Murder at the Grape Stomp (A Read Between the Wines Cozy Mystery Series) by Dani Simms

Author:Dani Simms [Simms, Dani]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TS Publishing
Published: 2023-08-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

It was a perfect, sunny autumn day when Avery and Charles stepped onto the boat. It was a beautiful white vessel with blue and white details. It was a large boat, and it seemed as though every other person that boarded was part of a couple.

“Enjoy the open bar this evening,” the host said as she walked toward the seating area.

“An open bar sounds good to me,” Avery said, turning back to smile at Charles.

Avery reached into her bag and got her sunglasses, securing them neatly on her face as she marveled at the blue ocean around her.

It was a gorgeous boat with a wine bar in the center and seats with excellent views wrapped around the bar. Avery and Charles picked their seats, eager for the boat’s departure.

Avery took a deep breath of the fresh air and held it in for a few seconds. As excited as she was, she had been more than a little apprehensive about being on a boat again after so much time. Yet, it was something she had done with her husband, James, countless times. Avery feared that being on a boat again would make her feel sad or a sense of longing for him. For days leading up to the ride, she worried that she might not enjoy it. She hated to think of any time spent with Charles as time that she would not enjoy.

She also worried that she might feel some kind of guilt for enjoying such a thing with someone else. Still, she hadn’t let any of it stop her. Avery felt she needed to move onward. It had occurred to her just that morning that she would wait forever if she was hoping for the right time.

That was something that James had taught her. He’d been right, in her experience. It was only that Avery occasionally forgot about his wise words. But every so often, something would happen to remind her of it.

To her surprise, when she stepped onto the boat, she felt lighter. It was as if she had freed herself from something that had caused her so much fear before. That, in itself, caused her to feel a sense of relief. The moment she felt the sway of the ocean beneath her, she felt a small piece of her grief float away on the breeze and be carried out over the horizon.

Soon, she had a chilled glass of wine in her hand and she and Charles toasted to the excellent weather. A few minutes later, the boat departed and took them out onto the water. Avery soaked in the feeling as she laughed and spoke with Charles about everything and nothing.

“So, how is the planning going for the restaurant?” Charles asked. “We’ve both been so busy, it feels like we haven’t talked in some time. Have you chosen a name that Tiffany approves of?”

Avery laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever find a name that she approves of,” she answered. “Thankfully, it isn’t up to her. But I do have a few names that she hates less than the others.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.