Page 22 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

Shane

“Puns arethe highest form of literature.” ~Alfred Hitchcock

“Psst! Shaney!”

The soft, angelic voice by my ear sounds so real, I wonder if I’ve unlocked a new level of REM sleep scientists have yet to discover. I wouldn’t be surprised considering how many dreams I had of Hope throughout the night. But I am a bit thrown off by how tangible her touch feels… almost as if she’s poking me in real life.

“Shaney! Are you awake?”

Oh wait, she is.

My eyes fly open, and the first thing I see is her beautiful face gazing into mine. If I could wake up like this every morning, I’d die a happy man.Aftera long and full life spent with Hope by my side, Lord willing. But right now, I need to decipher the words coming out of her mouth.

“You’re up! You’ll never guess what I saw! Downstairs.Middle-aged woman. A green suitcase that sounds exactly like mine. We have to go investigate!”

I prop myself up on my elbows and squint against the sunlight streaming in through the sheer curtains. My body’s still waking up, but Hope sounds like she’s ready to tackle the day. From what I remember of her when we were kids, she was a night owl, so it’s a surprise to see her so energetic. “Investigate? Aren’t we on vacation? The only thing I want to look into is where we can get a good cup of coffee.”

Kneeling beside me, she shakes her head and smiles. “You’re still not a morning person, are you?”

“I didn’t think you were either.” I sit up and grab my glasses off the bedside table. Once Hope’s face comes into focus, I wince when I see the dark circles under her eyes. “Did you get any sleep, Hope?”

“Not really, but that’s not what’s important right now, Shaney! A woman downstairs has my luggage!”

“Are you sure? I thought you said it was a man who took it?”

“It was, but maybe he sold it to her, or she found it somewhere.”

“You’re sure it’s yours?”

“It sounded exactly like my suitcase! It has these really squeaky wheels that make a very distinct sound. Likescree scree scree,” Hope demonstrates for me while she moves her hand in the motion of an ocean wave. “It was just like that!”

She looks so earnest, I try my hardest to keep a straight face, but inside I’m two seconds from breaking. I don’t know what I want to do more—laugh or kiss her. She’s adorable beyond words. “You meanskee skee skee?”

“No, no, no! It’s more likescree screescree,with an R sound.”

“I didn’t know wheels could roll their Rs. But I guess itmakes sense since that’s the one thing wheels are good at—rolling around.” As soon as I deliver the punchline, my composure cracks. Laughter pours out of me until my sides hurt. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

Hope groans. “Shaney, how can you joke at a time like this?”

I spot the corners of her mouth twitching. “Admit it, you want to laugh, too.”

“Uh-uh.” She presses her lips together, then covers her mouth with her hand. “Are you going to help me investigate or not?”

“Most definitely. I want to hear thisscree scree screein person.” My comment earns me an eye roll from Hope. She’s so fun to tease. I really want to see the smile I’m sure she’s hiding behind her fingers, so I reach over and take her hand. She inhales sharply the moment we touch, and what was a smile is now a look of surprise. But when she doesn’t pull back, I take that as a good sign. “So, where do we look first, Nancy?”

“Nancy?”

“Nancy Drew. That was one of your favorite series to read, wasn’t it?”

“Um, yeah. How did you know?”

“A guy pays attention to everything about the girl he likes. I still do.”

She gives me a small smile, but takes her hand back. “Can I ask you something? A serious question.”

“Of course.”

“How are you so sure about us? So sure that you said you’d be willing to move to Arizona so you can see me more? Why would you say that? Is this some kind of early mid-life crisis you’re having? Like you’re bored with your life andwant to try something new? Is this more about that than about me?”

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