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“Oh, wow,” she said, fearing for her
grandmother’s safety.  Fortunately, Liz had given up her license willingly.  It
wasn’t so much that she wasn’t fit to drive, but that the center was close to
so many amenities that a car seemed an unnecessary extravagance.  Besides, the
center had a taxi and bus service for residents, so they could go anywhere they
needed to by simply scheduling a pickup at the front entrance.

Amanda sat up taller in the seat.  “We have to
find them,” she declared.  “Now.”

Brady gave a short laugh.  “If he puts the pedal
to the metal in that car, we’ll never catch them,” he said.

“I’m going to text my grandmother again.”  She
hurriedly texted, begging her to come back to the ice cream parlor, so that
they could talk.

She received a response within seconds.  “Talk
is cheap.”

She gasped and showed it to Brady.  He winced. 
“I think they’re angry with us.”

“I don’t blame them,” she said sadly, her face
twisting with guilt.  “We hurt them!  Oh, I feel awful.” 

She couldn’t help it.  Tears came to her eyes. 
She had hurt the one person on the earth who had always given her unconditional
love and support.  She rose from her chair and made as if to go to the restroom
to freshen up.  She didn’t want Brady—a virtual stranger—seeing her cry.

To her surprise, he rose and took a hold of her
arm, preventing her from making an escape.  He turned her toward him and looked
sincerely into her eyes.  “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

She tried to avert her eyes, but couldn’t.  His
face was inches from hers, looking earnest and understanding.  He cocked his
head.  “We’ll fix this.  There’s still time,” he assured her.

She desperately hoped there was
time
.  If
Brady’s granddad had an attack of some type while behind the wheel… 

She lost it then.  The tears flowed.

“It’s going to be all right,” he soothed, as he
pulled her into his arms.  She leaned weakly against him, but forced herself to
pull herself together.  Time was of the essence.  They needed to track down
their grandparents.

“I’m … all right.  Thank you,” she said, forcing
a smile.  “We’ll find them.”

He nodded.  “We’ll find them.”

*** 

“Ike, Brady saw us!” Liz cried, as they sped
away from the ice cream parlor.

“I didn’t expect him to come out,” he admitted,
but flashed a grin.  “Did you see the look on his face?”

“I did,” she said, chuckling.  “Are we going to
the beach now?”

“Yep.  The pier is only a couple miles up the
road.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve been to the
ocean,” Liz said, and smiled almost self-consciously.  “We live so close to it,
yet I rarely give it a glance.”

Ike nodded.  “It’s been awhile for me too, but I
do try to come when the center offers a day trip.”  His eyes sparkled.  “I’m
afraid I have a sweet tooth.  I can’t get enough of the taffy from one of the
candy stores along the boardwalk.”

“I used to bring Amanda to the boardwalk when
she was a little girl.”  She grinned.  “She and I are partial to fudge, and we
always picked up a half pound to enjoy over the course of the day.”  She giggled. 
“My daughter, her mother, used to scold me for getting her ‘sugared up,’ as she
called it.”  She smiled wistfully.  “I miss those days, when Amanda was a
little girl, and we’d spend hours together, talking and giggling.  We were so
close…”

Ike reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. 
“She loves you, Liz.  She’s just caught up in all the trappings of life.  She’s
bought the goods, so to speak.  Her definition of success is society’s
definition—heck my own definition, back in the day.  But we’ll get through to
her and Brady.  You’ll see.”  He was quiet for a moment.  “It’s all about
priorities.  People have to work, of course.  But when five o’clock rolls
‘round, it’s time to go home—time to live real life.” 

“I was never much good at compartmentalizing
either,” Liz admitted.  “I worked as many hours as I could at my job, took all
the overtime offered, but then, I had to…”  She let her words trail off.  She
didn’t feel much like talking about the whys of her decisions back when she was
a young, single woman with two children to support.

