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Callie laughed, “I’d have to agree with you.”
They retrieved the plates from the dining room and quickly cleaned up.
Jackson leaned back against the counter awkwardly as Callie shut the dishwasher. Holding his book, he said, “Well, thanks for sharing dinner with me tonight. Guess it’s Beach Comb Bingo on the schedule for tomorrow, right?”
“Right,” Callie said, “I’m looking forward to learning more about sea life and collecting shells, even if I don’t meet my soulmate.”
Jackson nodded, giving her a brief smile as he headed out of the room.
Callie watched his retreating back as he disappeared around a corner.
She knelt beside the puppy and stroked its fur gently. “Good night, Peanut Butter,” she whispered. “Don’t worry–we’ll find your family.”
Chapter Eight
CALLIE
After an early morning run intending to clear his head, Jackson grabbed a bagel and yogurt as he headed back to his room to check his emails while he ate. However, he found himself thinking about Callie. What was it about her that intrigued him so? Sure, she was attractive. But she didn’t even live in Florida. Would he be up for a long-distance relationship? He realized he was getting ahead of himself. Still, he couldn’t help but like that she valued family, personal growth, and the way she held that puppy so tenderly…
Sighing, he shut down his laptop. Callie had mentioned her aunt’s Bible study group but she hadn’t participated. What were her feelings when it came to questions of faith? Did she have a relationship with God? Would he ever meet a woman who could respect his relationship with his Savior? Pulling out his Bible, he devoted the next hour to Scripture study and prayer. After showering, dressing, and applying sunscreen for the late morning nature walk, he followed the directions in his Lookbook to the parking lot of the environmental learning center where the group would be meeting. He recognized several people from yesterday’s speed-dating event touring the free exhibits.
“Hi, Jackson, right?” The bubbly brunette who had sat at the first table walked up to him. “Deborah Bixby.”
He smiled back at her. She was friendly and pretty, even if he didn’t feel an immediate connection.
“Isn’t this place neat? I love vacationing at the coast and always find more to explore. Then again, sometimes I just prefer to lie on a blanket on the sand for a week.” She laughed daintily, and he recalled that she was a music teacher from some place in Tennessee. They walked around the center for a few minutes as Deborah pointed out some of the exhibits she found interesting about the natural history of the local area. Jackson found himself looking around for Callie. She’d said she’d be attending this event, and it was scheduled to start in five minutes.
Thelma was across the room with Sarah Jane, speaking with one of the tour guides. She had left Liza Minnelli back at the inn for the day, which Jackson thought was a smart idea since cats didn’t happen to be too fond of water.
Thelma glanced at the clock and then clapped her hands loudly.
“Welcome!” she said as the group gathered around her in the lobby. “In a few minutes, we’ll board the shuttles waiting outside to take us down to the beach. I hope everyone has applied sunscreen and remembered to bring your Lookbooks and water bottles. We do have extra bottles of sunscreen if anyone needs to re-apply during the excursion, so please don’t hesitate to ask.” Jackson spied Callie hurrying into the room wearing shorts and a light green tank top with a small backpack. He liked the way the color green looked on her.
“Now, for this event, you will all need a bingo card and a whistle. Sarah Jane,” she said, cueing the assistant, whose messy bun was even higher on her head that morning, to take a large stack of cards off the welcome desk and begin handing them around the room along with a bag containing lanyards with small whistles.
Jackson pulled a lanyard around his neck and looked down at his card, seeing that it had an erasable marker attached with Velcro. The card showed pictures of various flora, fauna, and beach ephemera captioned in individual bingo squares.
“You will each be trying to find and identify as many of the items shown on your card as you can. Everyone will choose a partner to begin with. Whenever a couple finds a match, one of them should blow their whistle, which will signify that everyone should immediately find a different partner. The first person to identify everything on their bingo card will win a gift card to Paloma’s Restaurant, known for its spectacular views, haute cuisine, and romantic ambiance. Does everyone understand?” Thelma glanced around the room, patting her hair.
There were soft murmurs of assent, and Jackson noticed that Deborah had taken a couple of steps closer to him and was obviously trying to make eye contact. “Partner?” she whispered, placing a manicured hand on his arm. “Sure,” he shrugged. They’d end up switching, anyway. From across the room, he saw Callie looking his way before the pretty boy went up to her and her attention shifted.
Thelma waited a few minutes as the group paired up. “When you have found a partner, please gather your belongings and board one of the shuttles waiting in front of the visitor’s center. When everyone arrives at the beach, I’ll blow my whistle to begin the game.”
˜*˜
CALLIE
Callie felt like she’d gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. First, she’d found Peanut Butter happily chewing on somebody’s rogue sock, then she accidentally over-baked her homemade French vanilla granola for the breakfast parfaits and had to throw the entire batch out and start over, and now after putting upIs This Dog Yours?signs around the neighborhood with Aunt Fran, she was late for Beach Comb Bingo. Her spirits sagged a little lower seeing the lovely brunette with her hand placed protectively on Jackson’s arm. She feigned a cheerful smile when Doug Lambert asked to partner with her to begin the scavenger hunt.
The shuttles bounced over the terrain as they wound down the narrow road to the beach. When the group had re-assembled, Thelma blew her whistle and the game began. Callie’s mood lifted as she wandered over the sand and rocks, studying her card. She felt like she’d never really noticed the amazing array of differently shaped shells, types of seaweed, and intricacies of rocks smoothed by wind and water. She suddenly felt awed by the beauty and power that surrounded her, struck by the realization that nature’s majesty revealed the hand of the God who created it. Looking out over the water glinting beneath the sun’s rays, she longed to know more about her Heavenly Father and said a silent prayer of worship to the Creator.
Somebody’s whistle blew, and Doug reluctantly went in search of another female. Callie grinned as she spied Tony Rizzoli in the crowd, who smiled back as they agreed to pair up to continue the hunt. “How’s it going, babe?” Tony asked in his distinctive Jersey accent. “You meet Mr. Right yet?”
Callie laughed. “Well, I sure wish he had that on his nametag to clue me in. How about you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Tony said slyly. “I kinda like one of the ladies, but not sure I’m quite what she has in mind.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Callie replied, “Just remember to let her see your true heart.”
