Read Online Sea Change (The Nina Bannister Mysteries Book 1) by T'Gracie Reese, Joe Reese - Free Book Online

it’s in the rules.   The old school rules!”
    “What is in the rules?”
    “You can’t work for a principal—that you’re married to!”
    “That rule went out decades ago, Macy!”
    What had she said?
    Oh.
    Oh!
    “What did you say?”
    “We’re getting married, Nina! Paul asked me to marry him!”
    “Then—then this is a good thing!”
    “I think so!”
    “I thought it was a bad thing!”
    “No.   Good.”
    “Oh, Macy!   How long has this been going on?”
    “Since last April.   He asked me out to dinner one night, and we went over to Biloxi, so as not to be seen here in town.   And then he––”
    “I don’t want to know.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Maybe later. No. No, never. But—how did you keep it such a secret?”
    “It was hard, Nina!”
    “It had to be.”
    “Oh, it was!   But—finally, he told me this afternoon, that it had to end. He’s a traditionalist.   We shouldn’t be a secret anymore; and we should set a date; and—and then he gave me this!”
    She held up her non crabbing hand.
    “A diamond!”
    “Yes!   Isn’t it beautiful?   I’m sorry it’s so wet!”
    “Diamonds are impervious to wet, silly girl!”
    “And Nina—there’s something I have to ask you.   I don’t want to embarrass you, but it’s awfully important.”
    “Ask, Macy!”
    “Well—you know that both of my parents have passed, and I’m an only child.   But—well, somebody has to––”
    “Give you away?”
    “That sounds kind of—well––‘inexpensive’.”
    “Sell you?”
    “That sounds––”
    “I know how that sounds.   Listen, don’t worry about what to call it.”
    “Would you?”
    “I’d be thrilled.”
    “It’s not like I’m asking you to be my mother––it’s just—oh, look!”
    Nina did, and saw a shadow passing over the chicken moon that was the breast in the water.
    “I think I’m getting a crab!”
    “Careful.   Let him get his claws into it.”
    “I know.   One second, two seconds––”
    “When will the wedding be?”
    “Sometime in February, we think.   Do you want to help us plan?”
    “What would be better? I’d love it, Macy. I’m thrilled about the whole thing.   But what you said about teaching––”
    Macy nodded, beginning to pull the string up, and with it, the crab, whose shell reflected blue-brown in the watery torchlight.
    “I’ll have to quit here. But there will be other places.   Paul knows I love teaching. Oh! There it is! He’s a nice big one!”
    “Here, you want me to pull the bucket out?”
    “Yes!”
    Nina found the silver chain wrapped conveniently around a metal spoke protruding from the cement behind them.   She pulled up the crab bucket, yanked open the net wire top, and watched as Macy, with a shake, dropped the crab inside.
    “He’s your only one!”
    “I know, said Macy, smiling.   “I hadn’t been at it long, before you came.   But he’s special.   I’m going to name him Troy.”         
    “Why Troy?”
    “I don’t know.   But he’s very important to me; he’s my engagement crab!”
    “What are you going to do with him?”
    “Eat him.”
    “Oh!   That’s so special!”
    “I know.   But maybe we should go now, Nina.”
    “That’s probably true; the rain seems to be getting harder.”
    “Can we go back on your Vespa?”
    Nina shook her head:
    “No.   I came with Tommy, remember?”
    “Oh, that’s right.   And he didn’t stay, did he?”
    “Nope.”
    “We should have asked him to, I guess.”
    “Yes, we probably should have, Macy.”
    The two women clamored off the rocks, the crab bucket, Troy within, between them.
    Clouds and pounding wave-spray had obscured the coast, a quarter of a mile inward from them.
    “Well.   How far is it to your place, Nina?”
    “It’s nothing.   A mile or so.”
    “I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t worry. What’s a little water? Besides, we have planning to do.”
    “Yes!   There’s so much in my mind now. Thank you for