Page 4 of Royal Agenda

The sound of a parking brake setting screeched through the phone. Nancy could only imagine what kind of vehicle Celeste had procured. She’d had to buy the ugly Volkswagen van now parked in Grandma’s driveway because there weren’t any rental cars available when she’d landed in Mexico. The car was fine; pulling into these smaller villages in a shiny rental sent the wrong message. As soon as she found something better to drive, she’d donate the van to a local charity.

“I’m heading in for a preliminary look at things, and I’ll email you my master plan tonight.”

“Sounds good.” Celeste would absolutely die over the parchments.

“Have fun.” Nancy grinned, thinking of the treasure trove she was about to walk into. The small, stained-glass window the locals had saved and sacrificed to provide their church was stunning. The adobe architecture was classic Mayan with a Catholic vibe thrown in, and the young priest was enthusiastic about his work. “Make sure your lens cover is off when you walk in—you won’t want to waste a second.”

“I will and you stay far away from the Bermuda Triangle–I don’t need you disappearing.”

Grace laughed. Her phone beeped, and her sister’s name popped up. “I have to take this.” They signed off, and she clicked over.

“Elizabeth!” There was something about being in the same country as her sisters that brought her an added amount of joy. They understood that she had to travel, and they loved the stories she came home with, but she hated saying goodbye to her two best friends in the whole world. They’d always been like that—linked together and loyal—and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Grace? Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me,” Grace replied. “Who else would it be?”

“I half-expected a kidnapper who wants a ransom for you to answer the phone,” she teased.

“Ha ha! I’m at Grandma’s as we speak.” She hurriedly made her bed, tucking in the sheets and fluffing the pillows.

“It’s so dreamy, right?”

Grace pulled the phone away and verified the number. “Who are you?” Elizabeth was the overachieving sister who lived for spreadsheets and office supplies. She’d only ever used the word dreamy to describe a new back-to-school notebook. It wasn’t that she was uptight–oh no. She could have a good time. It was just that she loved business, marketing, development, brainstorming, and all things corporate to the point that an office supply store was her zen.

Elizabeth giggled. “Stop. I love Diamond Cove.”

A lightbulb clicked on. “Love, huh? I think it’s a hunky surfer you keep sending me pictures of—without his shirt on I might add—that you’re in love with.”

“Guilty. Chad is . . . incredible.” She let out a happy sigh that would make flowers bloom and birds chirp. Not that she didn’t have a reason to be all goo-goo-eyed over the man. Not only did he have broad shoulders and defined pecs–she should not know that about her future brother-in-law!--but he was intelligent, funny, and the yang to Elizabeth’s Yin. A man who balanced work and play with incredible dexterity was precisely what Elizabeth needed in her life. And, if her sister’s stories about being swept off her feet–pun intended!--were accurate, then Chad had a romantic heart inside that amazing chest, too.

Grace allowed silence to fill the space between them for the count of four. “Sorry about that, I had to gag for a second.”

“You laugh now,” she warned. “But Diamond Cove has options in the singles department. You could be next.”

She thought about the man sleeping on Grandma’s couch. Stephán was not her long-term, life-long guy. He was a convenient stop-over. Cute and adventurous—not to mention it was nice to have a man with her when she ran into the ruffians at the border. Not that Stephán had to defend her honor or anything. His grip on her hand was enough to warn them off.

She’d seen the same symptoms of love that Elizabeth displayed in several of her friends over the years. Like someone who’d fallen too deep into a vat of chocolate to want to get out—they want you to be as happy as they are. Come on in, they called. The chocolate is warm and delicious, they’d taunt, not realizing that they were getting sucked in and their lives and their plans were floating away. “Not me. I’ve looked the world over and didn’t find a man.”

“You didn’t look in the Cove,” she sing-songed. “Besides, you’re always looking for dead guys. If you searched among the living, you might find something worth hanging on to.”

“I’d argue with you . . .but . . .”

“But you know I’m right.”

Grace bit her tongue. Elizabeth wasn’t right—she was too blinded by her hot surfer to see other options. Which was awesome! Elizabeth deserved all the happiness in the world. She worked too hard and any man who could get her to leave the office was a gift to the whole family.

Someone on the other end reminded Elizabeth of a meeting starting in three minutes. “I only have a second. I actually called to warn you to take it easy on Grandma.”

“Why?” Grace tightened her grip on the phone. “Did she have another heart attack? Why doesn’t anyone tell me these things?” What were weekly video calls for if not to tell her important things?

“Relax! The doctors at The Palms say she’s doing well. She has a good group of friends there that are super important to her, and they’re good for her. They get together all the time, and they invite her to concerts and activities all over the Cove. You’re going to love them.”

Grace absorbed the news. “Since when does Grandma have friends?” She had business associates she went out to lunch with, and she had their family, but other than that, she had the company. It must have been lonely in a lot of ways–especially after Gramps died.

“Since she retired. Don’t make waves—pun intended. And don’t upset her. She’s in a good mental and physical space.”

Seeing her grandma through a grown-up's eyes was strange—like trying on a pair of lederhosen for the first time. Thick leather that rubbed in places she’d never thought about before. “Okay, but . . . it’s weird.”

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