Chapter 20
Laine
“I’m here!” Trish says when I answer the phone.
“I’ll be right down.” With one last look around my apartment, I feel pretty sure I have everything I need for the weekend.
I’m excited but also dreading this trip. I spent every morning this week with Abdo, just hanging out. We went over some of what he’s learning with his tutor for English, and of course, we played games. Wednesday was a long day, but the surgery went well, and yesterday, he seemed to be bouncing right back. Hopefully, everything will go okay while we’re gone. The Biors will be with him all weekend, and he mostly just needs to take it easy and heal to make sure these new grafts take.
I suppose I’d know more if I’d talked with Jack, but I’ve mostly avoided him this week. His declaration of love has really thrown me off.
When I walk out, Phillip is standing next to the car holding the passenger door open for me. Trish waves from the driver’s seat.
“I can sit in the back. You should sit with your girlfriend.”
He beams. I’m glad he and Trish are getting along so well, and I love that he wants everyone to know they’re a couple. “It’s okay,” he says. “Evidently you two have some additional planning to finish up, and I have my own tasks to complete.”
“What are you working on?” I ask.
“I’m going to organize the jet ski races, and I’m in charge of the grill.”
“What are we grilling?” I ask as I settle in.
“Over the weekend, I think we’re grilling everything you can imagine.”
“How are you going to get the ice cream to grill?”
He looks confused.
“You said grilling everything, and I immediately thought of ice cream.”
He shakes his head. “I need more caffeine. We were up half the night.”
My hands go to my ears. “I adore you both, but that’s way more information than I need.”
Phillip and Trish laugh, and Trish points her car toward the airport. As we ride, Phillip reports that Henry and Allison left yesterday to spend a day alone at the house, so they’ll be there when we arrive. Davis and Paisley will fly in tonight with six other couples, and the rest are driving in.
“It’s a beautiful drive this time of year,” I say.
“Yes, but it’s five hours,” Phillip counters. “I’d rather be enjoying a beer or playing on the lake.”
When we get to the airport, Jack is doing the final pre-flight check. He gives me a hug, and I turn my head as he leans in for a kiss so he gets my cheek.
Trish gives me a questioning look.
I shrug.
Jack greets Trish and Phillip, and then we board the plane. It’s stuffed full of suitcases and boxes. Trish and I head to the back so we can catch up. Phillip will sit up front with Jack as he flies.
As we take off, Trish grabs my arm. “What’s going on?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“He went in for a smooch and you turned your head. Do I need to ask him not to stay?”
“Of course not. We’re just not on the same page.”
“What page is he on?”
I tell her it’s been an emotional week with Abdo and his surgery, and how Jack dropped the L word and I don’t know what to make of anything now.
“Are you kidding me?”
I shake my head.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because you don’t need to be weighed down with all my crap. You’re happily falling in love. I’m not going to take you away from that.”
“I’m still your best friend.”
“Yes, which is why I’m in the back of the Lazy Rocket rather than staying behind in Vancouver.”
“You know I have you staying in a room with him.”
Okay, that’s not going to work. “No. I told you I wanted one of the bunk beds.”
She narrows her eyes. “Are you sure? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Phillip thinks they need to be replaced.”
“I’ll be fine. If they’re unstable, I’ll sleep on the floor. But I won’t be sharing a bed with him.”
“Shoot. Okay. Are you okay doing a few things with him? I thought you were on a different trajectory, so I matched you up.”
I narrow my eyes. “What kind of things?”
“Phillip wants to do jet ski races like tag teams with couples. Stuff like that? I mean, we’re a group of twenty-four people, and everyone is a couple but you two.”
My shoulders fall, but I’m determined to make the best of this. “Who can we invite to come and be Jack’s partner?” I joke.
Trish shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I just assumed it would be okay.”
I sigh. “I know. And it is. I’m a big girl. I’m just still trying to take this slow, and I don’t know if we want the same things, and everything has just gotten…complicated.” I look at her, and she knows.
“You slept with him?” she screeches.
Phillip turns around from up front. Trish gives him a wave.
“Is that when he declared his love?” she whisper-yells at me.
“No, we were talking about my parents being worthless. He put himself right up there with you as someone who loves me.”
“That’s not so bad, is it?” she asks.
“Well, yes and no. It’s bad because he hurt me, and yet he thinks he’s loved me all along. And he seems to think we can just move past what happened. I’m not trying to hold a grudge, but I’m not sure we have the same definition of love.”
“I understand,” Trish says. “Try to keep your heart open as much as you can, but I get that you need to do this your own way.”
I nod and turn toward the window. She squeezes my hand, and I watch the forest below until we clear the last peak. The Okanagan Valley opens up with its acres of produce and grapes. The sky is a perfect shade of blue, and the few clouds in the sky are round and fluffy. Jack approaches the southern end of the lake, and the fields change from rows of grapevines to rows of apple trees and hops. If I decide to leave Vancouver, maybe I could move here. It’s so lovely.
We touch down at the tiny airport, and Alan Morrison, Phillip’s groundskeeper, is here with a truck to transport all our supplies. We fill it up almost completely.
“Anyone interested in lunch?” Phillip asks.
Jack and Trish nod.
“I’ll go with Henry to get everything situated back at the house,” I volunteer.
“We don’t have to go to lunch,” Phillip offers. “If you two have work to do.”
“I’ve got this.” I wave them away. “I’m the interloper. Henry and Allison don’t know me very well. I’m here more as a workhorse, anyway.”
