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She gave a startled laugh.  “Oh, good Lord, no. 
I think he died in Cleveland.  Or was it Cincinnati?”  She gave a shake of her
head.  “Last I heard, he’d moved to one of those cities...”

Ike watched her in stunned surprise, and then
burst out in nervous laughter.  “I don’t understand.  I thought…”

“That I had a wonderful marriage to a man who
loved me and my girls?”

He nodded.

“I’m afraid that couldn’t be farther from the
truth.  Alex was a dud.  He ran out on me when I had two children under the age
of five.”

“Wow, Liz.  I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to…”

“What, Ike?”

“I didn’t mean to go on about my happy marriage
when you…”

“No, no,” she said with a dismissive wave, “it’s
okay.  I love hearing about couples who really loved one another.  I love the
success stories.  That’s what I want for my children, and certainly for
Amanda.  Knock on wood.  My daughters are happily married to good men.  I want
Amanda to find a man who loves her too—a man who has good sense, and who knows
that life has its ups and downs, but that people of character stick it out,
despite the hardships.”

Ike nodded and searched her face.  “Your husband
was a fool,” he declared adamantly.  “He didn’t deserve you.”

She smiled shyly.  “Thank you, Ike.”

“Liz, so you didn’t remarry?”

“No.”  She gave a long sigh.  “I never met
anyone who seemed inclined to marry a woman with two young daughters.  Of
course, I’ve always been old-fashioned and had a steadfast rule that men were
not allowed around my children until we’d dated for some time.”  She gave an
embarrassed smile.  “I guess I just didn’t meet the right man, because none
seemed willing to adhere to my particular rules.”

“You were right to protect your children,” he
said with a crisp nod of his head.  “Particularly when you have daughters.  You
couldn’t let just any yahoo around your little girls.”  He patted her hand
again.  “Don’t you
ever
apologize for having values.”   

“Thank you, Ike.”

He smiled.  “Now, what are we going to do about,
er, our situation?”

“Well, I think we should probably head back to
the retirement center.  I think we made our point to the kids.”  She arched her
brows.  “Clearly, the two hit it off.”

Ike sensed she wasn’t particularly pleased about
that turn of events.  She hadn’t been happy to see the two kissing, considering
they had just met.

“Liz, I suspect we can credit Brady with the …
er … public display of affection.”  He ran a hand through his hair.  “He was probably,
well, messing with us.”

“Well, either way, we should probably head
home.”  She gave a shrug.  “What else can we do?”

Ike sat back in the chair and watched her face. 
“Liz, we sent the kids to a rose garden, to an ice cream parlor, and to the
beach.”

She nodded.  “Yes, we did.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking…”

“Go on?”

“What about us?” he said briskly, spreading his
hands wide.  “We’re in our seventies!  We’re not dead!  Aren’t we entitled to a
little fun too?”

“What do you mean by fun?” she asked suspiciously,
narrowing her eyes.

He laughed.  “Oh, honey, I have nothing but
respect for your values.  I’m talking about, well…”

“What?”

“Okay, look.  We’ve been going on about the
importance of family, and about living life outside of the workplace.  We’ve
been going on as if living life is only for the young, but…”

Liz sat up in the seat, smiling slightly.  “Go
on.”

“What’s keeping us here, Liz?”

“Well, plenty, actually.”

“No, no, that’s not true.  We’re retired.  We’re
sitting around that retirement center, waiting to die.  Did you do much
traveling, Liz?”

She shook her head.  “With two young children to
support, and then put through college, no, I’m afraid not.  I always wanted to
travel, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me.”

“Let’s go!” Ike said eagerly.  “Let’s get on a
plane.”

Liz gave a tentative laugh.  “Ike, I’m on a
fixed income.  I can’t afford to travel.  I’m barely able to afford to stay in
the retirement home, and am only managing it thanks to my children helping me.”

