Page 24 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“I wonder how she’s feeling? Answer it!”

I put the call on speakerphone. “Hey, sis, how are you feeling?”

“A lot better! How are you guys?”

“That’s great to hear.” I try to sound as enthusiastic as I can without revealing my disappointment. The sooner Amelia feels better, the sooner she’ll be able to come to Solvang, which will cut my time with Hope short. “We’re good. Aren’t we, Hope?”

“Mm-hmm. The inn you booked, Ames, is really cute and so is the whole town. We tried Æbleskivers yesterday, too, and they’re just as good as I thought they’d be.”

“And Shane? Is he behaving himself?”

Hope smiles at me. “He’s being a perfect gentleman. He let me have the bed all to myself and slept on the floor.”

“I would hope so. He can be such a blanket hog. There was one family trip where we had to share a bed and I woke up with no covers, not even a corner.”

“I remember that trip,” I pipe up. “Wasn’t that the one where I ended up on the floor in the middle of the night after you kicked me in your sleep?”

“That’s because you stunk up the whole room when you far?—”

“Ahem!” I cut my sister off before she can spill any more incriminating evidence about me. “We’re about to head out, sis, so we’ll talk to you later. Remember to stay hydrated.”

“Hold on, I was going to tell you guys that I should be able to drive down tomorrow, assuming I have no problems keeping food down today.”

“Tomorrow?”

“So soon?”

Hope and I answer in unison. The surprised and somewhat disappointed look on her face matches how I feel, and for that I’m grateful. That has to be a sign that she’s taking my words to heart.

“It almost sounds like you guys don’t want me to come?” Amelia responds, confused.

“No, of course not!” Hope elbows me. “We want you to come, don’t we, Shaney?”

“Of course. We just don’t want you to push yourself if you’re not fully recovered yet. It’s a four-hour drive, and possibly longer if there’s traffic. And the rest stops along the way aren’t exactly five-star.”

“I know, but I don’t want to miss out on any more than I already have. I want to celebrate my 30th birthday with my best friend, not by myself!”

“And you will, Ames!” Hope reassures her. “Your birthday’s not till Thursday. I’m sure you’ll be all better then.”

“And I don’t have to drive back up for work until Thursday afternoon,” I add, “so there’s no rush. I’m rather enjoying my time off. You were right, sis, about me needing to take a vacation. This was long overdue. So, if you want to take another day or two to recover, you totally should.”

There’s a pause on the line before Amelia says, “You’re kind of being weird right now, Shane. Anyways, I’ll see how I feel in the morning and let you guys know. I’m going back to bed. Bye.”

As soon as the call ends, Hope sighs. “I’m a horrible friend. I’m supposed to be on this trip with Ames, but I’m not all thatupset that she’s not here.” Her voice trails off as she bites her lower lip. “What am I doing?”

“I think you’re enjoying your time with me?”

“I guess, but what about Ames?”

I can tell her guilt is eating her up inside, so even though I know I’ll regret my suggestion later, I say to Hope, “We’ll call her back tonight and tell her to come down tomorrow if that’ll make you feel better.”

“It won’t, but okay. Thanks for understanding, Shaney.”

“No biggie. It’s not the first time I’ve had to share you with my sister. But if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have met you, so I can’t get mad about it. Let’s just enjoy our time together, okay?” I extend my hand to Hope and pray that she accepts it.

A couple of seconds pass in which I nearly lose my guts and pull my hand back, but Hope finally laces her fingers with mine. She gives me a shy smile and says, “Let’s go.”

We may only have a day left to spend together in Solvang, but I’m going to make every moment count.

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