The Devine Doughnut Shop(72)

“Forever,” he muttered to himself. For the first time in forever, he could look forward to seeing a woman with no agenda on his part. The idea of a business deal was off the table, and suddenly, he felt as free as those birds out there that were soaring through the air.





Chapter Seventeen


Grace was far too antsy that afternoon to sit around and wait on Travis. Under the pretext of going to the grocery store for milk and bread, she drove from the motel to the restaurant Travis had mentioned. If it was one of those super fancy places, then she would know not to wear jeans and a T-shirt with a dolphin on it. She even went inside and looked around to see what the lunch crowd was wearing and had a glass of sweet tea at the bar so she could peek at the menu. The place was cute, the food semi-expensively priced—at least in her book—and the atmosphere was cozy.

She found her room empty when she got back to the motel, so she put on her bathing suit and a big floppy hat. She had just filled the tote bag she’d bought at one of the thrift stores with snacks and drinks and was on her way to the beach when a beach ball came flying over the railing between her patio and the pool.

“Hey, throw it back to us!” Beezy yelled. “My aim might not be good, but I’ve still got lots of power. Come join us for some water aerobics.”

Grace tossed the ball back toward the pool and noticed that Raelene and Audrey were out there with Beezy and two other ladies who were about Beezy’s age. They all looked like they were having a great time batting the ball back and forth.

“No, thank you. When did y’all start doing aerobics?” she asked as she headed toward the gate at the end of the patio.

Audrey caught the ball and sent it over to Raelene, who tossed it to a gray-haired lady not far from her.

“We started this morning, and we’ve already got thirty minutes done,” Beezy said. “We just met Bitsy and Annie when we came out for a swim. They go to the YMCA up in Alabama, and they’re teaching us water aerobics. What’s in the bag?”

“Snacks and drinks,” Grace answered.

“We’ll come join you when we get done here,” Audrey said.

“See you then.” Grace waved over her shoulder.

When she stepped off the hot concrete, the sand actually felt cool on her bare feet. “I could get used to living like this,” she muttered, “but I bet that by the time we leave, we’ll all be ready to go home to our normal world.”

Her mother was back in her head with advice: Enjoy the moment. Don’t think about the past or the future.

She was about to ask her mother how to do that when her phone rang. She saw that the call was from Travis, and her first thought was that he was canceling again. “Hello?” She could hear the disappointment and caution in her own voice.

“Good afternoon,” Travis said. “I’m here at the company beach house and was surprised to see that I’m located less than half a mile down the road from that motel where y’all are staying. Seems like fate or the universe—whatever folks call it these days—is working for us. I had forgotten how peaceful this place is. Are y’all having a good time?”

“Yes, we are,” she answered. “I’m glad you made it. We’re all looking forward to having supper with you this evening.”

“I wanted to ask about a couple of things before we go out,” Travis said. “First is, do y’all have plans for tomorrow? Second is, if not, would you and whoever else want to take a trip over to Shell Island with me?”

“So far, our only plans are to enjoy the beach, but I can ask everyone if they’d like to do that. One of the brochures in the motel lobby mentioned a shuttle out to that island, and we had thought about it,” she said as she sat down on a forgotten lounge chair next to the water’s edge.

“Yes, but there’s no bathroom on the shuttle. I can arrange to have the company boat and driver ready to go at whatever time is good for you, and we do have a bathroom on it, plus snacks and drinks. And later, if you want, we can make plans to go parasailing or something else fun,” he suggested. “These are just ideas that you and the girls, or the whole bunch of you, might enjoy, but feel free to tell me no if you’d rather not. I don’t want to come down here and start micromanaging your time.”

“Oh, I will,” Grace said with a chuckle. “But both ideas sure sound good, and I know Raelene and Audrey would love to do those things. Let me talk to them after supper tonight and call you later.”

It was his turn to chuckle. “You’re going to see if they approve of me.”

“Yes, I am,” she admitted, feeling a little bit vulnerable. “I can make up my own mind about people—and other than Neal, I’ve been a pretty good judge of character. But this is my family, and before I share you with them, I want to know what they think.”

“I like your honesty,” he said.

“I only know how to be me,” she told him.

“That’s refreshing in today’s world,” Travis said. “I’ll see you later, then?”

“We’ll be ready,” she told him, and turned to see Sarah sitting beside her.

Grace shoved her phone back in her pocket, amazed that he had accepted her just the way she was and didn’t criticize her for her comments about her family.