The Devine Doughnut Shop(68)

“Thank God!” Beezy said with a long sigh. “I can’t even go to the post office or to the library without people swarming around me like ants and asking a million questions about all y’all. Honey, I’d take a trip to the desert with nothing but cactus and lizards just to get away from all this drama.”

“Well, darlin’, this is a very peaceful place, and we’ll all be tickled to death to see you. Raelene has introduced us to thrifting, so keep some room in that packed suitcase.”

“She’s a smart girl, but I’m ready to walk out the door. I bought half a dozen of those embroidered dresses when we were on the cruise and have fallen in love with them. I feel like I’m wearing my nightgown when I put one on. Do they have those chairs and umbrellas for rent on the beach?” Beezy asked.

“Yes, ma’am, they do,” Grace answered.

“Then I’m all set, but I will need to hit a bookstore. I only had room to bring the one I’m reading, so if you go thrifting again, I might go along to buy used books,” Beezy said. “Or we could forget the books, and I’ll teach the girls to play poker.”

“Sweet Jesus!” Grace gasped.

“Hey, they need to learn,” Beezy said, “or else when they go to college and the boys talk them into strip poker, they’ll be in trouble.”

Grace jumped to her feet and paced around the floor a couple of times. She had known that the day would come when Audrey would leave Devine and go to college and that Sarah had been a party girl in her university days. But she had never let things enter her mind about boys in the same dorms, strip poker, frat parties, and all that.

“Are you still there?” Beezy asked.

“I’m here,” Grace answered and shook the ideas out of her mind. “What time does your plane land? We have an SUV rented, so I can drive over and get you.”

“Oh, no you won’t.” Beezy’s tone sounded just like Grace’s mama’s. “You’ve got to be exhausted. I’ll handle any arrangements myself. I have a cell phone just like you do, young lady.”

“Okay, then.” Grace didn’t even bother to argue. “But don’t stop for vodka. There’s a liquor store just down the strip. I’ll make a run down there and get what we need.”

“Deal!” Beezy said. “My sister is taking me to the airport, and she’s not a happy camper. Nobody in town knows how long you plan to be away, so she’s pitching a hissy fit because I won’t be here to play poker with her and my Sunday school class after church on Sundays. And there she is now, honking the car horn. I swear to God, she’s the most impatient woman the good Lord ever gave a soul to. I’ll see you this evening.”

“Lookin’ forward to it,” Grace said. “Have a safe journey.”

“What you are supposed to say is ‘have a fun trip.’” Beezy giggled. “Bye now.”

The call ended and Grace slumped down in one of the two chairs at the end of the coffee table.

“Strip poker,” she groaned. “Whatever Audrey is thinking shows in her expression, so she’ll be the one with nothing but her underwear on at the end of the night.”

Her mind was still staggering around that idea when her phone rang again. Figuring it was Beezy, she didn’t even look at the name of the caller. “Hello?”

“With one word, you sound like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Travis said.

Her breath caught in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was because of his slow Texas drawl or if it was because of the idea of Audrey having no restrictions when she went to college in a couple of years.

“Just dreading the future,” she said and told him about Beezy’s call and what she’d said about playing cards.

Travis chuckled. “Beezy’s right.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Grace asked.

“Yep, I am—and yes, I lost,” Travis admitted. “Audrey sounds like she’ll be able to hold her own in any situation.”

“Yes, she has been known to.” Grace sat up straighter. “Are you on the way to the airport?”

“I can’t get there until tomorrow,” he said. “We had a flight problem with the company plane, but I’ll be there in the early afternoon. Can we still plan on our date at seven tomorrow evening . . . please?”

Grace was actually glad for the news. “Of course. Seven?”

“That sounds great. I’ll pick all y’all up at six thirty. I’m so looking forward to a vacation. I haven’t had one in years,” Travis said.

She stood up and walked over to the open patio doors and stepped outside. “We’ll be ready. Have a good trip.”

“I will. Goodbye, Grace,” he said.

The call ended before she could even say goodbye. She took in the salt air with every breath and watched her girls argue over who had won a race from one end of the pool to the other. Finally, she laid the phone in her hand on the bar to her right, unlocked the gate out to the pool, and sat down on one of the many empty chaise longues.

Audrey swam over to the side of the pool. “Mama, we’re glad you’re here.”

Raelene was right behind her. “We need a referee for our races, but you should go back inside and put on your suit. I wish I could call Granny and tell her about all this. She would be so excited that I’m getting to experience such an amazing trip.”