Page 22 of Royal Agenda

Lemons. She needed lots of lemons.

Six

Grace laid back on the surfboard, the rough surface rubbing her skin, and let the sun warm her up. She and Stephán had been on the water since six-thirty, and it was close to lunchtime. Her stomach rumbled, and she gave it a promising pat. “We’ll eat soon.”

The ocean lifted her and then dropped her with a steady, almost hypnotic motion.

Unlike her sister, Elizabeth, Grace loved all sorts of outdoor activities. It wasn’t that Elizabeth wasn’t adventurous or fun; she was a klutz. More often than not, she’d end up in the emergency care. It was kind of ironic that she fell in love with a surfer. From what she’d heard, Chad had worked a miracle and actually taught Elizabeth how to get up on the surfboard. She claimed that wiping out in water was much less painful than wiping out on land.

Grace had been in Diamond Cove for over a week and had yet to lay her eyes on her future brother-in-law. Apparently, he was at a trade show making a name for himself in the retail business. No doubt Elizabeth coached him on how to take his pier shop from one location to a dozen. From what she’d heard, Chad was all over it. He had just as much ambition and drive as Elizabeth, but he balanced it with time on the water.

Maybe that was what Grace missed in life—balance. She spent so much time in cemeteries and with musty smelling papers that she didn’t make time to do things like surf or, read the latest fiction or shop with Grandma unless invited. Shoot. She couldn’t keep putting their shopping trip off.

Balance would be good for her. Living life. Playing a little.

She sat up and looked around at the other surfers.

“What’s going on, babe?” Stephán paddled closer and tugged the end of her board.

She wobbled and dropped her feet in the water. He’d started calling her babe yesterday. Every time the word came out of his mouth in front of Grandma, she cringed.

“I was just looking for Chad’s shop. Do you know which one it is?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she scanned the pier.

The shadow that crossed Stephán’s face was there and gone so fast she wondered if she’d actually seen it.

“Nah. I’ve never been there.”

Her eyes jerked to him. That was strange. As far as she knew, Chad owned the only surf shop in Diamond Cove, and Stephán had lived here for almost two years. There’s no way he hadn’t gone in.

“Are you ready to head in? I’m starving.” Stephán ran his hand through his wet hair.

“Me too.” She moved to lay on her stomach.

“Last one in buys lunch,” he called over his shoulder, taking an unfair lead.

Grace wasn’t one to miss out on a competition. She dug in and came in a board length behind him.

He grinned triumphantly, and she splashed saltwater at him. He splashed back, harder, maybe even meaner. She thought she’d caught a hard look in his eye right before her eyes were burned by the water on impact, and her nose tingled painfully. He hauled his board out, and she stumbled onto the sand behind him. They’d left a pile of towels, and his t-shirt and her coverup where the sand was warm and soft.

Winnie and Polly walked by wearing full spandex outfits that had Grace doing a double take. Polly’s was canary yellow with lime green accents, and Winnie’s was hot pink with teal. They had matching headbands, too. They waved excitedly. “Stephán! It’s good to see you again,” called Winnie.

Stephán didn’t stop walking. Winnie frowned at his snub.

Polly waved vigorously. “Stephán! Yoo-hoo. It’s a beautiful day for a yoga session, don’t you think?”

He had to have heard them, yet he sauntered back to the towels without so much as a glance in their direction.

Grace paused, embarrassed that he’d ignored them. “Hi. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“It really is.” Winnie smiled happily. “I wish the sunshine would rub off on some people.” She gave Stephán a side-eyed look.

“He’s . . .” Grace searched for a viable excuse for Stephán’s rudeness. “. . . hungry?” Like that was any excuse. “Sorry.” She was hungry, too, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t be kind. “Have a wonderful day.”

“You too, dear.” Winnie replied. The two put their heads together and whispered as they made their way along the beach.

Grace hurried to catch up to Stephán. He plopped onto his backside and flicked his wet hair, showering an older couple and their picnic lunch nearby. The woman gasped in shock as the cold water hit her right across the face, and the man glared.

Grace looked closer and realized they were some of Grandma’s friends, Harry and Virginia. Virginia wiped the salt water droplets off her cheek, and Harry took off his glasses to clean them with his shirt.

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