He shook his head, slightly.“The adventure.”
And for a heartbeat, the air in the van changed into something electric, and all together too real.
Outside, the road stretched endlessly forward, sunlight splintering through the trees, and for the first time since the trip began, I realized how much I didn’t want the journey to end.
* * *
We pulled into a roadsidestop; a humble mix of gas pumps, a few neglected vending machines with names of snacks I didn’t recognize, and according to the sign swinging over the door – the best little bakery around.The imagined smell of fresh coffee hit me as soon as the van doors opened, mingling with the crisp mountain air.Tristan killed the engine with a flourish that made it seem like he’d landed a fighter jet instead of a glorified minivan.
“Snack break,” he announced, swinging the door open.“You know, survival of the fittest requires proper provisions.”
I raised an eyebrow.“Survival of the fittest?Or survival of the most hyped-up coffee drinker?”
He paused mid-step before striding ahead of me toward the bakeshop convenience store.“Hey, a caffeinated mind is a sharp mind.You should know; you’re a nurse.”
I snorted.“Sometimes coffee is the difference between someone fainting over your bad jokes and someone actually fainting.”
He tilted his head, watching me from the corner of his eye.“Bad jokes?You mean the ones you laughed at anyway?”
“I didn’t laugh at all,” I deadpanned, though my mouth betrayed me with a twitch.
“For a roadside stop, they have amazing apple turn overs.Still a favourite, right?”
He remembered things no one else bothered to.Which was dangerous, because affection built itself out of small details not grand gestures.
And I’d already survived one love that crumbled.No encore.
Slowly nodding at his incredible memory of my likes, we grabbed a couple of the so-called famous pastries, two beaver tails, and a pair of bottled waters.Tristan added a protein bar and a chocolate square, inspecting both as if they were fine wine.
We stepped outside, the sun slanting down across the mountains, turning the peaks into gold-tipped giants.The cool breeze brushed across my face, and for a second, the silence between us thickened, almost daring one of us to speak first.
I bit into the flaky croissant with a hint of cinnamon and a dabble of baked apples as the warm, buttery layers crumbled in my fingers.They were acceptable – for a roadside store – but my Allie had made these to melt in your mouth.And the flavour was unmatched.
Suddenly I had a craving for her homemade baking and a dull ache formed in my gut thinking about her.
“Mr.Moose.”I grabbed our mascot from the van and propped him on a few staggered rocks, snapping away like I was a prolific photographer.It was so ridiculous, yet important, and I couldn’t help wondering what the kids would think.
A little ding came from my phone.I glanced down.Tina.
My stomach sank.
I answered quickly, turning away from Tristan.“Hey, Tina.Everything okay?”
“Oh, Anna!You’re not going to believe it!”Her voice practically bounced through the line.“We’re getting back together!Can you imagine?After that ridiculous fight, he had a...a moment of clarity.I know it sounds insane, but he showed up at work with flowers and a speech about how he’d been a fool—so...we’re giving it another go!”
I chewed my lip, distracted.“Wow...that’s...that’s really great, Tina.”
“I just wasn’t ready for it to be truly over, and the fact that he apologised, well, I believe him.I want us to be together.I can’t imagine my life without him.”Her energy was intense, even over the phone.
I exhaled slowly, side eyeing the van as I walked further away.“So what are you doing over the weekend?”
“Actually, he’s just checking us into the Fairmont Waterfront.It was a total surprise.A full weekend of pampering.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.”My spine sagged.As adorable as that was, now what?I was on my way to pleasantly shock her.
“Right?You know how I love surprises.”
“Yes, I do.”And this surprise would’ve been on me.Had the airline strike not happened, I’d be knocking on her vacated door.
