The Devine Doughnut Shop(82)

“A minute is about all I can hold on,” she said in a tone that scared Travis to his very core. He hurried to the front door, flung it open, and motioned for everyone to come inside. It sure wasn’t the welcome he had planned, but that’s all he could do at the time.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Delores.

“I’m sorry, but you are going to have to cut your vacation short,” Delores told him.

His mind went to the worst-case scenario: Calvin had had a heart attack, or Lucy had dropped with an aneurysm.

“Calvin and I both are down with the flu. The think-tank kids all went home yesterday afternoon. They must’ve gotten it at the conference. Calvin called a little while ago and said that he and his whole family are sick, and now I’ve gotten it. We need you home by Monday morning to run the business. It’s just one day earlier than you planned. Daniel will be at the airport at noon tomorrow to fly you home. I’ve made arrangements for the car-rental place to pick up your vehicle at the airport,” Delores said.

Travis glanced up at the calendar hanging on the kitchen wall and realized that it was the first day of the month. “Is this an April Fool’s joke?”

“No, it is not, but I sure wish it was,” Delores said. “My body aches all over, and I’m going to bed with a heating pad. The doctor says rest and fluids, so I’ve started drinking lots of hot tea with lemon and honey. I’ll see you about Wednesday, if I’m lucky.”

Relief washed over Travis. The news could have been so much worse. “Take care of yourself, and don’t worry about work. It will be there when you feel like coming back.”

“Will do,” Delores said and ended the call.

He turned to see six people staring at him. “I’m so sorry about that—but even more sorry that I have to leave tomorrow,” he said. “Calvin and Delores, my top staff at the company, both have the flu. A big group from our company went to a two-day conference and evidently brought it home from there. But we have tonight, so let’s make the best of it.”

“When are you leaving?” Grace asked.

“I have to be at the airport at noon tomorrow,” Travis answered. “But like I said, we’ve got tonight. So . . . welcome to the beach house! Make yourselves at home. Appetizers are on the kitchen table. The bar is stocked, so help yourself to anything there, and soft drinks are in the refrigerator for you two underage girls,” he managed, even though he felt like his mind was on a hamster wheel and his emotions were on a roller coaster.

When he got back to San Antonio, there would be a hundred little details to work out for the big meeting on Wednesday morning, but the worst thing was that he would be leaving Grace. He wanted more time for just the two of them, but that would have to wait until they were all back in Texas. He bit back a sigh when he thought of the romantic walks on the beach at sunset—or even sunrise—that he had hoped for in the next few days.

“April Fools!” Audrey said with a giggle. “You almost had me there, and then I remembered that Raelene pulled a good one on me this morning. She told me I’d flunked my history test. I thought I’d aced it.”

“Got her good,” Raelene said. “She rushed over to her computer to find out that she’d made a hundred on the test.”

“It would be wonderful if it was an April Fool’s joke, but it’s not,” Travis said with a sigh.

“I’m so sorry for all your people who are sick,” Beezy said. “I had that miserable stuff a couple of months ago. It’s not fun. I sure hope they get along all right. Lots of rest and plenty of fluids.”

“That’s what the doctor told Delores,” Travis said. “But for right now, let’s enjoy our last night together. Dinner will be served in about twenty minutes. Steaks are on the grill. Does anyone have a particular way they like them cooked?”

“Medium rare,” Grace answered.

“Me too,” everyone else chimed in at once.

“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.