always found them secretly amusing. Alex had glanced at her for a moment when they left, and said nothing. And Phillip was happy to see his wife—he’d been bored without her.
As they sat chatting, a car pulled up with a luggage van following it. And out stepped three spectacular-looking young women, as Alex gave a whoop of delight. It was Liz, Sophie, and Carole. The girls looked pretty and fresh, and as Liz joined them on deck, she was laughing. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she looked as though someone had been murdered in her lap.
“What happened to you?” Olivia looked at her in amazement and then kissed her. She was happy to see her.
“We hit turbulence and I spilled my Bloody Mary.” Amanda looked at her with obvious disapproval, and Olivia laughed. The mishap was so typical of her daughter. As a child, she always had something spilled all over her, and if anyone knocked over a glass at dinner, it was Liz. She was absentminded and clumsy, but lovable nonetheless.
“This is some boat, Mom!” Liz said, looking at the extraordinary elegance all around them.
“They have wristbands for you to wear, so you don’t get seasick,” her mother told her. “Apparently, they’re very effective. I asked them.” And with that, a stewardess handed some to Liz, and offered them to the others. No one else wanted them, but Liz put them on. “Why don’t you let them show you and the girls to your cabins, and then you can come back on deck? We’re going to leave in a few minutes. We’re going to have lunch somewhere where we can swim.” Olivia had worked it all out with the captain that morning. And a few minutes later Liz and the girls went downstairs. Alex offered to show them around. Olivia could hear the motor come on, and the deckhands were untying the ropes from the dock, and adjusting the fenders. Everyone was busy, as John and Sarah came back on deck, looking relaxed, with an arm around each other.
As they pulled out of port, everyone was on deck. Liz had changed her shorts and put a clean pair on, with a white T-shirt. The girls were talking excitedly with Alex, who was telling them about the inflatable banana they could ride on, and Amanda was telling Phillip how great the shops in Monaco were, and about the pretty things she’d bought. Olivia listened to the chatter all around her, and smiled to herself. This was precisely what she had wanted. They were all having a good time.
The captain gave them a brief safety demonstration in case of fire, or “man overboard.” He told them where the life jackets were in their cabins, and where the lifeboats were. And after that, they were ready to leave.
They all went to sit on the sundeck at the bow of the boat as the Lady Luck slipped gracefully out of port and headed toward Italy. They cruised for an hour, then they stopped and set anchor. The crew took the water toys out so anyone who wanted to could swim. And Olivia quietly reminded her grandson of his promise.
“Don’t forget my ride with you on the jet ski,” she said in a whisper, and he giggled like a little kid.
“Of course not, Grandma.”
Olivia went below to put on a bathing suit, and by the time she came back, the toys were ready, and there were crew members standing by in tenders to help them, or follow them on the jet skis. Someone had put on music, and her granddaughters were wearing the bottoms of their bikinis and nothing else and seemed completely unconcerned. Liz was wearing the top of hers, and her body looked spectacular as she dove into the water, and moments later everyone else followed suit. And by then Alex was sitting firmly astride the jet ski and held out a hand to his grandmother. She got on behind him with ease, as both her sons looked at her in horror. By then Liz and the girls were swimming toward a narrow beach, Sarah was sitting on the platform behind the boat, dangling her feet, and Amanda was debating about whether to get in.
“What are you doing?” Phillip called to his mother, as Alex started the engine of the jet ski.
“Taking a ride with Alex,” Olivia said with a broad grin as they took off at full speed, with a tender and a crew member following them. They kept