The Devine Doughnut Shop(83)

“And I guess”—Travis sucked in air—“that from your breathlessness . . .”

“Yes,” she butted in and took a step back. “If I was wearing socks, they would be flying through the air toward the surf about now.”

“Good thing neither of us are wearing any, then, isn’t it?” Travis said with a grin.

“Mama, where are you?” Audrey called out again.

“I’m on my way,” Grace answered.

“And I’ve got to check on the steaks,” Travis whispered as he bent and kissed Grace on the forehead.



Grace would have gladly given up the best steak dinner she’d ever had to spend more time alone with Travis. She would have bypassed the walk if she could have taken Travis back to her condo, locked the doors, and spent time with him in the bedroom. But with all of them having keys to both rooms, that wasn’t possible.

Later, after supper, when they were alone at last and walking toward the setting sun, she found it hard to think of anything to talk about. Was that an omen? If they ever did enter into a serious relationship, would their worlds be so far apart that they would be like strangers?

“I love this,” Travis finally said.

“The beach?” Grace asked.

“No, that the two of us can find joy in something this simple,” he answered.

“Without words?” she asked.

“Just being together, but”—he dropped down on the sand and pulled her down beside him—“the selfish side of me doesn’t want to go back to work, and that’s quite a thing for a workaholic to admit.”

“I understand,” she said.

He tipped her chin up with his fist and kissed her.

She leaned in for more, but as luck would have it, a group of teenagers jogged past, and one of them yelled, “Get a room!”

“I guess we are acting like love-starved high school sophomores,” Travis said with a chuckle.

“But isn’t it fun?” Grace moved a few inches away from him.

“Got to admit it is,” Travis agreed. “I’ll miss you, Grace Dalton.”

“I’ll be back in Texas next week,” she said. “I got a phone call from the principal of the girls’ school this evening just before we left to come here. I haven’t had time to tell them yet, but they’ll be heading back to school in person soon. Several other students came in with documented proof that they had been bullied by Crystal and Kelsey. I guess some of them had told Raelene about the problem, and she had advised them to write what had happened and to add dates and times. When the investigating committee went back and checked the material from the cameras scattered around the school, they found the kids were telling the truth and not just jumping on a bandwagon.”

“And?” Travis asked.

“And Crystal and Kelsey will be on distance learning the rest of this year for their acts of bullying other students. If they want to come back to regular classes next year, they’ll be on probation,” Grace said. “But here we are, on our last night together, talking about the kids.”

“Yep, and I love it.” Travis leaned across the distance and kissed her on the cheek. “Not as much as I like being alone with you or those scalding-hot kisses, but I like the family side that you bring to the table, too.”

“That’s good,” Grace said, “because that’s part of who I am.”

“I know that, and everything about you is charming to me,” Travis told her.

“Well, darlin’, I’m glad, but I don’t think anyone ever called me charming before. I’ve been called bossy, demanding, and overprotective but not charming,” Grace said. “And I like being alone with you, too. You have a kind heart, and I feel like I can be myself with you.”

“What makes you say that about me?” Travis asked.

“I see the way you treat your coworkers and my girls—and whole family, for that matter—and you have accepted me for who I am,” she answered.

“Thank you. That all comes from my raising. My grandparents and parents alike taught me from a young age to work and to be accountable.”

“So did my mother and dad,” Grace said.

“One thing I have to admit, though, is that I’m glad that I’m the only one who thinks you are charming, because that means I might have a chance at winning your heart,” Travis said.

“Just why would you want to win that?” she asked.

“Because you make me happy,” Travis answered. “We can be content sitting right here on the sand, or making out in the living room, or even eating pizza in my office.”

“That’s because we are together,” Grace said.

“Yes, ma’am, it is,” Travis agreed.





Chapter Twenty-One


Macy was jealous, and she knew that was as much a sin as robbing a bank in God’s eyes. Sin was sin, no matter the caliber. That’s what she’d been taught since she was a child, anyway, and she knew that down deep in her heart and soul—but somehow, she just couldn’t let go of the envy she felt toward Grace and Travis.

“What’s going on with you?” Sarah adjusted her hat to shade more of her face and lay back in the chaise longue. “Are you sad that we’ve only got a little while longer in this little bit of paradise?”