French Twist Excerpt - 
Our Sanibel Island Vacation

janine and john dinnerJanine and John at dinner

An Excerpt from French Twist, the chapter titled “Our Sanibel Island Vacation.”
(posted on Valentine's Day, 2026)

John flew to Orlando from Milwaukee. I arrived on time at the airport and nervously waited for him at the luggage pickup, hoping I’d recognize him among all the passengers. When I saw him, he came up to me, opened his arms, and gave me a big hug. It was such a warm welcome!

We walked to my car, and I unlocked the doors. Gently, he took the keys from my hand and said softly, “I’ll be the driver.”

I never let anyone drive me in my car, but I didn’t say anything. He was such a gentleman.

On the way from the airport to Sanibel, I kept stealing glances to my left. John was just as happy as me, making jokes and smiling. We had many conversations, talking in detail about our hopes for the future. Being next to him was exciting!

John was a handsome man. His attractiveness went beyond his good looks. Kindness, dependability, and faithfulness—these were the things most women found turn-ons. He had all of those qualities along with moral integrity. I realized my first weekend in Sanibel would be spent with an Angel.

We arrived at the island. It was beautiful, and my heart swelled at the sight. Our condo was located right on the beach. It was incredibly comfortable and even had a big swimming pool.

John had already made preparations for our next day. He’d rented a sailboat and was excited to take me out on the sea. Our plan was to spend the day sailing and have a picnic.

“I’ll prepare the food,” I told him. “You buy the wine.”

We went shopping, and when we returned from the store, we had dinner at a local gourmet restaurant. The anticipation of being together grew with each moment. We were both excited and relished each other’s company.

After dinner, I began preparing our picnic meal, using all my culinary skills. Jumbo steamed shrimp, chicken salad, a strawberry mango mesclun salad, hot pink lemonade, and chocolate truffles were on the menu. John had bought two bottles of champagne that we kept nice and cold.

Then we cleaned up the kitchen. By that time, we’d consumed several glasses of wine and were tired but happy.

The next day was the best of my life! My eyes were on John the whole time, watching him work the sails. He was clearly the master of the boat. It was adorable. The more I gazed admiringly at him, the more he smiled.

John was a tall man, over six feet, handsome and strong. He was in control, and I felt calm and confident in his presence. We sailed for a while, then found the island for our picnic. He lowered the sails and threw out the anchor. Stepping onto land, I was in total bliss. Such a beautiful day!

Another boat had also anchored, and four people were swimming. We also got in the water and enjoyed the warmth of the gulf, soaking in it up to our chins. Next was our picnic. The food was a hit, and the champagne was divine.

Recalling it all was one of my treasured memories.