something to behold. It was grand and somber to eyes trained on the gentle curves of the coastal hills and the lush growth of the marine terrace and redwood forest.
Stanny was asleep.
"Here we are!" sang out Maria as they took a tight curve around a crumbling pile of boulders and there, below them, a more gently winding road descended to a little river valley decked out with a quaint sprinkling of cabins and tents and other rustic amenities. Rob elbowed Stanny, who came to with a blink.
"We're here," Rob explained to Stanny's scowl. "Didn't want you to miss the approach."
"What for?" Stanny said, but in a moment he was gaping at the view himself. "It's a long way down," he said.
"It's not steep here, though," Rob said.
"It doesn't matter what it is, it's what it looks like that makes my stomach hurt," Stanny said.
"Wait, has this been bothering you all along?" Rob asked.
"Yeah, that's why I went to sleep."
"Sorry," Rob said, "I didn't know. I guess I'm bad at noticing things."
"You are," Emily agreed happily. "You need people to hold your hand and tell you things."
"Alas, most people don't operate that way," Rob said, thinking of his kinda-sorta college boyfriend, who'd left him a letter that started out with 'You're a sweet guy, and I still like you a lot' , and ended up a list of twenty things Rob 'should have known' and done something about and the conclusion that someday he'd be a good boyfriend to somebody, if he ever got a clue and grew the eyes to see what was in front of his face.
Stanny was right—the resort was a long way down. And Rob was right—the mountainside was not steep. And Maria was still driving, so the descent was slower even than the ascent into the mountains. "This downhill stuff is creepy!" she said but she wouldn't relinquish the wheel. Altogether it was another forty-five minutes of braking and coasting till they finally leveled out on the gravel drive of the resort.
And yet, they beat their parents, who called and said they were having dinner in Mariposa for some reason. "Isn't it early?" Rob asked.
"We needed a pit stop anyway," Sera said.
They were met by a man Rob recognized. It was Jack's burly possible boyfriend, only now he was wearing a T-shirt with a logo Rob didn't recognize, and long walking shorts.
"You must be on Constance's side," the man said. "I'm Charles, the guy who's finally earned the privilege to marry the lady. And you all are?"
"Sera's kids and stepkids," Maria said. "I'm Maria, this is Emily, Stanny's the shrimp, and the old man is Rob."
"Oh, the famous Rob," Charles said in a knowing way. He didn't seem to recognize Rob from all their near-encounters back home. "Good to meet you all. So pull up your car over there, and see that building? It's the office and they'll tell you where you're sleeping. And Stanny and Rob, fair warning: the bachelor party tomorrow night is mandatory."
After gesturing all of them over, he stepped back and let Maria park. They trooped over to the office while Stanny muttered about the arrogant assholism of calling a mandatory bachelor party and making innocent kids witness old farts get shitfaced.
"It might not be like that," Rob said mildly, though he also cringed at the thought of having to share a maudlin prenuptial evening with his stepfather's generation. Worse, he thought, was the knowledge that the groom for this wedding was a man he had seen acting very close with Jack several times in the last month and a half.
Well, maybe it wasn't what it had looked like. Maybe. He hoped so.
More arrivals
They had just gotten their luggage moved to their various tents—no cabins for the young folk of Sera's contingent—when George and Sera crunched to a halt in the gravel drive. Chuck materialized from nowhere again and to guide them, but unlike earlier Chuck stayed with George and Sera and kept on talking. Rob shrugged and followed Maria and Emily on their self-guided tour of the campground. Stanny wanted to hang out in the tent
Stanny was asleep.
"Here we are!" sang out Maria as they took a tight curve around a crumbling pile of boulders and there, below them, a more gently winding road descended to a little river valley decked out with a quaint sprinkling of cabins and tents and other rustic amenities. Rob elbowed Stanny, who came to with a blink.
"We're here," Rob explained to Stanny's scowl. "Didn't want you to miss the approach."
"What for?" Stanny said, but in a moment he was gaping at the view himself. "It's a long way down," he said.
"It's not steep here, though," Rob said.
"It doesn't matter what it is, it's what it looks like that makes my stomach hurt," Stanny said.
"Wait, has this been bothering you all along?" Rob asked.
"Yeah, that's why I went to sleep."
"Sorry," Rob said, "I didn't know. I guess I'm bad at noticing things."
"You are," Emily agreed happily. "You need people to hold your hand and tell you things."
"Alas, most people don't operate that way," Rob said, thinking of his kinda-sorta college boyfriend, who'd left him a letter that started out with 'You're a sweet guy, and I still like you a lot' , and ended up a list of twenty things Rob 'should have known' and done something about and the conclusion that someday he'd be a good boyfriend to somebody, if he ever got a clue and grew the eyes to see what was in front of his face.
Stanny was right—the resort was a long way down. And Rob was right—the mountainside was not steep. And Maria was still driving, so the descent was slower even than the ascent into the mountains. "This downhill stuff is creepy!" she said but she wouldn't relinquish the wheel. Altogether it was another forty-five minutes of braking and coasting till they finally leveled out on the gravel drive of the resort.
And yet, they beat their parents, who called and said they were having dinner in Mariposa for some reason. "Isn't it early?" Rob asked.
"We needed a pit stop anyway," Sera said.
They were met by a man Rob recognized. It was Jack's burly possible boyfriend, only now he was wearing a T-shirt with a logo Rob didn't recognize, and long walking shorts.
"You must be on Constance's side," the man said. "I'm Charles, the guy who's finally earned the privilege to marry the lady. And you all are?"
"Sera's kids and stepkids," Maria said. "I'm Maria, this is Emily, Stanny's the shrimp, and the old man is Rob."
"Oh, the famous Rob," Charles said in a knowing way. He didn't seem to recognize Rob from all their near-encounters back home. "Good to meet you all. So pull up your car over there, and see that building? It's the office and they'll tell you where you're sleeping. And Stanny and Rob, fair warning: the bachelor party tomorrow night is mandatory."
After gesturing all of them over, he stepped back and let Maria park. They trooped over to the office while Stanny muttered about the arrogant assholism of calling a mandatory bachelor party and making innocent kids witness old farts get shitfaced.
"It might not be like that," Rob said mildly, though he also cringed at the thought of having to share a maudlin prenuptial evening with his stepfather's generation. Worse, he thought, was the knowledge that the groom for this wedding was a man he had seen acting very close with Jack several times in the last month and a half.
Well, maybe it wasn't what it had looked like. Maybe. He hoped so.
More arrivals
They had just gotten their luggage moved to their various tents—no cabins for the young folk of Sera's contingent—when George and Sera crunched to a halt in the gravel drive. Chuck materialized from nowhere again and to guide them, but unlike earlier Chuck stayed with George and Sera and kept on talking. Rob shrugged and followed Maria and Emily on their self-guided tour of the campground. Stanny wanted to hang out in the tent
Similar Books
Beautiful Things Never Last
Steph Campbell
The Moon by Night
Gilbert Morris, Lynn Morris
Hellbox (Nameless Detective)
Bill Pronzini
Too Hot to Handle
Victoria Dahl
The Flatey Enigma
Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson
Fool Me Twice
Meredith Duran
Complete Harmony
Julia Kent
How to Dine on Killer Wine: A Party-Planning Mystery
Penny Warner
Vinegar Hill
A. Manette Ansay