Free Wait for the Rain by Maria Murnane Page A

“You sure you don’t want to try my beach class tomorrow morning? I’ve already got Daphne signed up.”
    Daphne coughed. “You have? I u h . . . I thought that was just a suggestion.”
    KC removed her baseball hat and pointed it in the direction of her bedroom. “It was a suggestion that we will be converting into a reality. Okay, ladies, I’m off to take a shower. What’s next on the itinerary?”
    Skylar held up her nearly empty margarita glass. “I need to shower too, but first I’m going to finish this delicious beverage. Then, unfortunately, I have to make another work call, but I promise it won’t take long. I was thinking we could have dinner at a place not too far from here called Captain’s Grill. It’s right on the beach, and apparently the food there is amazing.”
    “Sounds perfect,” KC said. “How dressy is it?”
    Skylar gave her a look of mock surprise. “You brought a dress?”
    KC grinned. “I brought one dress. So let me know which night I should wear it.”
    “I can’t imagine you in a dress,” Daphne said. “Did you even wear one to your wedding?” Max and KC had gotten married at City Hall in a family-only ceremony.
    “I wore a white tank dress from J.Crew,” she said. “Does that count?”
    Skylar rolled her eyes. “For you , that counts. And to answer your question, Pippi Longstocking, tonight is casual. We’ll do the dressy dinner thing for Daphne’s birthday. But I have a proposition for you. If Daphne and I do your beach workout, you have to go shopping with us for girly stuff, deal?” She turned and looked at Daphne. “That’s a fair deal, right?”
    Daphne nodded. “Sounds equitable to me.”
    KC hesitated for a moment, then shook Skylar’s hand. “Okay, I can live with that. Deal.”
    Skylar smiled. “Nice. I heard there are some cute stores in the main downtown area. Maybe we’ll head over there tomorrow and gussy you up.”
    KC trotted toward her bedroom. “Do what you must. I’m not wearing makeup, though!” she called over her shoulder.
    “Once a tomboy, always a tomboy,” Skylar said as KC shut her door. “God help her.”
    Daphne lifted her margarita for a toast. “And here’s hoping she never changes.”
    Skylar clinked her glass against Daphne’s. “I’ll drink to that.”

Chapter Five
    Captain’s Grill wasn’t technically on the beach, but without burrowing the table legs and chairs into the sand, the outdoor seating area of the charmingly rustic restaurant was about as close to the shore as it could be. The tables were spread over a raised wooden deck, each one flanked by a large white umbrella ready to be opened for protection from the sun, or perhaps the sudden onslaught of a rainstorm, which, as Daphne now knew, was not an uncommon occurrence on St. Mirika. A string of white lanterns dotted a high fence lining the three edges of the deck not facing the water, which secluded the deck and created a protective illusion that it was the lone dining spot on the beach.
    “Wow, that’s tasty,” KC said as she sipped her mango sangria.
    “Isn’t it?” Skylar said. “St. Mirika is famous for it. I don’t know why it hasn’t taken off in the States. Maybe I should quit selling software and start selling mango sangrias instead.”
    “Maybe I’d come work for you,” KC said. “You said I’m good at selling things, right?”
    Skylar nodded. “With your charisma and my connections, we’d make a fortune.”
    Daphne gazed out at the ocean, utterly mesmerized by the view. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a soft orange glow across the sky and spreading over the water, which gently rolled up against the shore.
    “You okay there, sweets?” Skylar asked her. “You look a little dazed.”
    Daphne nodded slowly and kept staring at the horizon. “I feel like we’re on a movie set. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
    “It really is paradise,” KC said. “I love living in Hermosa Beach, but this takes the word