Ike leaned across the table, bracing his upper
torso on the tabletop.  “Liz, I’m a man of means.  I just sent my kids on a
cruise.  I can sure pay our fares somewhere.”

She chuckled uncertainly.  “Ike, we can’t.”

He sat up tall in the chair.  “Why not?  Heck,
we can hop a plane and be almost anywhere in the US within hours.”

“Well, true, but even if we wanted to, we’re not
packed and ready.  And it isn’t as if we can stop by the retirement center to
pack.  The grandkids would nab us when we did.”

Ike smiled smugly.  “What do we really need?  We
can stop by a department store for carry ons, pick up enough clothes to tide us
over, and the few essential toiletries.  Anything else we need we can grab when
we get wherever we’re going.”

“Ike, I can’t.  I’m sorry.”

“Why, Liz?  Really, why not?”

She sighed.  “I’ve always paid my own way.  I’ve
never relied on anyone for anything, well, until I moved into the center.  I
just can’t let you pay my way.”

“I understand you’re a proud woman, but you
deserve some fun.  You’ve earned it.  Liz, I’m a man of means.  I’m rolling in
dough.  And my kids are well-off.  Why shouldn’t I enjoy myself, and frankly, I
can’t enjoy myself unless you go with me.”  He raised his right hand and pinned
her with earnest eyes.  “We’ll have separate rooms, of course.  Think of the
fun we can have.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked
curiously, tentatively.

He sensed her resolve crumbling.  “Well, we sent
the kids to a rose garden, but as much as I like flowers, I really like ice
cream better…”

“Okay, go on…”

“Let’s visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory in
Vermont.  I’ve always wanted to go on a factory tour.”

“You have?”

“Oh, yeah.  I love their ice cream.”  He smiled
into her eyes.  “Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to go, Liz?”

She inhaled deeply and appeared to be searching
her brain.  She broke into a smile.  “Cocoa Beach, Florida.  I’ve always wanted
to dip my toe into the Atlantic Ocean.”

“Why Cocoa Beach?” he asked.

“Well,” she said brightly, “it’s near the ocean,
but also close to the Kennedy Space Center.  And…”  She held up a clarifying
finger.  “I’m told they have a Dunkin Donuts store there.”  She frowned.  “We
don’t have a single Dunkin Donut store around here anymore.  My kids and I used
to go there for a special treat every Saturday.”  She furrowed her brows.  “I
sure miss those donuts.”

“Well, then, you’ll get your donut and I’ll get
my Dublin Mudslide ice cream fresh from the factory.  Come on, Liz?  What do
you say?”

“Well…?”

“Let’s do it!”

She met his gaze and broke into a wide smile. 
“You’re sure about this?  You won’t think I’m a gold digger, allowing you to
pay my way?”

“Of course not.  It was my idea.”

“Okay,” she cried gleefully.  “Let’s go.”  She
gave a shrug.  “Why not?  It’s not as if anybody is going to miss us.”

He nodded almost sadly then.  “Too true.”

“I don’t think they’re coming,” Amanda said
wearily.  She was presently sitting in Brady’s car, and had been for the past
couple of hours.  The window was down beside her, to allow a cool breeze to
blow in.

“I think you’re right,” Brady said, drumming his
fingers on the steering wheel.

Amanda shot him a look of daggers.  “Stop that.”

“Sorry,” he said contritely.  “Nervous habit.”

“You shouldn’t have kissed me!” she charged
suddenly, seemingly from out of nowhere.  “You probably gave my grandma a
coronary!  They’re probably on the way to the hospital right now.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, you are not!” she accused.  “You probably
go around kissing strangers all the time.”

“Yeah, in my
free
time,” he said
sarcastically, but then grinned impishly.  “We’re free right now.  Are you
game?”

“You’re incorrigible,” she cried.  “We don’t
even know each other.”

