Nina put her arm around Rachael. “Sure thing, babe. I also have an extra bed.”

In unison, they high-fived each other, grabbed their purses, and headed toward the door when a loud voice came over the speaker. “Let’s all say hello to the famous Nina Hunter!”

Hoots and applause filled the room.

“Uh-oh. I thought we could make a quick getaway,” Nina said with clenched teeth, feigning a smile. “Hello, everyone!” She made her way up to the podium while the three other women waited near the exit.

“It’s so nice to see all these familiar faces,” Nina lied, with a big, bright smile. Frankie was stifling a laugh. Then Nina said, “Let’s have a round of applause for the reunion committee. Didn’t they do a great job?” Lots of clapping, whist ling, and cheers filled the room. Once the noise subsided, Nina ended her impromptu appearance with, “I trust everyone tunes in on Thursday night for a half hour of laughs and crazy family fun! See you on the boob tube! Enjoy the eve ning! Be safe!” She gave a wave and stepped away from the microphone as the group gave her the appropriate applause. She hustled toward her friends to make a quick getaway in case other people wanted to talk to her. In spite of her big personality and her love for theater and acting, Nina was basically shy. She said it was her acting skills that helped her deal with people.

As the four women exited the hotel, Frankie pulled up her Uber app and ordered a car to pick them up. When they got to the Courtyard, they raided the minibars in their rooms, settled in, and made plans for their seafaring adventure.

About the Author

Photo by M2IFOTO©2006

FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Men of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over ninety-five million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.

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