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Right as the chorus to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” hit, Tracy shouted, “Maye! You’re not gonna believe this! There’s a chocolate museum along the way!”

“A chocolate museum!?” Maye shouted back.

“Yeah! We have to go, right??”

Maye’s body was vibrating from the sugar and caffeine, and after all the salty chips, nothing in the world sounded better to her in that moment than milk chocolate. “We absolutely have to go!”

They arrived at The Chocolate Museum and were greeted by a friendly young woman who Tracy said she recognized from the museum’s social media page.

“We have a few people coming in about forty-five minutes for a tour. You can join them if you’d like,” she said.

Normally, Maye would politely accept and then quietly stew inside about having to wait around, but this was a jittery, dehydrated Maye with an insatiable sweet tooth. “Actually,” Maye leaned against the counter. “We’re on a bit of a tight schedule and could just really use some chocolate.”

The woman smiled. “Well, you are in the right place, ladies.” She walked around from behind the counter and nodded for Maye and Tracy to come along as she rounded the corner to a room filled with glass cases backlit to show off the candies inside. Chocolate truffles covered in cocoa powder, and more exotic options with raspberry, hazelnut, champagne, mint and chili, and more. Nut clusters drizzled with dark chocolate, milk, chocolate, white chocolate, and even strawberry cream chocolate. A seemingly endless display of bon-bons filled with lemon, coconut, caramel, orange, ganache, and almost every other creamy filling Maye could imagine.

“We normally give samples during our tours, but since we can’t accommodate you,” she winked, “I’d hate to see you off without any of our delectable treats.”

She handed Maye a box with a few handpicked samples. Maye bit into the oval milk chocolate shell and raspberry creme spilled out. A burst of fresh, fruity flavor filled her palette. “Mmmm…” she closed her eyes and enjoyed letting every taste bud experience the silky rich flavors.

“I think you’re gonna need a bigger box,” Tracy said.

Maye nodded to confirm.

With two dozen chocolates and a little knowledge from an abbreviated tour, Maye and Tracy were back on the road. For the next hour or so, they drove without much talking. The sugar rush and caffeine jolt were fading and Maye was enjoying the peaceful, scenic drive. When they arrived at the park, both Maye and Tracy agreed that their first stop would be the seal observation deck. They watched the seals sun themselves for a few minutes and enjoyed the serenity of the water and birds and the ocean air.

“This is so refreshing after being in the car for so many hours today,” Maye said as she stared off at the horizon.

Their next stop was Saints Rest Beach, where they walked up and down the half-mile stretch of sand that was rocky and uncombed. The salty wind whipped their hair around as waves rolled in and crashed onto the shore.

“I just want to sit in the sand for a bit before we have to get back in the car,” Tracy said as she plopped down on the sand.

“I’m fine with a few more moments of zen,” Maye said as she sat down next to her.

Before Maye could even take a deep breath, her phone dinged with a new text message. She hardly even recognized the sound at first, having been ignoring her phone for the last few hours.

Chris:

Did you make it to Halifax okay?

“Shoot!” Maye rubbed her forehead. “I completely forgot we were supposed to have dinner with Chris tonight.” It was nearly 5:30 p.m., and with at least four hours of driving left, they would be arriving way too late to meet up with Chris.

Maye:

I am so so so sorry. I wasn’t watching the time and we made a few unexpected stops. I won’t be in until late tonight. I think you’re on your own for dinner

Chris:

No prob! Sounds like a fun road trip. We can do lunch tomm if you don’t mind meeting me at set?

When Maye read Chris’s last message out loud for Tracy, she nearly hyperventilated.

“Okay, okay…” Tracy tried to regain her composure. “We are going to eat lunch on a movie set? With a movie star? After tomorrow, I will have peaked. It’s all downhill from there. And this road trip just got even better. You know why?” Tracy didn’t give Maye a chance to respond. “Because we don’t have to be in Halifax tonight, so why rush there just to show up and go to bed? I think I…” Tracy pulled out her phone. “Yup, I have an idea.”

“Tracy…” Maye said nervously. “What exactly are you looking for there?”

“This is perfect!” Tracy said. “Casino New Brunswick is only an hour and a half away, and it’s on the way, and I’ve always wanted to try out my blackjack method. I have a system. Have I ever told you about it? I’m pretty sure I can’t lose—”

“You want to go to a casino?” Maye whined. “I just kinda want to make our way out to where we’re supposed to be.”