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still wanted to be honest.
    And because of that, she listened to what her heart was saying. Maybe it was her heart, maybe it was her guardian angel . . . maybe it was the Lord himself, but somehow everything inside of her was clamoring for her to accept his invitation.
    To spend just a little more time with him.
    Even if it meant that she was going to have to face the consequences and risk making Sara and Mattie even madder at her.
    Even if it meant risking her relationship with Edmund.
    â€œI’d love to go.”
    â€œ Gut . I mean great. That’s just great. We can all meet here at nine in the morning.”
    â€œNo matter what, I’ll be here.”
    â€œMe too.” He smiled at her then, and it was warm and sincere and tempting.
    And it scared her and excited her and made her happy.
    And, she was starting to realize, she hadn’t been really, really happy in a very long time. Not since she’d realized that a lifetime by Edmund’s side would likely drain all the happiness out of her.
    After discussing what she should bring to wear and how much money she might need to have with her, they partedways. Then, reluctantly, she joined her girlfriends who were looking at her with twin mutinous expressions.
    The moment she reached their side, Mattie spoke. “Well, do you feel better now that you’ve gotten that out of your system?”
    She did, but she wasn’t so eager to share that. She was also getting a little tired of her two best friends in the world treating her like she was a disobedient child. “You don’t need to be so judgmental, Mattie.”
    â€œYou’re chatting with men while being engaged to my bruder, Leona.”
    This was true.
    But it was also true that she wasn’t so sure being engaged to Edmund was the right thing for her. Not if she was so eager to go to the beach with Zack.
    Not if she was willing to risk everything to go to the beach with Zack.
    Therefore, she steeled herself, then did what she needed to do. “I’m going to Siesta Key with Zack tomorrow. Would you both like to join us?”
    As their expressions turned livid, Leona did the only thing she could. She resigned herself to the drama that was about to ensue.

Chapter 8
    F our hours had passed since Marvin’s sisters had entered the Orange Blossom Inn and rattled Beverly’s carefully controlled life.
    Now, as stars slowly dotted the evening sky, the three of them were once again sitting together, chatting on the front porch, just as they had when back in Sugarcreek.
    They weren’t talking, however. Instead, each seemed lost in their thoughts, something that Beverly was grateful for since she couldn’t seem to do anything but relive Ida and Jean’s arrival.
    She’d been too shocked to do much but settle into autopilot at the time.
    Earlier, Beverly had gone from friendly and cordial to defensive and stiff the moment she’d spied Ida and Jean. And if her body language hadn’t given everyone in the room the warning that something was very wrong, Beverly was pretty sure her cool greeting had conveyed to one and all that some sort of trouble was about to ensue. And she wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of the conversation, either.
    In fact, the only people who hadn’t looked all that ill at ease were the two women who had caused her transformation. Instead, they’d merely smiled as if Beverly had greeted them like long-lost relatives, then carefully stowed their rolling suitcases against the wall.
    When they’d started walking around the gathering room, inspecting the many knickknacks and books that lined the shelves, Beverly had become flustered. She’d turned away and gone to the kitchen, supposedly to refill a pitcher of water, which made no sense, given the fact that everyone but Ida and Jean had left. But at least it gave her some much needed time to prepare herself to talk to the two women she’d once imagined would be