“Right now I just need coffee,” I mumbled, removing my French press from the dishwasher and setting to work. This was the latest in my attempts at satisfying my caffeine cravings without having to rely on an electric coffee maker. It took a bit more work, but I’d started to prefer the taste of the fresher brew that this process yielded.
“Any big plans for today?” I asked while I waited for the water to heat up.
Nan popped a particularly plump raspberry into her mouth and sighed with pleasure.“Grant and I are going to take the ferry out to Caraway Island and do some window shopping.”
I’d never quite understood the older generation’s obsession with window shopping. Was it really shopping if you went knowing you wouldn’t be buying anything? I was pretty frugal with my money, but even I couldn’t see the appeal of that activity.
“Sounds like a nice, relaxing day,” I said with my lips pressed into a tight smile.
“Oh, my dear grandchild, it’s boring, and you know it.” Nan winked at me, and we both giggled.
“Then why are you doing it?”
“That’s how love works sometimes, sweetie. I agree to one of Grant’s activities knowing that next time I’ll get to make the plans for the day.”
Nan and Mr. Gable, the owner of the local jewelry shop and head of the downtown commerce committee, had been dating since the holidays, and they made the sweetest couple, too.
Nan’s chihuahua Paisley had recently become good friends with Grant’s rabbit, E.B.—short for Easter Bunny. At first the little thing was terrified of our pets, but even she could see that sweet Paisley would never harm a soul. Octo-Cat, on the other hand, give him opposable thumbs and he would have gladly used them to assist in making rabbit stew.
“Charles said something like that last night, too,” I mumbled, searching through the cupboards to select a coffee mug. Call me superstitious, but I tended to believe that the choice of coffee cup could impact one’s entire day. I bypassed the #1 Private Investigator mug Charles had gifted me for Valentine’s Day in favor of a fun color-changing mug inspired by one of my favorite book series. Every time I used it, I made another solemn promise that I would be up to no good. And that always made me smile.
I took a slow glorious sip of mid-morning bliss just as a knock sounded on the front door. I turned to Nan, but she simply shrugged and returned to fiddling with the berries.
So I went to answer the door, bleary-eyed, in a ratty bathrobe, and with zero percent blood-coffee ratio.
And there on the other side of the door stood Charles, wearing cargo khaki shorts and a fitted T-shirt with sports sunglasses pushed up into his hair. Honestly, I hardly recognized him outside of his usual monkey suit.
He glanced over my shoulder with his brows pinched together.“Didn’t you tell her?”
“No,” Nan answered. I hadn’t even heard her creep up behind me. “You said you wanted it to be a surprise. I’ll go grab her bag for you.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to look from Charles to my grandmother, hoping that one might provide me with an explanation.
Nan walked away, raising a hand over her shoulder as she went.
I turned back toward my boyfriend, who stared at me with wide eyes and an even wider smile.“We’re going on a surprise getaway,” he announced, grabbing my hands and giving them a good squeeze.
“But I just got back from getting away,” I said with a frown. I hated to be a downer; however, my last vacation was anything but relaxing. Between driving cross-country, winding up in a car accident, and finding out Nan had been blabbing my secrets to anyone who would listen, I was just plain exhausted.
“This time it will be just you and me going out for a long and quiet weekend,” he explained, before leaning into whisper, “No pets.”
This drew a happy sigh from me. I loved my animals dearly, but I could never fully relax in their presence knowing I had to work hard at not exposing my secret in front of the wrong person. Even though they knew very well that I couldn’t talk to them in front of people who didn’t already know about my ability, that didn’t stop them from chattering on and filling my head with constant noise. The worst part was when I had to try to follow two separate lines of conversation. It made my brain tired.
A weekend away could be just the trick
Nan returned rolling a wheeled suitcase behind her.“All packed and ready to go. I just need another five minutes to finish packing the picnic.” She left the luggage with us and hurried back to the kitchen.
“Where are we going?” I asked, starting to get a little excited.
Charles pressed his lips into a firm line and shook his head.“It’s a surprise.”
“But there will be a picnic?” I prompted, tilting my head as I studied his face for hints. “Does that mean we’re going somewhere outside?”
He drew his thumb and forefinger across his mouth.“Not telling. You’ll see when we get there.”
I raised an eyebrow.“What about work?”
“The firm can keep things together for one day without me. I don’t think I’ve ever used a full vacation day. It was time. And besides, I may have snuck into the office early to get a few things taken care of before coming here.”
“Ah-ha. I knew it!”
Charles laughed.“Yeah, we both need this break.”
Nan returned with a cute woven basket in hand and gave it to Charles.
“Thanks,” he said with a big grin. “And you’re sure you’re okay to look after Jacques and Jillianne while we’re away?”
Last year, Charles had taken in my former neighbor’s two Sphynx cats after her untimely demise. They had never much warmed up to me, and I doubted they liked Nan, either. Still, Charles had grown quite fond of his two hairless babies.
Nan nodded vigorously and pushed us toward the door.“I’ve got it all under control. Paisley and I will go pay them a visit later this afternoon. Now get out of here. Go have some fun. Goodness knows you two both need it!”
Well, she was right about that, I supposed.
I just hoped whatever Charles had planned for us would be every bit as relaxing as he’d promised.
And that Octo-Cat wouldn’t be too mad at me for abandoning him this weekend.
Chapter Four
Outside, a massive white vehicle sat waiting partway down our driveway.
“Surprise!” Charles shouted as he strode ahead of me with both the suitcase and picnic basket in tow.
I gasped and stopped in my tracks, blinking twice to make sure my eyes weren’t misleading me. “You bought an RV?”
He turned back to smile at me before continuing on his way.“I didn’t buy it. There’s this new app that’s kind of like Airbnb meets Uber. So I rented this baby from someone over in Cooper’s Cove. It’s ours through Monday. Your Nan’s already agreed to return it for me, too.”
I jogged to catch up.“There’s no way you’re letting Nan drive this. That woman is a terror on wheels, and you know it.”
Charles just laughed and opened the passenger door for me.“Climb on up. We’ve got about three hours to get to our destination, so not too bad.”
“Climb on up?” I repeated. “I’m in my ratty bathrobe. I’m not going anywhere until I get changed.”
“No, that’s why I had Nan pack you a bag. You can get changed on the way.”
“That’s ridiculous. We’re right here. I’m going to go inside and change and then we can get going.”
Before he could drag me into the RV, I turned and climbed the porch and pulled on the door. Locked.
“Really, Nan?” I shouted at the locked door. “You’re sending me off in just a bathrobe?”
“Don’t worry, I packed you something nice,” she shouted back through the door.
It was obvious that these plans were in motion and there was nothing I could do to stop this runaway camper. With a sigh, I wrapped my robe tighter around myself and walked back over to the RV.
I hoisted myself inside while Charles went around back to the living area where he stashed my suitcase and the picnic basket. Rather than buckling up, I spun in my seat to check out our hotel on wheels. It had a small kitchen area complete with linoleum floor and a sink, cute little stovetop, and a half-sized fridge. Across from that sat a comfy-looking booth and table flanked by a built-in couch. Further back, I could just glimpse a bedroom with dark drapes and what appeared to be a queen-sized bed—whatever the size, it definitely took up a good deal of space.