“We’ve spent most of a day together,” he
reminded her.  “Heck, we’ve toured a rose garden, eaten ice cream together, and
strolled along the beach.”  He weighed his own words, stroking his jaw.  “And
as you’ve pointed out, we’ve locked lips.  Heck, we’ve had a full day.” 

“It’s been a
long
day,” she corrected.

“Feels like a lifetime,” he said drolly, and
then chuckled at his joke.

“Gee, thanks.  And it wasn’t my idea, so don’t
take your frustration out on me.”

“The only one taking out any frustration right
now is you, but I can think of more enjoyable way of doing it,” he said
suggestively, arching a brow.

Amanda pinned him with a look.  “My grandmother
never actually met you before embarking on this setup, did she?”

“Why would you say that?”

“I can’t imagine her handpicking you for me,
after having met you, that’s all.”

“I think I’m offended by that remark,” he said.

“You should be,” she said without apology.

He laughed and shifted his long legs to get more
comfortable in the car.  He turned toward her in the seat.  “You are very
pretty.”

She laughed.  “Yeah.  Thanks.”

“Beautiful, in fact.”

“I’m not going to kiss you,” she said tiredly. 
“So forgo the compliments, please.”

He chuckled.  “Are you dating anyone serious
right now?”

“Why do you ask?”  She gave a brisk shake of her
head.  “If I was dating someone, my grandmother wouldn’t be trying to set us
up, now would she?”

“You never know.  You could be dating someone
she happens to detest, and is trying to find you someone more suitable.”

“Well, I’m afraid she failed miserably.”

“I’m a great guy,” he told her matter-of-factly,
chuckling. 

“I’m sure.”  She studied her nails, and then
glanced out the window.  “Where are they?” she muttered.  “I really need to get
back to work.”

Brady shifted in the seat again.  “There’s no
point in either of us trying to go back to work.  The day’s nearly over.”

She saw the time on the dash.  “You’re probably
right.”  She turned and thrust out her hand.   “Well, it’s … nice to have met
you.  I’m outta here.”

She climbed out of the car, stretching her limbs
to get the kinks out.  To her surprise, Brady met her beside the car.  “What
are we going to do now?” he asked her.

“I have no idea.  But I think this is where we
part ways.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Williams, the director of the
facility charged toward them.  “You didn’t find them.”  It was a statement, not
a question, but Brady apparently didn’t hear the distinction and answered her.

“I’m afraid not.  I imagine they’ll be back here
later tonight.”

“I … don’t think so,” she muttered, failing to
make eye contact with either one of them.

“What’s going on?” Brady asked, his eyes fixed
on her face like guided missiles.

“Where are they?” Amanda asked worriedly.

The older woman took a step back and appeared to
be bracing for impact when she answered wanly, “They’re on an airplane.”

“
What?
” Amanda and Brady cried in unison.

She nodded her head up and down, a sickly
expression on her face.  “Ike just called me, prior to boarding.”

“
Boarding a plane for where
?” Brady
demanded.

She gave a weak shrug.  “I have no idea.  He
simply said not to worry but that he and Liz were taking a trip together.”

“But he didn’t say where?” Amanda asked,
wringing her hands nervously.

“No, only that they’ll be back when they get
back.”

“So they didn’t give you a destination or a time
frame,” Brady said, raking a hand through his thick dark hair.  “Okay, okay,
uh, this is getting out of hand.”

“I’m going to call Grandma,” Amanda said, and
began dialing with shaky fingers.  The phone rang, but she failed to pick up.

“I imagine she’s turned off her phone,” Mrs.
Williams said.

Amanda turned toward Brady and jabbed him in the
chest, in synchronization with her words.  “My sweet, little grandmother has
never, ever run off before.  It’s not in her nature.  Your grandfather
obviously sweet-talked her into this, and I hold
you
responsible.” 

“Hey, now,” he said, stepping back and out of
range of her finger, “for all we know, your grandmother instigated this whole
business…”