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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.

Chapter Four
     
    “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