Myrtle chuckled. “True. Well, let me know if you need any assistance. Until September, at least.”
“Going on another cruise?”
“No. This time I’m meeting Javier in Key West.”
Erma paused. “Really? His idea or yours?”
“His.” Myrtle sighed. “We’re celebrating our three-year anniversary.”
“Congratulations. I gotta say, I was skeptical of you dating a man who works on a cruise ship, but you two proved me wrong. And Javier is a nice guy. I’m glad I got to meet him last year when we went to the Bahamas.” That had been a fun trip, and Myrtle and Javier had been inseparable whenever he was on break from work. Myrtle had stayed in Miami for three more days after Erma flew back to Arkansas.
“I was skeptical, too, to be honest,” Myrtle said. “I was fine with a hot fling—an innocent one, mind you, if you know what I mean.”
Erma chuckled. “We might be old, but we ain’t dead.”
“Exactly. But things have gotten more serious lately. He’s calling every day now—when he’s not at sea, that is. And now he wants to meet me in the Keys. We’ve never done that before.”
“Do you think he might propose?”
“I don’t know.” Myrtle folded in her bottom lip. “Maybe?”
“And if he does?” Erma moved closer to her, even though they were the only ones in the shop. Something this important deserved 100percent attention. “What will you say?”
“I’m not sure. He isn’t interested in retiring, not yet. He’s eleven years younger than me, after all, and still has a fewworking years left. But his home base is in Miami, which means I’d have to move.”
Erma’s heart panged. She didn’t like hearing that, but she wanted her friend to follow her bliss. “You love him, don’t you?”
Myrtle’s expression turned to mush. “Very much. And he’s said he loves me. More than once.”
“Then I say go for it.”
“Really? You don’t think it’s too crazy at my age?”
“Absolutely not. If you love each other and want to spend the rest of your lives together, then you should.” She hugged her friend. “Have Karla and Michael met him yet?” she asked, referring to Myrtle’s daughter and son.
She shook her head. “Not yet. Karla knows I have a ‘special friend,’ but I haven’t said a word to Michael. He’s been a little protective since the divorce. I need to wait for the right time to tell him.”
“When’s that going to be?”
“After the wedding.” Myrtle chuckled, then grew serious. “This is pie-in-the-sky talk. For all I know we’re just going to have a nice dinner and pineapple upside-down cake for dessert. That’s his favorite, by the way.” She paused. “Don’t say anything to the other BBs. Not until I know for sure what his intentions are.”
“Lips are zipped.” Erma walked over to turn off the lights. “Not a peep about it.”
“Thanks.” Myrtle picked up her hot-pink handbag. “I feel a little hypocritical talking about this after throwing cold water on everyone’s enthusiasm about finding a guy for Olivia.”
“Don’t.” Erma stood. “You’re not looking for a man to love. You already have one. Big difference.”
“I wasn’t looking at all,” she said. “Love found me.”
“And love will find Olivia too.” If that was what the young woman wanted.
Myrtle waited for Erma to lock up the shop, and they both walked into the heavy, muggy air toward their cars. “What about you, Erma?”
She sidestepped a large pebble. “What?”
“Have you ever thought about getting married again?”
“Pishposh, no.” Erma opened her car door. “There was only one love of my life. No one’s matched up to Gus McAllister.”
