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“Yep. I’ll be way more comfortable staying at their place than I would at the resort.” He grinned at her. “After all the different places we’ve stayed in since we left Nashville, I’m looking forward to being able to relax in a regular house – a home.”
“I like that idea, too.” She glanced over at him. “I hope we’ll find one of our own in the not-too-distant future.”
“Yeah, me too. Although, I don’t mind how long it takes us to find the place that we’ll call home. I’m enjoying life on the road with you.”
“Me too. I have to tell you, though, I’m looking forward to staying at Cam and Piper’s place, now. We know we do well together on the road; I want to see how we do in a more domestic setting.”
He laughed out loud at that. “I’m not sure that domestic is a word that would apply to either of us.”
She had to laugh with him. “I guess not, but you know what I mean.”
~ ~ ~
Tori had been right about the road winding through the mountains. Xander was glad that he was driving this last stretch. When he spotted a pullout that offered the first real view of the lake, he turned off and brought the truck to a stop.
“Wow!” Tori stared out through the windshield. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
He nodded as he took in the view. “It is. In fact, of all the places that we’ve stopped on this road trip, I’d say that this is the best view I’ve seen.”
“It is, isn’t it? And Summer Lake’s a great little town. In fact, it’s a pity that Mom found it first.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
She chuckled. “Of all the places that we’ve seen, Summer Lake is the one where I could see myself living … If my mom didn’t already live there.”
He let out a short laugh. “Yeah. I really do like your mom, and I get along with her, but…” He let the words trail off without completing the sentence – Tori knew what he meant. “It’s a pity, though. I don’t know the place, but I know it must have a lot going for it. I mean, Smoke moved here, and no one thought that he would settle down in a small town. Then, Cam bought a house here, too. I’m looking forward to getting to know the place.”
Tori made a face at him. “Just don’t get too attached to it, no matter how cool it might turn out to be.”
He laughed. “Who knows, maybe you’ll find that you get along so well with your mom these days that you don’t want to leave her.”
“That’s a lovely idea, but I can’t see it, can you?”
“I can’t, but never say never.”
It was just starting to get dark by the time Xander turned into the driveway of Cam and Piper’s house. He frowned as he pulled up next to a truck that was already sitting outside the garage.
“Who do you think that is?” Tori asked.
He didn’t get the chance to say that he had no idea before the front door opened, and a big smile spread across his face.
“Smoke!”
Tori followed his gaze and grinned. “Oh! I didn’t think. Of course, he and Laura live here. They’re awesome. I got to know Laura when she used to come to Nashville for work.”
They got out of the truck and Smoke and Laura hurried to greet them. As Xander shook hands with Smoke, he was happy to see the way that Tori and Laura hugged. It looked like they knew each other well and were close.
“It’s good to see you,” said Smoke. “We can get out of your hair and let you get settled in – you must be tired. Cam called to let me know that you guys were going to be staying here, and we wanted to air the place out for you and get you some basic supplies in.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. It’s good to see you, too. There’s no need to rush off.” He jerked his chin toward where Tori and Laura were chatting eagerly.
Smoke chuckled. “From what Cam said, you guys are going to be here for a little while, is that right?”
“It is.”
“In that case, we will clear out since I only got back from a trip this afternoon. But give me a call, let me know when you’re free, and we can catch up. We can go out for dinner or you guys can come up to the house – you haven’t seen it yet, have you?”
“I haven’t.” Smoke had left Napa before Xander had joined the Navy. They kept in touch over the years but hadn’t had many chances to actually see each other.
