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Mom instantly grows more anxious, but she attempts a smile and nods. “Sure.”
That sounds vaguely ominous. I’m wary as I stay standing rather than take my own seat on the couch. My gaze shoots to Landon, and of course he doesn’t look worried, but he doesn’t care about anything, so why would he be?
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Yes, of course,” Hayden says, clearly wanting to put me at ease. Gesturing to the couch, he says, “You can sit down. I just wanted to toss out an idea we had to see what you thought about it.”
Still uneasy, I take a seat on the couch next to Landon and look over at Hayden.
“Your mother and I were talking, and while, of course, we hope you two will come home for the holidays once you’re in college, there’s always a chance you won’t. Parker could get a boyfriend. Landon could… be busy,” he says, since apparently the notion of him having to accommodate a girlfriend is too outlandish to consider. “This is the last year weknowwe will all be together. And when Gemma and I were dating—”
“For five minutes,” Landon interjects mildly.
“—One of the things we talked about was the family vacations we’d been on separately. I was thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if we all went on one together?”
My eyes widen. I have to resist the temptation to look over at Landon and see what he thinks.
“I was thinking we could go soon, a fall or winter trip when you’ll have a little time off school.”
“Where are we going?” I ask, anxious but eager. Mom and I didn’t have the money to go on many trips before, but I know Hayden doesn’t have to worry about a budget, and—of course—I would love to do more traveling.
“Well, it’s up for discussion, but we were thinking Florida.”
“Oh. Why?”
Mom chuckles and Hayden smiles faintly. “Your mother mentioned that since you were a little girl, you always wanted to go to Epcot. She also told me she finally saved up and took you a few years back, and it rained the whole time you were there. Obviously, it would be easy for us to go to Disneyland, but we don’t have Epcot here. I was thinking maybe we could take a trip to Disney World and spend some time in all the parks. And Landon hasn’t been since he was a little boy, so he may not even remember it.”
“I remember bits and pieces,” Landon volunteers. “But my autograph bookispretty outdated,” he adds dryly, looking at me for a reaction. “I’m guessing you’re into this idea.”
I can’t ignore the rush of excitement the possibility gives me. I’ve never had a two-parent family vacation before, and getting to take my… whatever Landon is as well would be pretty cool.
Plus, when Mom and I went, Iwasdisappointed when it rained the whole day we were at Epcot. We still had fun while we steamed like vegetables in our oversized ponchos in the swampy Florida heat, but I felt a lot of pressure to have themostfun despite the bad weather. I knew it was an expensive trip that Mom had spent years saving up for, and I was acutely aware of every dollar we were spending. There was a restaurant I really wanted to go to, but it was too expensive. We brought snacks we bought at a Publix on the way to the resort from the airport and shared cheaper quick service meals instead.
It would be nice to go on a trip and not have to worry about that stuff, to see Mom get to relax and enjoy herself with a man who would undoubtedly take care of everything.
Also, I was a bit miffed when the Frozen ride opened rightafterwe went there.
“I am definitely into the idea. I don’t want to shock anyone, but I will begin researching immediately.”
Hayden chuckles, his eyes glinting with pleasure. “Excellent. I know they have holiday parties and things like that, so take a look. We can figure out when would be the best time to go and then we’ll look at our schedules and see when we can make it happen.”
Unable to contain my excitement, I look over at Landon.
He sighs.
“We are going to have the best time,” I state.
“Uh-huh.”
“They have mouse ear headbands.”
“I’m not wearing one of those.”
“And delicious snacks.”
“That I can live with.”
“And a pretty castle, and foods from all around the world!” I look back at Hayden. “When Mom and I went, we stayed in a Little Mermaid themed room at one of the resorts. Will we stay on property?”
