“What?” Her face lit up as she came closer. “I don’t have to read?”
“We’re going on a trip, just you and me,” Crista said. “To the beach in Florida! To a great big, beautiful beach house. Your cousin Lacey will be there and Aunt Vivien and Uncle Eli.”
“Really? Can I swim in the ocean?”
“It’s the Gulf, but yes, of course. And we’re going to stay for a month!”
Her little jaw dropped, but then her eyes grew wide. “I’ll miss my recital.”
“Oh, honey, I promise you’ll have such a great time at the beach, and this is the only time we can go, so…”
“Can I bring the costume dress?” She got on her tiptoes as if she might break into a pirouette right then and there.
“Hundred percent,” Crista assured her.
She nodded slowly as if her little mind was clicking through all possible caveats to this new plan. “And what about Aunt Pittypat?”
Oh.The dog! She turned to Anthony, realizing they’d forgotten that six-pound detail.
“I can’t take her to the office,” Anthony said, then winked at Nolie. “Especially dressed like that.”
Nolie giggled, and snuggled her closer. “Can we bring her, Mommy?”
Holy cow, Crista was pushing her luck with Eli and Vivien. But the dog was so small, and her problems were big. “Absolutely.”
“Did you hear, Pitty?” Nolie pressed her face into Aunt Pittypat’s snout, spinning with joy. “We’re going to the beach!”
Anthony surprised her by putting an arm around Crista’s shoulders and pulling her closer. “That’s the happiest I’ve seen her in ages,” he murmured.
She agreed, looking up at him, still regretting that they’d miss being together during the weeks without Maggie. “Please come.”
“I’ll work on it,” he assured her, leaning in to give her a real kiss this time, light and on the lips.
The first kiss in a long time, and it gave her hope.
Tessa navigated the traffic with ease as she and Lacey drove toward Miramar Beach, the midday sun glittering off the Gulf in flashes between the palm trees. The sky was a brilliant blue, the kind of perfect Florida day that made everything feel possible—even building a successful business from the ground up.
Which, as of yesterday, when she’d scheduled this first meeting with yet another potential client, seemed exceedingly possible.
For most of the twenty-minute drive from Destin, Tessa briefed Lacey on the owner of a new bridal salon who’d contacted Tessa Wylie Events to organize a grand opening event.
As they reached the area known locally as “Grand Boulevard,” where the salon was located, Tessa had no doubt this client had cash. The upscale shopping and dining area was packed with pedestrians and tourists wandering past cafes, expensive boutiques, and the landmark theater that dominated the center of town.
“This looks like a fun place,” Lacey said, looking around. “Too bad I don’t have a cute boyfriend to bring me on a dinner date here.”
“Why don’t you have a cute boyfriend?” Tessa asked. “I mean back in Atlanta?”
She shrugged. “I’ve had a few here and there, nothing I wanted to last forever. Why don’t you? I know, I know—no man measured up to your dad. Maybe you could let go and fall in love sometime?”
Tessa gave a soft hoot. “You know what I love about you, Lacey? Besides everything? You just ask questions and don’t tiptoe over topics.”
“Why tiptoe?” she asked. “You’re beautiful, funny, smart, and should also have a great guy in your life.”
“I’m almost fifty—the great ones are few and far between. You, however, have no such excuse.”
“Well, I have a boss who works me day and night,” she joked.
“Touché. Oh, here’s the parking lot.” They still had a few minutes before the meeting, so they decided to take the longer route and check out the local color on their way to the salon.
