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This time her mom didn’t argue. And after another minute or two of conversation, Courtney ended the call and pulled up her internet browser so she could find a detailed weather report. Sure enough, the meteorologist for one of the Providence-based news stations was predicting that a possible nor’easter would hit the area next weekend, bringing with it several feet of snow. But even he stated it was too early to know for certain if and when the storm would hit. Still, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility either.
Josh set the marble chessboard on the coffee table and opened the box containing the black and green pieces that matched the board. “Black or green?” he asked as he started to remove the pieces.
“Doesn’t matter.”
He moved the green pieces closer to her and then started to place the black ones on the board.
“You look annoyed.” Courtney started on her row of pawns.
Finished with the back row, he placed his first pawn on the board. “A little. I planned to wake us up early and take you to Cadillac Mountain tomorrow to watch the sunrise.”
With her pawns all on the board, she added the two knights and then reached for the bishops. “I’m guessing it’s nearby.”
“It’s one of the mountains in Acadia National Park. But I checked while I was upstairs, and the road to the top is closed for the winter. It won’t open again until mid-April.”
“Makes sense. It’s easier to close it than clear the snow all winter.” After running through a few different opening moves in her head, she moved a pawn. “We can get up early and watch the sunrise here.”
“Between October and March, the mountain is the first place in the US to see the sunrise. I drove up after I first moved here to see it. There is something different about watching it there.” Unlike her, Josh moved his knight first. “We’ll have to go in the fall before they close the road.”
Not knowing exactly when the custody issue would be settled, they hadn’t set an exact end date for their marriage. Instead, they’d agreed to make a decision once the court did. But October was eight months away, and a lot could happen in eight months.
Josh reached for his hot chocolate and waited for her to make another move. “Have you ever visited the park?”
Shaking her head, she concentrated on the various chess strategies she knew. When it came to the game, she wasn’t an expert but could usually hold her own against most opponents. “This is the first time I’ve been up here.”
“When it’s nicer, we’ll have to do some hiking.”
The only hiking she’d ever done had been with Josh in Hawaii. The trail they took had been long but relatively flat. She expected anything they tried here wouldn’t be the same. “I’ve never done any real hiking.”
“There are some basic trails that even Adalynn can handle. We can start with those and work up to the more challenging ones.”
“We’ll definitely need a trail equivalent to a bunny slope.” If his four-year-old daughter could handle hiking, she better be able to as well. “While you were upstairs, my mom called. Next weekend we might be getting a nor’easter
. She thinks we should postpone the wedding.” Courtney moved her next piece and leaned back against the sofa. “I checked the weather forecast. If the storm hits, we could get several feet of snow. But right now it’s still an if.”
“Damn it.” Josh raked a hand through his hair and frowned. “What do you want to do?”
“It’s a week away. Half the time they don’t get the weather for tomorrow right, so we might be worrying about nothing. And rescheduling everyone might be hard.” If the band and photographer she’d hired couldn’t accommodate whatever new date they selected, she’d have to find new ones. She didn’t relish the idea. “But if we do get the storm, it’ll make travel tough. Maybe impossible for some.”
The frown lines on his forehead deepened. “Would we just push it back a week?”
She shook her head. “It’d have to be more like three. Scott has plans the following weekend. I don’t want him to cancel them for this. And we’re not getting married the same weekend as Leah.”
The game forgotten, Josh leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “We could cancel the wedding altogether and have your uncle marry us in his office when we get back to Providence. Problem solved.”
Her reply required no thought. “No. It’s too late for that route. Mom gave me a hard enough time when I told her we were getting married so soon. If we have Uncle Mark marry us in his office, she’ll start again. And she wouldn’t be the only one to find it strange if we did that.” And Courtney wouldn’t blame her. In her mom’s shoes, she’d be suspicious too.
“Then what do we do?”
“It’s only Friday. Let’s wait until Sunday night and see what the forecast says. If it still looks like we going to get the storm, we postpone. And try to reschedule for the weekend after Valentine’s Day.”
She’d prefer a more definitive solution, but for now, it was the best she had.
Fourteen
Josh had planned it all out on the drive up yesterday. He’d grab some muffins or bagels from the kitchen, fill a couple of travel mugs with coffee, and wake Courtney up early. Then they could enjoy breakfast at the top of the mountain and watch the sunrise. It never entered his mind that the road up would be closed this time of year. At least he’d checked before putting his plan into action. And they’d still watched the sun come up this morning while eating cinnamon chip muffins and drinking coffee. They simply did it from the comfort of the living room. As far as mornings went, they didn’t get much better. After breakfast, they headed to Acadia and drove along the two portions of Park Loop Road that remained open all year. The first of the two had taken them along the ocean and by Sand Beach and Thunder Hole, a natural rock inlet that got its name thanks to the thunderous sound produced in the area when the right size wave rolled into it. The second brought them over toward Jordan Pond. From there they’d driven to the downtown area and parked. During vacation season, it was almost impossible to find a place to park. Actually, the local community encouraged visitors to use the Island Explorer shuttle, a free public transportation system that operated during the peak months to get around the area. This time of year, not many people visited, and today he’d had his choice of spots.
Unlike yesterday when the temps lingered in the teens, right now they were in the high thirties. Since the weather seemed to be cooperating, at least today, they were taking advantage of it. And for the past hour or so they’d been exploring the various stores and art galleries.
