They continued along the coast, down toward Santa Monica and Long Beach, hugging the ocean the whole way. They drove in the direction of Carlsbad, and to their right, the ocean seemed to be in a spectacular mood. There were lots of tourist boats carrying visitors out to spot whales or dolphins. Colorful sailboats rode the gentle waves.
“I love the ocean,” Tamara said, gazing at the Pacific. “It’s part of why I have my café where it is. At any time, I can just look out and watch the waves breaking on the shore.”
“Yeah,” Nate agreed, taking in a hearty lungful of salty ocean air. “We are pretty darn lucky to live where we do.” Knowing that Tamara would love being so close to the ocean was another reason why he’d chosen this route today.
They turned off at the flower gardens, where they did stop, long enough for Tamara to get some decent pictures on her phone.
“You should get in the shot,” Tamara said to Nate. “This is your road trip, after all.”
“We should both be in it, then,” Nate suggested, and they crowded together close enough for a selfie with the gardens in the background. It was the kind of shot Daniel would have hated, but he wasn’t here to criticize, and Nate relished being so close to Tamara.
They continued through the shifting landscape of forest, hills, and the coast road, while around them tourists stopped here and there to enjoy the stunning views.
“That’s the best way to enjoy the coast road,” Tamara said as a few people on motorbikes sped past with the wind in their hair.
“I never took you for a biker chick,” Nate replied.
“Okay, maybe not a biker chick. But a convertible along here would probably be pretty great.”
Nate smiled at that. “The best I can do right now is rolling down the windows.” Just for fun, he simultaneously opened all four windows and the sunroof. Tamara’s long hair whipped in the wind, and the smile on her face told Nate everything he needed to know.
They stopped for gas, and the attendant at the gas station asked them how their vacation was going.
“Oh, we’re not exactly on vacation,” Nate said. “We’re heading to San Diego for a wedding.”
“Well, congratulations. You make a lovely couple!”
“No, no,” Tamara corrected her. “It’s his brother’s wedding. We’re just guests.”
“Well, you’re still a lovely couple.”
They smiled knowingly at each other as they walked back to the car. It seemed everywhere they went, people jumped to conclusions. At least their chemistry wasn’t all in Nate’s head. It was going to make convincing his family they were a couple a lot easier.
“The temptation is just to keep going to Mexico. The border is getting close,” Nate joked, and he wasn’t entirely kidding. “Maybe we should just give my brother’s wedding a miss and head straight for Tijuana.”
“Nate. You don’t mean that,” Tamara said. “It’s your brother’s wedding. Besides, I’m intrigued to meet your family now. All I know is that they like to get married. But apart from that, are they like you at all?”
“I don’t know,” Nate replied honestly. “I mean, it’s one of those things that’s hard to judge for yourself, isn’t it? Family is family, and those relationships are the only ones you’ve ever known, until you leave home, of course. I guess in my family, there are parts of our personalities that are the same, and parts that aren’t. So it’s just normal, right?”
“Even when it’s not,” Tamara agreed.
“My siblings have explored all kinds of different interests,” Nate said. “But they do seem to have a hard time sticking with them.” The same way that they had a hard time sticking with some of the people they married.
“Maybe they just haven’t found the right interests yet,” Tamara said. “Like their perfect coffee shop or perfect computer job.”
“So, it’s perfect, is it?” Nate asked.
“Well, my profits have gone up a lot since the business across the street started drinking so much coffee,” Tamara joked. “Plus, I get to spend my time by the beach, meet interesting people, be my own boss… So, yes, it’s close to perfect. Isn’t your job?”
Nate thought about it and then knew it was every bit as perfect as Tamara’s job was. “Yes, it is perfect for me. I still can’t believe I get paid to manage computers.”
San Diego appeared on the horizon. It seemed small after the huge expanse of LA, but it was a massive metropolis in its own right. Nate glanced at the clock on his dashboard.
“We’ve still got plenty of time before my family are expecting us,” he said. “And if we arrive now, we’ll get roped into wedding preparations.”
“Which you get enough of at work,” Tamara guessed. “What did you have in mind?”
Nate had plenty of things in mind when it came to Tamara… but this idea was purely for her enjoyment. He hadn’t been sure if they’d make it in time for lunch, but he knew all the best places in the city and Tamara’s favorite food.
