Page 39 of Alice & Meg: Summer Vacation
“You’ve got five seconds before I start singing show tunes.”
That got him moving.
Downstairs, the whole group was buzzing with energy.Greta was already bouncing in her flip-flops, chattering with Adley.Alice and Wendy were drinking coffee out of mismatched mugs, laughing over something Raven had said.It was Saturday, the second-to-last full day of our vacation, and we weren’t wasting a second of it.
Everyone loaded up, and we headed out.Paul Bunyan’s Cook Shanty wasn’t far, but the roads were alive this morning.The Falls had a buzz to it in the summer that nothing else could match.
We pulled up to the gravel lot, and it was, of course, packed.Cars everywhere, families piling out in bright clothes and floppy hats.But somehow, miracle of miracles, we only had to wait five minutes before they called our name.
Inside, the place was a time warp.Heavy timber beams stretched across the ceiling, with old saws, lanterns, and cast iron pans hanging along the walls.Red-and-white checkered tablecloths, pine log booths, and the smell of bacon thick in the air.Giant wooden cutouts of Paul and Babe smiled down at us like we were part of their logging crew.
They seated us at one long table in the middle of the dining room.Fifteen people meant elbows bumping, menus overlapping, and more chaos than any one server should have to deal with.
“I want one of everything,” Greta announced and opened her menu wide.“Because I’ve got my own lumberjack that needs to be fed.”
Bear just grinned and kissed her cheek.
I chuckled and unfolded the menu.I’d been to Bunyan’s before, and it was hands-down my favorite breakfast spot in the Falls.The pancakes were bigger than your head, the French toast came with a cinnamon glaze that could make you see stars, and the sausage links were thick enough to count as a meal all their own.
Our waitress, Christy, came over with a cheerful smile and an impressively large notepad.
“Morning, folks!Who’s ready to eat like a lumberjack?”
We all raised our hands like we were kids in a classroom.
Christy started with Greta, who ordered the Lumberjack Platter and a coffee black enough to peel paint.Bear matched her order.Alice got blueberry pancakes and eggs over easy.Adley went for strawberry French toast.Wendy ordered Canyon Camp Oatmeal with cinnamon apples and raisins.
I ordered the pancake stack with a side of sausage, scrambled eggs, and extra syrup.Lo grunted something about getting “whatever she’s having,” and the rest of the table chimed in with variations of the same.
“We’re gonna need a forklift to bring all this food out,” Clash joked.
As Christy disappeared with our order, we started talking about the day ahead.
“Can you believe we only have today and tomorrow left?”Alice asked.
“It flew by,” Reva said and stirred her coffee.“Feels like we just got here.”
“What do you guys want to do today?”I asked.“I was thinking either the magic show or Mt.Olympus.”
Greta’s eyes lit up.“Rides.Rides and slides.I want to scream until I lose my voice.”
“I can make you scream, baby.We don’t need a roller coaster to make that happen,” Bear teased.
“Shut up,” she said with a smirk.
Alice nodded.“I’m down for Mt.Olympus.”
Adley, Hero, and Reva all agreed.
“Show for me,” said Raven.“I’m not trying to break my neck.”
The votes split nearly evenly.
“Alright,” I said.“Split it is.Wrecker, you good going with Alice?”
He nodded.“No one else can handle her.”
“You’re not wrong,” she said with a wink.
