own! Iâd need a friend there. Besides, Iâm rather happy with my life, really. I make a good living, and Iâm proud of it. Iâd like to see you happy, because youâve gone through so much lately.â
Their food arrived and they thanked their waitress. When she was gone, Jen said, âI think that everyone else in the entire world has an aunt, an uncle, grandparents, parents, or a sister or brother who has moved to Florida. Not me. But nowâ¦Iâm going to wait for you to go down to this Eden in the tropics, find out if you move, and thenâ¦wow. We could cruise the clubs on South Beach. Dance salsa. I could have a social life,â she said, laughing, âas well as a great career.â
âJen, Iâm not planning on moving down there. Iâm just going to go and visit. If Iâm actually invited for a real visit.â
âIf youâre invited for a visit!â Jen repeated incredulously. She wagged a finger at Kit. âYouâve already been invited.â
âI was told to call if I needed anything.â
âHoney, you can pack your bags tonight. I saw the way that he was looking at you.â
âAnd he may be damned practiced at looking at people that way,â Kit said sagely.
âGreat. Someone gorgeous is looking at you, and youâre going to be skeptical.â
âYou bet.â
âYouâre impossible.â
âNoâjust wary. But anxious as well, Iâll admit.â
âSo does David own the place now?â Jen asked.
âNo,â Kit assured her.
âWho does actually own it?â
âA manâI guess an old, distant cousin named Seamus Delaney. Itâs kind of a confused story, and I probably wasnât paying attention at the time I heard it. I think that my grandfather had an ownership in it, along with Davidâs grandfather, but they both sold out to my grandfatherâs cousin, another DelaneyâSeamus. There are other people living there, tooâI donât really know who they were, or their connection to the place because what I remember is more the physical, you know, the little lagoon, the house, stuff like that.â
âIâd better get an invitation down there,â Jen said firmly.
âI donât own the place!â
âBut youâre a long-lost child of Eden!â Jen protested. âSo get to work. Learn more from tall, dark, and radiantly studly tonight, get down there, and get me an invitation!â
âIâll do my best,â Kit assured her dryly.
Jen glanced at her watch. âHey, itâs getting close to show time.â
âWeâre all right.â
âNo, letâs get the check, and head back up. Thereâs too much confusion when everything closes down. Heckâ¦itâs going to take me forever to get back to my hotel. There are going to be long lines for the buses and at the taxi stands. Hmm.â She looked at Kit pointedly. âWhat?â
âHe said he had a car. Iâm going to meet him with youâhe can drop me off at my hotel, okay? Besides, that way Iâll check him out for you really good, thoughyou know youâre not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth.â
âDavid is a gift horse?â
âHe would be in my life, honey! Seriously,â Jen said, growing serious. âWould you mind asking him to give me a ride? Itâs so difficult to get out of here on the buses or in a taxi. And seriously, I will give him a good once-over, make sure youâre not taking off with a homicidal maniac, or anything.â
âIâll be happy to see if he can give you a ride,â Kit assured her, smiling. Jen had done a million favors for her. Since they had met at Kitâs first comic convention, Jen had shared her knowledge and experience freely. She was truly a best friend. She liked to tease about her own lack of a real social life, but in truth, she was confident in her