Free Destination Wedding ~ A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten

you."
    Claire narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't really want him touching her. "That's okay. I'll just put on my shirt."
    "You still need some lotion on so it doesn't peel. Come on. I promise I won't bite."
    Claire bit her lip, but she kneeled down on the towel in front of Jim and let him gently rub in the lotion. She had to admit, the lotion felt good on her tender skin.
    "See now? It's not so bad," Jim said. Claire could almost feel him grinning at her. "You should be more careful here. You know you burn easily."
    Claire started twirling her charm bracelet around her wrist. Having Jim touch her, especially so gently, made her nervous.
    "There. All done." He reached around her and placed his hand over hers to stop her from jangling her bracelet. Then he lifted her arm up higher to inspect it. "I'm surprised you still wear this," he said softly.
    Claire sat very still. Jim leaned over her from behind, and his breath tickled the back of her neck when he spoke. It unnerved her.
    "Of course I still have it," she said, pulling her arm away from his grasp and moving over to her towel. She quickly slipped on the T-shirt she'd brought along. "You may have paid for it, but Mandy was the one who actually picked it out. And she's added to it through the years, see?" Claire pointed out the new charms. "Here's a pink dress to symbolize the success of the boutique, and here's a diploma to celebrate her college graduation."
    Jim watched Claire intently as she pointed out the new charms.
    "I'm glad you still wear it," he said. "For Mandy, of course."
    Mandy and Craig walked over with their towels and gear packed up and slung over their shoulders. "Everyone's getting toasted out here, so we thought we'd better get out of the sun for the day. We're all going to hit a few of the outdoor bars on the way back to the lodge. You guys game?"
    "Why don't you go with them, Jim? I can drive back to the lodge. I'm really not up to bar hopping right now," Claire said.
    Jim looked up at his daughter. "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up with you." Mandy waved and off they went down the beach.
    Claire looked confused. "Aren't you going with them?"
    "No," Jim said, getting up and shaking out his towel. "We're both going with them. It'll be fun. You don't want to miss out on the fun, do you?"
    "I'd rather just go back to the lodge and clean up before dinner. I'll drop you off where the kids are and you can catch a ride with one of them."
    Jim waggled his brows. "Aw, come on, Claire. You don’t have to drink to have fun. If you don't watch out, I'm going to have to call you Janice."
    Claire narrowed her eyes at him.
    "I promise," Jim said. "After the first stop, if you still want to go back to the lodge, we'll go. Deal?"
    "Fine," Claire said, sighing. She felt like all she'd done this whole trip was give in.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Claire, Jim, Glen, and Lisa all sat at one end of the table at the Water's Edge Bar while the younger people sat around the rest of the table. They'd stopped at the Last Stop Bar & Grill first, then moved on to the bar at the Red Snapper Inn. This was the third place they'd stopped and the last before they would head back to the resort. Everyone was in good spirits, and despite the fact that Claire was the only one drinking virgin drinks, she was having just as much fun as the rest.
    Claire watched Jim as he joked around with Craig's friend, Cameron. Cameron was a computer programmer like Craig, and he and Jim had literally nothing in common, yet Jim could always find common ground to talk about with anyone. Claire had always marveled at Jim's ability to do that. She swore that he could have sat at dinner with the President of the United States and have had an interesting conversation.
    "Having fun?" Glen asked, leaning over toward Claire.
    Claire smiled at her brother. He'd had a lot to drink, but it didn’t show. He was a guy who could hold his liquor. "Yeah, I am. I didn't even want to come along, but now I'm glad Jim