Page 28 of Coral Memories

“Hey, Marina,” Kai began.

“Shh, not now.” Marina waved a hand.

“What’s going on?” Kai followed her line of sight.

Brooke and Ginger leaned in, too. Marina motioned to Jack and pressed a finger to her lips.This is it.This was the moment she’d been waiting for.

With the firelight illuminating their silhouettes, Blake dropped to one knee and brought a ring from his pocket. Beforehe could finish, Heather nodded her ecstatic answer, pulled him up, and flung her arms around him, screaming with joy.

“I think that’s a yes,” Jack said, chuckling. “That sure was easier than the way we did it.”

Marina poked him in the ribs. “Took you long enough, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

When Blake scooped Heather up and whirled her around, their friends cheered them on.

Blinking back tears of joy, Marina pressed a hand to her heart. “I’m so happy for them.” Blake had asked her permission, which Marina thought was sweet, even if it was a little old-fashioned. But she liked that about him. He was solid and, in some ways, even reminded her of Stan. Her first husband had loved being out on the ocean, too.

Ethan was the first to congratulate them, hugging them both at the same time.

“Those three get along so well,” Marina said.

She hoped Ethan would find someone Heather liked, too. Maybe it would be the young woman he’d brought tonight, although they didn’t seem that serious about each other.

After the congratulations, Heather raced toward her with tears of happiness on her cheeks. “Mom, we’re engaged!” She held out a glittering diamond solitaire on her finger. “Blake told me he asked you first.”

“I’m so happy for you, honey.” Wiping away tears of her own, she hugged Heather and then embraced Blake, who was going to be part of the family. “I didn’t know when it would happen, though. I was dying to tell you, but Blake swore me to secrecy.”

“Thanks for keeping the secret,” he said, his face shining with happiness. “I’d planned to propose at Christmas, but I couldn’t wait. As soon as I bought the ring, I wanted to give it to her.”

“You’ll make a fine couple,” Ginger said. “You have my blessing, too. Now we have an engagement party to plan.”

Heather and Blake exchanged a look of excitement. “We’d love that,” Heather said.

“Then it’s settled.” Ginger clasped her hands. “We have so much to do. And Marina, you and Jack must meet Blake’s parents.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Marina said, taking her husband’s hand. But as she did, she caught a glimpse of Blake. A look of concern flashed across his face before turning back to Heather.

Although Marina didn’t say anything that might spoil the moment, she wondered if Blake’s parents were as pleased as they were. Yet, Heather was sweet, intelligent, lovely, talented, and kind. And she adored Blake. Any in-laws would be happy to have Heather as a new daughter-in-law.

Surely, she’d imagined Blake’s reaction. She turned to him. “I’ll call your parents and introduce ourselves.”

Before Blake could reply, he and Heather were drawn into their crowd of friends. Marina dabbed her eyes and watched them go.

Ginger put her arm around Marina’s shoulder. “Heather has chosen well, and she’ll soon start a new chapter in her life. How exciting for her. I hope she’s as happy as I was with Bertrand. Why, I still remember every moment of that happy day.”

Jack leaned toward her. “I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.”

Smiling, Ginger tapped his cheek. “You will, my dear. You will.”

Marina gazed around the patio, fixing the scene in her mind. Her little girl was grown and would soon move out of Ginger’s cottage to join Blake and make a home with him. They would most likely remain in Summer Beach. Her mind skipped ahead to grandchildren, a possibility that seemed so far away.

But for now, she had an engagement party to plan and her daughter’s future in-laws to meet.

8

The late afternoon sun slanted through the little whitewashed chapel in Summer Beach, bathing the vestibule in a golden glow. Ginger’s simple, bias-cut candlelight gown shimmered like spun sugar.

She waited in the entrance room with her mother while her father parked the car on the narrow street. The ocean breeze from an open window cooled the small area.

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