“I’d love to go for a run,” I told April with a smile. “How about eight o’clock?”
“Awesome. We’re going to go to our room and rest a while before dinner. We got one of the suites in the Main Lodge and it’s just beautiful. Where are you staying?”
“I’m in the Ridgeview Cabin,” I said, pointing at the path. “I think it’s just up here.”
“Great. You get your bath, and we’ll see you at the restaurant tonight at six o’clock.”
“Sounds good.”
I headed up the path and found my cabin, surprised by how nice it was. It looked like a rustic log cabin from the outside, but the inside was surprisingly modern. It was all dark wood and bright colors, with high end fixtures and expensive looking furniture. It was much nicer than I’d expected, especially because the cabin was cheaper than the suites in the lodge. It had a giant king sized bed with tons of pillows, a seating area with a couch and two chairs, a mini fridge and microwave, a private patio, and a bathroom with a huge jacuzzi tub. I was in heaven.
A couple of hours later I was ready to head to dinner. I’d taken a long hot bath to relax my muscles after the long drive and my run-in with Mr. “I’m Too Important to Look Where I’m Driving”, then did a bit of yoga, followed by a nice long meditation to center myself. I was feeling better mentally and physically by the time I was done.
I pulled on a black sundress that was covered with a pattern of little red cherries. I’d bought it especially for this trip. It was comfortable and whimsical, and I loved it. I paired it with sandals and stuffed a shrug in my purse in case I got cold. After blowing out my hair and adding a little make-up, I was ready to see the family.
April waved me over as soon as I stepped inside the restaurant. Bless her, she’d saved me a seat between her and a woman who I assumed was Jonathon’s mother. I’d never met her, but I could definitely see the family resemblance.
Jack, my ex-husband, rose from the table and pulled me into a long hug. It was familiar and comforting to be in his arms.
“You look great Kiki,” he said, using the nickname he’d made up for me way back when we were first dating.
We pulled apart and I greeted his current wife, Suzanne—the woman who’d raised my daughter through her difficult teenage years after I’d abandoned her. I’d made amends to all of them years ago, and both Jack and Suzanne had been nothing but accepting of me, but I still felt a sharp stab of guilt whenever I was with my ex-husband and his wife.
I slid into the chair next to my daughter and introduced myself to Renee, Jonathon’s mother. I knew that Jonathon’s father had died many years ago, leaving Renee to raise her kids on her own, although her brother Reed had apparently been very involved.
I felt someone watching me and looked across the table. To my shock, I saw the man who almost ran me over earlier. My mouth dropped open.
“You!” I gasped before I could think better of it.
“Do you two know each other?” Renee asked curiously.
I looked around, not wanting to out him to his family or upset April by causing a scene.
“No,” I responded. “We just, um, ran into each other earlier, but we didn’t get a chance to introduce ourselves.”
A corner of Reed’s mouth lifted in a sardonic smile as Jonathon made introductions.
“Erika, this is my uncle, Reed. Reed, this is April’s mom, Erika.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmured politely.
I was having difficulty pulling my eyes away from his. I felt this weird connection between us, and I had the strangest urge to spend the night staring into his beautiful brown eyes. He really was quite attractive. Breaking the connection, I turned my attention to my daughter, where it belonged.
“What’s good here?”