Captiva Ever After (Captiva Island Series #7)

“Yes, the man I met on the cruise. I thought I mentioned him when we talked on the phone.”

“No, Grandma, you never said anything about him. How did you meet?”

“Oh, that’s a funny story. They had an aerobics class on the top deck. You wouldn’t believe how many men join those classes. I thought only women did stuff like that, but I guess men do too.”

“Men who want to meet women,” Jeff yelled from the living room.

Grandma Sarah ignored Jeff and continued her story.

“Anyway, there we all were moving back and forth to the music when the ship got a little rocky and I lost my balance. You remember I sometimes lose my balance? Well, it happened and I fell to the right, which was where Winston was dancing. Fortunately, he caught me so I didn’t fall on the deck.”

“Grandma, you could have broken something. You shouldn’t have taken such a risk, and on a cruise ship no less. People have a hard enough time walking when the ship rocks.”

“Well, anyway, Winston tells everyone that I fell right into his arms and I haven’t left yet.”

Jeff looked like he was going to be sick and Lauren’s jaw dropped.

“I don’t want to get into intimate detail but we’ve been very exclusive and aren’t seeing anyone else.”

Lauren wondered what other options there could be where her grandmother was concerned. It wasn’t as if Grandma Sarah was known to date several men at the same time. However, she couldn’t be sure about Winston.

“Grandma, where does Winston live?”

“Oh, that’s the best part. He lives in Methuen, only twenty minutes away. Can you believe that we had to go all the way to the Caribbean to find each other?”

“That is something.” Lauren said, still in shock about the tattoo.

“Anyway, what’s the news on the hurricane? Have you heard from your mother or Sarah?”

“Mom called Beth and assured her that they all were fine and were headed to West Palm Beach to stay at Trevor’s east coast family home.”

“Why does his family have two Florida homes? Isn’t one enough?”

Lauren shrugged. “No idea. I haven’t heard anything since Beth’s phone call. I have to assume they’re doing fine.”

Grandma Sarah wasn’t unconvinced. “You think so? Have you not paid attention when Trevor and Sarah talked about his family? From everything I’ve heard, the hurricane might have been a safer bet.”

* * *

The dinner table was exquisitely decorated and the gold-trimmed, off-white place settings gave Maggie wedding ideas.

“Eliza, you really didn’t need to go to so much trouble. Your dining room looks like royalty is visiting,” Maggie said.

“Yeah, we would have been perfectly happy with paper plates out on the lanai,” Chelsea added.

Not that Maggie cared what they ate on, but she glared at Chelsea, nonetheless.

“Nonsense, we eat this way all the time,” Eliza answered as she lit the candles in the centerpiece.

“I think she means it,” Chelsea whispered to Maggie.

Under the table, Maggie kicked Chelsea’s leg, and Sarah, watching from across the room, tried not to laugh.

A waiter appeared out of nowhere and placed a salad in front of Maggie.

“Thank you,” she said.

Maggie took a bite out of an artichoke heart and almost choked on it when Devon spoke.