parked.
Willa leaned forward from the backseat. “How do we find the boat?”
“Mitch texted me the slip number. It’s seven, so we just follow the signs, I guess. Can’t be too hard.” Harper hadn’t yet told Willa about Mitch being okay with pictures being posted to social media. She figured she’d let him tell Willa, just in case he’d changed his mind since he’d mentioned it.
They got out and made sure they had everything. Willa was in charge of Archie, who was leashed, plus she had her purse. Harper and Frankie each had their tote bags with the towels and everything else.
It really did look like they were going out for days rather than hours.
They headed for the marina office and the gated entrance that led to the boat slips. A slightly scruffy but smiling guy came out of the office.
“Ladies, welcome to the marina. Are you Mr. Ripley’s guests?”
“We are,” Harper answered.
“I’m Kai. I’m the marina master. He told me to keep an eye out for you.” Kai pointed toward the last dock. “All the way down and hook a left. You’ll see her.”
“Her?” Willa asked.
