“It is,” Ruth said. “I’m so grateful to have the two of you with me. This is much better than driving alone.”
Bethanne smiled. Annie had added spontaneity and adventure to the trip. If it’d just been Ruth and Bethanne, she would’ve gladly followed her mother-in-law’s itinerary.
“Where should we spend the night?” Ruth asked, unfolding the map on her knees.
“Where do you suggest?” Bethanne asked.
“Hmm. There aren’t too many big towns on the way into Vegas. I think our best bet is Ely. Maybe Annie could check the internet for a hotel and make a reservation.”
“Good idea,” Bethanne inserted.
“How far is Ely from Twin Falls?” Annie asked.
“Oh…” Ruth paused, as though calculating the distance. “I’d say about three or four hours.”
“That’ll make nine hours in the car, Ruth,” Bethanne said, a bit concerned. “Is that too long for you?”
“It’s fine,” Ruth insisted.
“Let’s stop in Wells and pick up lunch and find somewhere to eat along the way,” Annie suggested. “There’s all kinds of small lakes, but I heard someone mention one called Snow Water Lake. I don’t remember who, but they said it was absolutely pristine. We could have a picnic there.”
“Sounds like a great plan,” Ruth concurred. “I’d like to stretch my legs and be somewhere cool and refreshing.”
Bethanne agreed, content to let Annie handle the details.
They purchased sandwiches, sodas and chips in Wells, Nevada, and turned off the interstate onto Highway 93. They gassed up there, too. Bethanne decided to continue driving. The car turned over a couple of times before starting, which worried her, but she didn’t have a problem after that.
The two-lane highway was far more relaxing; it was a relief not to have to deal with so much traffic. She drove at a moderate speed and absorbed what she could of the scenery.
“I do prefer highway travel over the interstate,” Ruth said after a while. “There’s more character along the highway.” She gave an exaggerated shudder. “I can only imagine the lecture we’d get if Grant or Robin ever heard about this.”
“I’m not going to tell them,” Bethanne reassured her.
“We’re gonna have to tell Dad we’re in Vegas, though,” Annie said.
Despite the thought of Grant’s disapproval, Bethanne smiled. She could guess what he’d say once he learned that they were visiting Sin City. And while she was there, Bethanne fully intended to have fun. She wasn’t much of a gambler, but there’d be shows to see and casinos to visit. She’d heard so much about them. The Wynn, Mandalay Bay, the Venetian…
“Can we spend more than one night in Vegas?” Annie asked.
“We can take as long as we like with one stipulation,” Ruth told her. “I have to be in Florida before my reunion.”
“No problem, Grandma. I’ll make sure we’re exactly where you need to be with time to spare.”
Bethanne wasn’t quite sure how Annie had taken over their itinerary, but she didn’t object. And apparently neither did Ruth. Although she’d hoped to have a chance to think, consider her options, decide what she really wanted, it felt good to simply enjoy this time with her daughter and mother-in-law. Ex-mother-in-law—but who cared?
There was nothing pressing on either the home front or at the office. She’d talked to Julia and been assured that all was well at Parties.
As for Grant… Reuniting with him wasn’t a decision she had to make this week or the next. That, too, could wait. She’d give them six months to become reacquainted. In six months she’d see how the relationship had progressed. What she found most difficult was how badly her family—well, Annie and Ruth—wanted her to go back to Grant. In a perfect world she’d fall in love with her ex-husband again and they’d all return to being the ideal family they’d once been. Except maybe it hadn’t been so ideal… Besides, this was far from a perfect world and there was more to consider than making Annie and Ruth happy.
She wasn’t sure how long they drove; she didn’t look at the dashboard clock or her watch. The scenery was engaging and kept her attention. Thankfully, the rental car was air-conditioned because the Nevada heat was brutal, even in the mountains.
“Okay, Mom, slow down,” Annie eventually said, studying the map. “The turnoff for Snow Water Lake should be coming up soon.”
Bethanne would have missed the arrow if Ruth hadn’t pointed it out. “How far is the lake from the road?” she asked Annie, turning off the highway onto the narrow paved road.
“It’s hard to tell on the map, but it can’t be more than a few miles. Five at the most.”
That seemed reasonable, although she had to wonder if they were heading toward a designated picnic area or invading personal property. Well, they’d find out soon enough.
Minutes later, they reached the lake. There wasn’t a picnic table—or a picnicker—in sight. They saw the remains of a campfire someone had made some time ago, but no other evidence of anyone’s presence. Using the hood of the car as a table, Ruth spread out their feast and they stood in the shade and ate their sandwiches and chips. Lingering over sodas, Annie and Bethanne walked along the lakeshore.
Annie removed her shoes and waded in the water. “Wow, this is cold.”