“Hey, go ahead and text Amanda,” Ike said,
drawing her out of her thoughts.  We’ll be parked and hiding by the time they
leave the ice cream parlor.”

 “They’re going to be furious with us, you
know.”  Regardless, she texted, “See you at Banner Beach, near the pier.”

“I don’t care if they’re furious,” he said
crisply, glancing her way.  “Those two kids need a wakeup call, and we’re
giving it to them.”  He gave a devious chuckle, and Liz joined him.

“They know we were trying to set them up, you
know,” she said.  “They said as much in their texts.”

“I know, but it’s more than that,” he said. 
“It’s time they stopped to smell the roses.”

“Well, in fairness to Amanda, she did stop to
smell a rose or two at the park,” Liz pointed out.

Ike chuckled.  “That’s true, but Brady didn’t
give them any notice whatsoever.”

“Maybe he doesn’t like flowers.”

“Maybe.  But he was out of doors, beneath a
bright blue sky, with a beautiful girl…”  He gave a disgusted snort.  “I
guarantee you, he was thinking about work the whole time.”

Liz settled into the seat and stared ahead at
the passing scenery.  The ocean was on her right.  The waves were fierce, since
it was a windy day.  “Just look at that ocean,” she remarked.  “It’s so
beautiful.”  

“The pier’s about a mile ahead,” Ike told her. 
“We’re going to park in a lot behind that candy shop that sells that stellar
taffy I was telling you about.  We’ll have a clear view of the pier, but they
won’t be able to see us.”

“Unless they figure out we’ve been watching them
and deduce it’s the only locale from which we can see them.”

“You have a point, but we’ll stay in the Olds. 
If we have to, we’ll take off.”

Liz watched him thoughtfully, and then
chuckled.  “We’re going to be in big trouble, you know.”

“Hey, they’re our grandchildren, not our
parents—or even our children.  Besides, my kids are out of town.” 

Liz was silent for a moment.  “My oldest
daughter lives in North Carolina, so I don’t see her often.  My youngest,
Amanda’s mother, lives here, but she and her husband are currently visiting a
friend in Idaho.  What about your kids, Ike?”

He gave a quick grin.  “I sent both my son and
daughter on cruises with their spouses.  They’re feeling nothing but good will
toward their old dad about now.”  He gave a mischievous laugh.  “Brady won’t be
able to reach them if he tries.”

Liz laughed.  “Well, I won’t be sending anyone
on a cruise.”

“Hey, we’re here.”  Ike left the roadway and
pulled into a lot behind the candy store.  He turned the car, nose out, in
order to see the ocean from their vantage point.  He shut off the ignition and
checked his watch.  “They shouldn’t be too long.  Hey, are you getting hungry?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him.  “We can always
pick up something from a drive-thru later.”

“Or, we could head over to Jake’s Seafood
House.  They’re famous for their seafood platter.”  He cocked his head in
thought.  “I haven’t eaten there for probably … fifteen years.”

“I take it the food is good.”

“Excellent,” he enthused.

Liz nodded.  “That sounds fine.”

He nodded and eased back into the seat to wait
on Amanda and Brady.  Liz settled in too, perching her sunglasses on her nose. 
They didn’t have to wait long.

“The pier’s just ahead,” Brady said, glancing at
Amanda briefly before pulling into a parking space on the ocean side of the
street.  He eased to a stop and shut off the ignition.  “Well, let’s go,” he
said wearily.

Amanda climbed out of the car, to find that
Brady had rounded the hood in order to open her door.  She smiled her thanks,
as he closed the door behind her.

He took her elbow and escorted her along the
sidewalk and toward the pier.  He paused and shielded his eyes with his hand. 
“I don’t see them, do you?”

Amanda searched the crowds walking along the
pier, and shook her head.  “I don’t, but then, I don’t think they ever intended
for us to find them here.”

He gave her a questioning glance.

She shook her head.  “Never mind.” 

“Really.  What?  Tell me,” he prompted.

