Page 29 of See You Next Month

It didn’t take them long to gather their things and start back up the trail. Sylvie was true to her word and was waiting for them once they arrived at the trailhead.

They decided to come back to St. John another day and do the bike ride around the island. The desire for a cold beer at Peaches was too great.

Sylvie pulled into a parking space on the street and they all got out of the Jeep.

“They have a back patio that opens up to the beach,” Sylvie told them as they walked to the front door. “It’s a great place to laze away the afternoon. You’re on island time now.”

Isabella followed Kelsey into the bar while Sylvie held the door open for them.

“Oh, this is perfect,” Kelsey said.

“This is what I imagined the quintessential beach bar should look like,” Isabella added.

“You must be Kelsey and Isabella,” a woman said as she approached them with a wide smile. “I’m Liz. Welcome to Peaches.”

Isabella saw Kelsey give her a quick warning look and she almost burst into laughter. “Hi, Liz. I’m Isabella and this is Kelsey,” Isabella said. “We love the name of your bar and can’t wait to experience it all.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Let’s get you a table,” Liz said, leading them to the back of the bar. “Do you want to sit on the patio?”

“How can we not?” Kelsey said. “That view is incredible.”

Once they’d sat at a table where they had a view of both the inside of the bar and the beach, Liz asked, “What can I get you to drink?”

“A cold beer would be heavenly,” Kelsey said.

“Me, too,” Isabella agreed.

“I’ll be right back,” Liz said, walking to the long bar that took up the opposite wall of the space.

“Aren’t you joining us?” Kelsey asked Sylvie.

“I can’t right now. I’ll pick you up and take you back to the ferry whenever you’re ready. Text me.” Sylvie smiled. “Enjoy.”

Isabella sat back in her chair and sighed happily. Music played in the background and several tables were full of happy tourists. She could see Liz fill their glasses with beer on tap and figured the woman was in her mid-sixties.

“I bet she could tell us a few stories,” Isabella commented.

Kelsey nodded. “Those beers look wonderful right about now.”

Liz walked over with three beers on a tray. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you for a bit.”

“We’d love it,” Isabella said.

They all took a deep drink from their glasses and Kelsey moaned. “Oh, that’s good.”

“Carmen told me a little about this grand plan of yours,” Liz said.

Isabella raised her eyebrows. “Oh, it’s Carmen’s plan, too.”

Liz chuckled. “I hope you’ll make Peaches a regular stop on these trips.”

“Oh, we will,” Kelsey said, smiling at Isabella. “We just got here and I already love it.”

“We have a very relaxed vibe, but there are times when we turn the music up and dance,” Liz said.

“That sounds like fun,” Isabella said.

“Oh, there’s Alex,” Liz said, waving at a woman inside the bar. “She’s my business partner.”

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