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There wasn’t anyone else for Grace to go with, but perhaps AJ and Matt would take her if they were heading to the beach. AJ loved the sun, sand, and surf too, and she’d gladly take Grace along.
Eloise extracted her hand from the girl’s and pulled her phone from her pocket. The group text string had blown up in the few minutes she’d been on stage, and she cringed at the picture of her in that horrendous navy blue suit, Billie and Grace gathered to her like she was a mother hen.
You look wonderful, dear, Kristen had sent.
Wow, go El,Robin had said.Anyone who wants to come hang out early is welcome. I’ll have drinks and appetizers before the main grill-fest at seven!
I’ll come over, Alice said.I’m feeling a little better.
We’re going to the beach for the afternoon, AJ said.Anyone want to join us?
Shad and I will, Kelli said.We’ll come early too, Robin.
The conversations moved fast in the group text, but Eloise’s heart thudded and grew two sizes. “AJ and Kelli are going to the beach,” she said. She looked over to Grace. “They have Asher and Lisa. Do you want to go with them?”
“Yes!” Grace leapt into the air and pumped her fist. “Yes! Can I, El? Can I go with them?”
“Let me find out which beach and when and what you need.” They had to ride the ferry back to Diamond no matter what. If they had to come back here to meet up with everyone, she and Billie were looking at two hours before they’d get their quiet, air-conditioned afternoon.
Billie didn’t look at her, and she grabbed onto Grace as she started to topple in her low, one-inch heels. “Calm down,” she griped at her younger sister.
Eloise didn’t text; she called AJ, who answered with, “You looked so proper up there, Miss Eloise.” She giggled, and Eloise did smile then.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice taking on a slight British accent. “Listen, Grace wants to go to the beach, but I’m wiped. Can I send her with you?”
“Of course,” AJ said. “Amy’s bringing her girls too.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic,” Eloise said. Relief cascaded through her. She moved the phone away from her mouth and said, “Amy’s bringing her girls, Grace.”
The girl cheered again, and Eloise grinned at her. “Tell me where and when,” she said. “I’ll deliver her to you.”
“We’re going back to Diamond, right, baby?”
Eloise kept walking toward the ferry station—a whole slew of people were—while AJ tried to get the specifics from Matt. “I’ll call you back,” AJ said. “No one’s making any decisions.”
“Okay,” Eloise said. “We have to go all the way home to change anyway. She’s wearing a lace dress.”
“Let me talk to Amy too,” AJ said. “She’s always telling me about this beach she knows about where not many people go.”
“Let me know,” Eloise said. The call ended, and she herded the girls into the ferry line. They had to wait for two before they could squeeze on, and they barely had any room to stand. She felt like she was on display, dressed as she was. Everyone else wore denim shorts and tank tops in various shades of red, white, and blue. The American flag was everywhere—but on Eloise, Grace, and Billie.
She caught several people looking at her, and she felt her political, Police-Chief’s-wife smile slide onto her face. She talked to a few people, and then the ferry arrived. They’d parked in the lot that morning, so they didn’t have to wait for a RideShare, and Eloise breathed easier once she didn’t have so many people looking at her.
Her phone rang, and AJ’s name popped up. “Hey,” Eloise said after connecting the call through the stereo system.
“Diamond Island,” AJ said. “Just bring her to my house. We’ll go from there in an hour?”
Eloise said nothing, because AJ wasn’t asking her.
“Holy cow, I want someone other than me to decide!” AJ yelled. She let out a long hiss. “An hour, El. We’re leaving from my house in an hour, come hell or high water.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Eloise said, and she let AJ end the call. She looked at Grace in the rearview mirror. “You have to eat a real lunch when we get home.”
“I will.”
“You have to let me put sunscreen on before you go, and I will text AJ to ask her to put it on you again in a little while.” She held up one fingers. “Noattitude.”
“No,” Grace said somberly. “I won’t have any attitude.”