“Adalaine Renee Seymour! That is not true, and you know it!” Trish is upset. She never uses my full name.
“I’m sorry. I’m here as your friend to help. Is that better?”
“No, it isn’t. If you feel the need to get to the house, we’ll have lunch there. You’re not doing this on your own.”
I’m causing a scene, and that’s the last thing I want. “I’ll go with you to lunch,” I tell her, forcing a smile. “It’s not that big of a deal. I just thought I’d get a jump start on unpacking everything.”
Trish links her arm with mine. “No, you’re taking a break, just like the rest of us.”
Phillip directs Jack to a dive bar in the SUV we’ve rented. “They have the best fish and chips in town.”
When we arrive, we plop ourselves in a booth.
“How was your first week of work at Worldwide Medical Care?” Phillip asks.
I shrug. “I have nothing to complain about.” I set my water glass down. “I’m preparing to visit some of their teams on location—two up north within the Artic Circle and one in rural West Virginia. Then I’m heading to Venezuela and Bolivia. Those visits should give me an idea of the different realities our teams work in.”
“I didn’t know you were going on any trips,” Jack says with his brow furrowed.
I nod. “I have a pretty generous travel budget, and Frank thinks it would be a good idea for me to get a feel for some of the challenges the teams encounter.”
“I can tell you about that, and then you won’t have to travel,” Jack says.
“Why wouldn’t she want to travel?” Trish asks.
“These aren’t casual vacation spots,” he explains.
I shake my head. “Who do you think I am?” I ask. “I have no problem hiking in twenty kilometers to see what it looks like and sleeping on a dirty floor.”
“The teams in Bolivia and Venezuela both had a doctor kidnapped last year and held for ransom. Did you know that?”
I nod like I did, but I didn’t. Still, I’m not about to give him the upper hand here. He’s not in charge of what I do. “Nothing is set in stone. I’ve been looking over my options. I’m hoping to get to Inuvik in the Northern Territory late next week. If I want to go north, I need to do it now before the fall when the area closes to outsiders.”
“Do they have sunlight year around?” Trish asks.
“They do,” I assure her. “And they have a long-term team attached to the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. I want to meet Margaret Rainbird. She runs the program for WMC, and she’ll be my first interview.”
“That sounds so exciting.” Trish’s eyes sparkle.
“I understand you were asked to do more work for the Vancouver Sun ,” Phillip says.
I smile. “I was. The positive feedback from the Abdo articles was generous, and they’re interested in more feel-good stories.”
“But they haven’t offered her a job,” Jack says.
“Actually, the job at WMC is my dream job,” I counter. “I’m going to have tons of creative freedom, and it’s a great cause. Plus, I can live anywhere. I love this part of the province, so maybe I should look around here. My predecessor lived in Calgary.”
“Are you really thinking about moving?” Trish asks, concern in her eyes.
I shrug. “I’m not sure yet. The lease on my apartment is up in five months, and maybe it’s time to spread my wings.”
“You can’t leave Vancouver,” Trish says.
“There are telephones, and we can FaceTime or Zoom every single day. Phillip’s going to take good care of you.”
Phillip’s brow furrows. “But I thought you and Jack—”
“Jack and I are friends,” I inform everyone firmly.
Jack looks like he just drank a giant glass of spoiled milk.
I change the subject, as I’m not interested in hashing this out right now. “Tell me about our itinerary for the weekend,” I urge.
Phillip and Trish glow as they explain the quiet evening planned for tonight as everyone arrives. We’ll have hot chocolate and s’mores by the fire.
“I did an emergency run over the border to buy a case of graham crackers,” Phillip says.
I laugh. They can be really hard to find in Canada, but they’re so good with toasted marshmallows and chocolate.
“Did Trish tell you how we used to make them after school?” I ask.
Phillip shakes his head, and Trish buries her head in her hands.
“We used Nutella and marshmallow cream. They weren’t as good, but Trish’s dad got mad at us when we dropped marshmallows in his expensive barbecue. We couldn’t make them the regular way after that.”
Trish groans. “Oh man. It cost him a couple thousand dollars to get it fixed. He was so mad at us.”
We both laugh.
We enjoy our lunch without lingering too long, and eventually, we make it to the cabin. Phillip shows us our rooms, but he looks a little unsure when he turns to me.
“I’m in one of the bunk-bed rooms,” I remind him.
“Right.” He points down the hall. “Follow me.”
“Trish thought the beds might not be stable?” I ask as he opens up the room. “Should I just sleep on the floor?”
“Nah, they’re built in. But she probably thought that because I go back and forth about taking them out to make this a room with a king- or queen-sized bed.”
“Oh. So, I’m good with any bed?”
“I don’t know about the top bunks, but certainly, the bottom ones should be fine to sleep in—no hanky-panky though.”
“That’s not an issue. Thanks.”
“I really wish Jack would pull his head out of his ass.”
I smile. “Maybe that’s what he did when we broke up last year.”
“I don’t—”
“Phillip, he’s one of your closest friends. Don’t worry about this right now, and if for any reason you’re uncomfortable, I will leave. Not Jack. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position.”
Phillip shakes his head. “Of course, you’re welcome here. I don’t want you to leave, and you can sleep wherever you want, with or without whomever you want. So please enjoy your stay. I hope it’s the first of many.”
I nod. “Thank you. Let’s celebrate Allison and Henry. It should be a fun weekend.”