Free Terror on Tybee Island (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 3) by Deborah Malone Page B

followed this rule. Today was no exception. She wore a bright orange jumper covered in yellow starfish. She’d complimented the outfit with a yellow short-sleeved shirt under the jumper. A yellow and orange necklace laced with seashells hung around her neck. She completed her outfit with a comfortable pair of Hush Puppies. She looked stylish and cute as she twirled around.
    I settled on a pair of black slacks with a white button up blouse. I needed comfortable shoes for supporting my knee. I slipped on a pair of black Clarks. I stuck my left hand in front of me and peered at my empty ring finger. Would I have an engagement ring on the naked finger in a few days?
    “Hey, what are you doing?” Dee Dee startled me.
    “Uh, nothing.” I changed the subject. “Wow. You look great. I need to add some color to my wardrobe.”
    “I’ve been telling you that for some time now.”
    I took one last glance in the mirror and recalled a necklace Beau had given me. I dug in my makeup bag and found it. A black butterfly hand-painted on the surface of a sand dollar was the perfect touch. Not too bad. I wished Beau could see me. I missed him and my heart ached. God, please help me to make the right decision. Soon.
    I grabbed Dee Dee’s arm and pulled her toward the door. “Come on, girlfriend. Let’s go see what Nana’s wearing.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

    T his was the first time in several years I’d seen Nana decked out in a dress on a day other than Sunday. “Nana! You look gorgeous.”
    “Don’t I though?” She twirled in her new outfit. “Do you think George will like it?”
    “He’ll love it.” Dee Dee modeled for Nana. “What do you think of this?”
    “Well, it won’t be hard to find you when it’s time for Cinderella to leave the ball.” Dee Dee laughed and gave Nana a hug. It warmed my heart to see how patient Dee Dee was with Nana. I knew from experience that patience became a rare commodity after spending much time with her.
    The front door opened and George stuck his head in. “Anybody home?”
    Nana ran to the door and threw it open. George studied Nana and rewarded her with a whistle. She turned around for him and grinned ear to ear.
    “You ladies ready?”
    “Yes.”
    “Let’s go.”
    “I’m ready.”
    A chorus of voices answered. We followed George to his car. Nana sat in front while the rest of us squeezed in the back. We had directions to the Crab Shack, but we made several wrong turns before we discovered the hidden restaurant. The parking lot was full; we hoped it was an indication of a good place to eat. I grabbed my camera and brought it along to snap pictures for the family album.
    George put our name in for a table. We sat on comfortable seats, surrounded by other tourists, and waited. I looked around at the motif. Sea creatures covered the walls, along with anything connected to the ocean. I watched a family of four laughing and joking with each other. It appeared that every table accommodated people having a good time. I was glad George had invited us to tag along with him and Nana. Which reminded me, I needed to covertly get the information Beau needed.
    In about fifteen minutes the waiter seated us and handed out menus. They were adorned with colorful sea critters drawn as cartoonish characters.
    Nana commented. “Aren’t these the cutest menus you’ve ever seen?” Then everyone started talking at the same time.
    “Look at all the selections.”
    “I can’t decide what I want.”
    “Look at this. They have Snow Crab, Alaskan King Crab, Blue Crabs, Dungeness Crabs, and Stone Crabs. A crab for every palate,” Dee Dee said.
    We talked back and forth several minutes before we decided on our fare. The waiter took our orders. We sat back, relaxed and ready for a good time. After orders were taken, I popped the question.
    “George, where did you say you lived? I know Nana would love to exchange addresses so she could keep in touch with you.”
    “Oh, that’s a great idea.” Dee Dee