“They’re hoping we’ll discover feelings for one
another, as we experience this romantic, coastal setting together…”

He gave a burst of laughter.  “Oh, sure.   As if
we’re feeling anything but frustration, thanks to them!”

She weighed his word with a nod of her head. 
She was in total agreement with him on that count.  “Let’s go,” she said
wearily.

To her surprise, he took her hand.  She came to
a stop and gave him a questioning gaze.  “If they’re watching, they’ll see us
strolling hand-in-hand along the pier together.  Maybe they’ll deem this
misadventure a success and come out from hiding,” he said.

“Oh.”

They started walking along the pier.  Amanda
glanced down at their entwined hands.  His hand felt warm against hers—strong
and assured.  For whatever reason, the physical contact caused an odd stirring
in the pit of her stomach.  It had been so long since she’d held hands with
anyone, let alone an attractive member of the opposite sex.  And she certainly
couldn’t remember experiencing this strange electrical impulse from previous
skin-to-skin contact.  What the heck did it mean? 

She was certain Brady felt the same chemical
reaction—or was it chemistry?—since she caught him glancing at her face on
several occasions, and then down at their entwined hands.  Was he feeling the
same shock of awareness?

 Or were they both simply overworked and tired
and caught up in a shared misadventure, and as such, feeling dependent on one
another? 

As they reached the end of the pier, he released
her hand and strode to the side, in order to get a view of the sandy beach
below.  Amanda felt the warm imprint on her skin, long after he’d released her
hand.

When he didn’t spot the elderly couple, Brady
crossed to the other side.  Amanda joined him this time and scanned the sand
below.  There was no sign of their grandparents.

“Well, it’s like you said, they’re not here,”
Brady acknowledged.

Suddenly, their phones buzzed in unison. 
“You’ve stopped and smelled the roses, eaten ice cream together, and now it’s
time for a stroll along the beach,” Amanda read aloud, and then shook her
head.  “This is getting ridiculous.”  She checked her watch.  “It’s almost
lunch time, and I really need to get back to work.”

Brady nodded in agreement as he glanced around
them.  He turned back to her and caught her gaze.  “I’m thinking we’d better
take that walk.  Maybe if we follow their directives, they’ll end this
silliness so we
can
get back to work.”

“Okay,” she said resignedly.  “I hope you’re
right.”

They turned and began walking back along the
pier and to the sidewalk.  From there, they walked several hundred feet to a
wooden stairway leading to the sandy beach below.  Both shed their shoes when
they reached the base of the stairs, since neither was actually dressed for a
stroll along the sidewalk, let alone along the beach.

Brady reached for her hand again and they strode
to the hard-packed sand near the breaking waves and began walking.  The wind
picked up, and there was a definite chill in the air.  Brady brought them to
pause and slipped out of his coat.  He passed it to her.

“Oh, thanks, but I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” he said firmly, and then
quirked a smile.  “You’ll catch a cold and then I’ll be stuck trying to find
our delinquent grandparents on my own.”

She laughed.  “Well, I’d like to think this
misadventure will end today.”

“I don’t know…” he muttered, glancing around. 
“Something tells me we’re in for a wild ride.”

“Do you really think so?” Amanda said worriedly,
and felt a gust of wind blow into her right ear.  She raised her hand to cover
it.  “I mean, of course they’re going to go back to the home tonight, right?”

“We can hope,” he said.  “We can only hope.”

 He reached for her hand and they resumed their
stroll along the beach.  They were both silent for several moments.  Amanda
broke the silence.  “It really is beautiful down here,” she said, glancing out
over the breaking waves.  “The water is especially blue today.”

He nodded.  “I haven’t been here for so long.” 
He gave a laugh.  “It seems ridiculous, not having been here for awhile, when I
live so close.”

“How long has it been?” she asked.

“Several years, actually,” he admitted.  “When I
got out of the service…”

“You were in the military?” she cut in, and then
smiled self-consciously.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to interrupt.”