Page 17 of See You Next Month

Isabella waited so she could pull the email up then continued. “Once there, they’ll provide us with snorkeling gear and we’ll hike to Honeymoon Beach,” she said excitedly.

“Hmm, it’s about a one mile hike. We’ll have to carry the snorkeling gear and they’ll also provide lunch to take with us. We can do that, right?” Kelsey asked.

“Yes, it can’t be too difficult or they wouldn’t suggest it,” Isabella said.

“We’ll spend the morning and part of the afternoon on the beach. They have the leaning palms and we might even see sea turtles. Then we go back to the trailhead where we can rent bikes to pedal around the island,” Kelsey read from the email. Her phone began to ring and she fished it out of her bag. “Oh, that’s Dana, my oldest,” she said to Isabella.

“Go ahead and take it.”

“Hi, honey,” Kelsey said, connecting the call on speakerphone.

“Hi, Mom. I just got off the mountain and my face is frozen. I knew you could warm me up,” Dana said.

Kelsey chuckled. “I’m sitting under an umbrella on the beach watching the waves roll in. I just ordered a frozen pineapple daiquiri.”

“Mom!”

“I told you that you and Emma should have come with me.”

“Which swimsuit are you wearing today?”

“The girls helped me pack,” Kelsey said to Isabella.

“Of course they did.” Isabella laughed.

“Who are you talking to?” Dana asked.

“My new friend, Bella. I’m wearing the blue one piece,” Kelsey said.

“She looks amazing!” Isabella said loudly.

“I knew you would!” Dana exclaimed. “I won’t ask if you’re having fun because the beach and a frozen drink sound heavenly right about now.”

“I’ll tell you all about it when I get home,” Kelsey said.

“Thanks, Mom. I’m warmer already. Have fun. I miss you,” Dana said.

“I love you, sweetie,” Kelsey said.

“Love you, too.”

Isabella smiled at Kelsey. She’d enjoyed watching their conversation unfold. It was easy to hear the love in Kelsey’s voice and see the joy on her face. “Show me their pictures,” she said to Kelsey once the call ended.

Kelsey opened the photo app on her phone. “This is Dana,” she said, leaning over to show Isabella. “And this is Emma.”

“They both have your pretty eyes,” Isabella said. “Yours are a beautiful shade of blue-green today.”

“Thank you,” Kelsey said shyly. “Let me see pictures of your boys.”

Isabella took out her phone and pulled up a photo. “This is Wyatt and that’s Gus. His name is Augustus and we call him Auggie sometimes, but he’s our Gus.”

“They are beautiful,” Kelsey said. “Their hair is a little darker than yours, but they have those blue eyes.”

“I guess we both passed along our gorgeous eyes,” Isabella said with a grin.

Kelsey chuckled. “I like your confidence, Bella.”

Isabella smiled. She wished she felt as confident as she sounded on most things. “That’s not confidence, it’s fact. We both have nice eyes.”

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