“It isn’t called Snow Water Lake for nothing,” Bethanne teased.
“Come on in, Mom,” Annie said, and kicked her feet at the water’s edge, splashing onto the shore.
Although they’d been out of the car for less than thirty minutes, Bethanne roasted in the early-afternoon heat. Sitting on the sand at the lake’s edge, she slipped off her shoes and waded ankle-deep into the chilly water. After the initial shock she quickly grew accustomed to the cold.
She got up and, with her arm around Annie’s waist, ambled through the water.
“I should probably call Dad,” Annie said. “He’ll want to know we’ve changed our plans.”
Bethanne didn’t comment.
“Dad talked to you about Andrew’s wedding, didn’t he?” Annie asked. “We can sit together as a family, can’t we?”
Bethanne hadn’t given Grant her final answer. “I suppose.”
“Good.” Annie rested her head on Bethanne’s shoulder. “I want us to be a family again.”
“I know you do, honey,” Bethanne said in a soothing voice. “Annie, you have your own life now. Your own place, a promising future… And your dad and I both love you.”
“Yeah. But nothing’s been the same since Dad moved out.”
Moved out, divorced her, remarried and gone through a second divorce, Bethanne added to herself. The man who’d walked out the door wasn’t the same person anymore, nor was she. A lot had changed, and Bethanne wasn’t sure either of them could return to the past. Perhaps that was a good thing; she didn’t know.
“Dad’s different,” Annie continued, almost as if she’d been reading Bethanne’s thoughts.
“We both are.”
“Dad’s learned his lesson. He’s humbled. You know that can’t be easy for him.”
What Annie said was true. With Grant’s pride, it had taken a great deal for him to admit he’d made a mistake and seek a reconciliation.
“You don’t mind if I call him, do you?”
“Not at all.”
Annie reached for her cell and punched a couple of buttons. After a moment, she muttered in frustration. “We don’t have coverage here.”
“It can wait. In fact, if you call him now he’ll only worry. Why don’t we call once we’re in Vegas?”
“Okay.”
By the time they returned to the car, Ruth had cleaned up their leftovers and they were ready to go back to the highway.
“I’ll drive,” Annie said.
Bethanne was happy to relinquish the wheel. If she was going to finish the wedding gloves, she’d need time to knit. She’d made progress their first day on the road, but none today. She was counting on the trip to afford her knitting time she didn’t generally have.
Ruth climbed into the back, while Bethanne sat in the passenger seat next to her daughter. Annie inserted the key and the engine turned over once and then quit.
Frowning, Annie looked at Bethanne. “What’s wrong?”
Bethanne’s heart slowed as she remembered what had happened at the gas station in Wells. “Try again.”
Annie did, and the engine caught right away. Bethanne relaxed, giving her daughter a reassuring smile. The last thing they needed now was to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken-down vehicle and no cell coverage.
The car lurched forward and died again.
“Is there a problem?” Ruth asked anxiously from the backseat.
“I’m not sure,” Bethanne said.
Annie tried again. Nothing. When it became apparent that no amount of cranking was going to start the engine, Bethanne placed her hand over her daughter’s.
“Now what?” Annie asked.
Bethanne’s head was spinning. They didn’t have a lot of options. “How far are we from the main road? Isn’t it about five miles?”
“Yup. Farther than I’d want to walk,” Annie said, “especially in this heat.”
“I agree. It’s too far to walk in this heat,” Ruth said emphatically.
“Then we’re stuck until someone comes along.” Annie dropped her hands from the steering wheel. “Does anyone know anything about fixing cars?”
Bethanne shook her head.
“Not me,” Ruth said. “I left all that to Richard. After he died I had to learn how to fill my own gas tank. But that’s about all I can do.”
“We could be here for days,” Annie moaned.
“Why don’t we wait until it cools down and then walk to the highway.”
“This is all my fault,” Ruth wailed. “I was so eager for adventure that I put us in danger.”
“I was the one who suggested we eat lunch by the lake,” Annie said.
“Stop,” Bethanne told them both. “This isn’t anyone’s fault. We’ll be fine. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, there are worse things than being stuck by a beautiful lake on a summer afternoon.”
“Right,” Annie said, instantly perking up. “Let’s go swimming. We have our swimsuits, don’t we?”
“Uh, I didn’t bring one,” Ruth confessed. “I didn’t want anyone to see my fat thighs.”
“Ruth,” Bethanne said, rolling her eyes. She was on her way to Florida and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world—and she was worried about showing her thighs. “Who’ll even notice?”
“What about you, Mom?” Annie asked.
Bethanne’s smile faded. “I don’t own a suit.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Annie said, staring up at the car ceiling. “Okay, you two, I don’t care if you have your bathing suits or not, we’re going swimming.”
