Aunt Marlene might have wanted to stay out on the porch all night catching up on the last twenty years, but the drive really had worn Tara out. She couldn’t even finish her second margarita before she was begging off, apologizing for being such a lightweight. “It’s perfectly fine,” Marlene assured her. “Amanda has to call it an early night, too. Duty calls. You girls turn in. I’ll finish off my drink and be in shortly. Here—let me have the rest of yours, too. Can’t let it go to waste.”
Leading the way inside the house, Amanda gave Tara a quick tour. Downstairs was the living room, dining room, bathroom, and a kitchen with a back porch that led out into a fenced-in backyard with an inground pool. “If you can’t get to the beach,” Amanda said, “at least come out here during the day and get s
