Chapter 22
T hey got to the gates of Dreamland around ten thirty a.m., which Charlotte considered a triumph considering how they’d already led entire lives since they left for the airport before four that morning. She was a pro at exiting the airport and stepping directly into a theme park, but it was Gregory’s first time.
“This is it, we did it!” she exclaimed as they approached the entrance. “Do you have your ticket pulled up in the app?”
Gregory nodded, his gaze focused dead ahead with intensity.
“Hey,” Charlotte said, slowing down her purposeful walk, “do you need a minute? We can go sit down over there and rest before we head in.”
“Thank you, but no, I’m okay, it’s a little overwhelming is all. I figured I could ground myself by focusing on one spot in the distance.”
“Like people do so they won’t get motion sickness?”
“Yes, exactly that.”
“So Dreamland is making your body feel ill or?”
Gregory groaned. “No, that’s not—”
“I’m kidding, Gregory.”
“Oh.”
“I know it can be a lot. Even I feel that way sometimes.”
“You do?”
“Definitely. You should see the park in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s too much even for theme park pros. Wall-to-wall people, super-long wait times for rides and food, basically a zoo.”
“Why do people come at that time, then?” Gregory asked.
They’d made it near the beginning of the line to get in at this point. “Because it’s magical and decorated and they make memories,” Charlotte answered. “Now, scan your ticket here and put your index finger here—don’t forget which finger you used, otherwise it’s a pain later.”
Both of them successfully entered and then Gregory pulled out his notebook and wrote something down.
“A note already?” she asked.
“I wrote down which finger I used,” Gregory said, in a voice so serious that Charlotte cracked up and couldn’t get a hold of herself.
“What?” Gregory asked. “You said it was important!”
Charlotte wiped a tear from her eye. “Nothing,” she said between giggles. “We’ve been awake since an ungodly hour so everything’s hilarious, including you not trusting yourself to remember which finger you used. Now, I have an idea of what to do first, if you can trust me?”
Gregory turned his body to face her fully and receiving the force of his full attention was like being hit by a wave—a wave with piercing green eyes. He said, “I trust you.”
Charlotte gulped her heart back into place and tried not to look as flustered as she felt. And given that Gregory was trusting her, she moved Twisting Teacups with its spinning cups down the list until they had time to fully digest their breakfast. Besides, she was eager to take Gregory through Exploration Isle, the area of Dreamland themed to look like a wild jungle, complete with crumbling ruins.
Her list of must-dos rattled in her head:
· Make sure they went on at least one ride in each themed area
· For sure take Gregory on Sullivan Slade’s Adventure and show him every detail in the queue
· Stop by the zoetrope
· Get the largest popcorn possible
· Snag seats for the evening parade
“This way, then. We’ll walk up Main Street and head to the left,” she said, starting in that direction. “This park is obviously much bigger than Lands but the layout isn’t dissimilar. This type of design is called hub-and-spoke, with a central hub and pathways reaching out like—” “Charlotte?” Gregory interrupted.
“Hmm?”
“As always—well, most of the time—I appreciate your passion, but we’ve discussed the hub-and-spoke design before,” he said in a patient voice.
“We have?” She looked sideways at Gregory and caught his grin.
“Yeah, you put it in a presentation so I would remember it,” he said. Then his eyes softened. “But you can tell me again if you want.”
“Well, if I put it in a presentation, then I know it’s locked into your brain, but I appreciate your offering to hear it again. It’s such an obvious and clever design for moving people!” Charlotte said.
They’d emerged past the shops and restaurant on Main Street, the buildings leveraging forced perception to appear taller than they were, to the hub. Before they stepped toward Exploration Isle, Gregory took Charlotte by the elbow and pulled her off to the side of the path. She glanced down at his fingers wrapped around her arm, soft skin against hers, sending warmth through her entire body. He let his hand linger despite already catching her attention.
Charlotte raised her eyebrows at him. “Yes?”
“Before we get too far into your meticulously planned itinerary—and don’t try to pretend you don’t have a list running through your head right now,” he said with affection, “I want to hear everything you have in mind, but I did some research and reading on my own, and we need to make sure to visit Hidden Jungle today.”
His words pierced through Charlotte’s skin and struck an ooey-gooey core she wasn’t aware she had. Hidden Jungle, a pocket-sized extension of Exploration Isle, wasn’t an overly remarkable section of the park. It was a quiet place to get away from the crowds, get a bite, and soak in the ambiance of the nearby Jungle River Cruise ride. Hidden Jungle had no reason to be on Gregory’s radar, except for the not-so-minor detail that it was one of her final projects before DreamUs ended her employment. She and her team poured an outsized effort into the area, pulling in obscure elements of DreamUs parks lore to make it compelling for die-hard fans and stretching every cent of the budget.
Gregory making it a must-do touched her.
“Hidden Jungle, huh?” she asked.
Gregory gave her a mischievous sideways glance. “Yeah, I read on Melanie’s blog that the bao is not to be missed.”
Charlotte arched an eyebrow.
“And,” Gregory continued, “I know a certain Dream Mechanic who worked on it and seemed, from interviews, to be pretty proud of that area.”
“I see,” Charlotte preened. “She sounds pretty cool.”
Gregory stopped walking and faced her, his face solemn. “She is.”
There went that ooey-gooey core again. He’d watched interviews of her gushing about Hidden Jungle. She lifted her hand to touch Gregory’s, still on her elbow. “Thank you. Also, I’m proud of you.”
“For what?”
“You avoided committing the most egregious theme park foul of them all: stopping in the middle of a walking area. I didn’t even have to remind you.” Charlotte pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.
Gregory chuckled. “I do pay attention, you know! I wrote that rule down ages ago.”
His smile was so earnest, the light crinkles Charlotte so adored forming around his eyes and his mouth. She couldn’t help it; she leaned in and hugged him. Only a quick one, an impulsive burst of affection. She pulled away before he could say anything, but he’d reacted to the hug instantaneously, wrapping his arms around Charlotte where they belonged.
Where they belonged, Charlotte mused. Maybe that thought was on the theatrical side, but maybe, just maybe, it was exactly right.
She looked up as she turned and held out her hand. “Shall we?”
Gregory put his hand in hers and let her guide him.
They didn’t hold hands beyond Charlotte pulling Gregory in the right direction, but even that few seconds made warmth wash over her. You are not a teenager, Charlotte thought. Control yourself!
She brought them to the entry of one of her favorite rides, and pointed at the sign. “Let’s start here. The line will only get longer.”
“Sullivan Slade’s Adventure, huh? Isn’t that based on one of the biggest IPs in the world?” Gregory asked, a confused expression on his face.
“Yes, and I love those movies.” Charlotte noticed him taking out his notebook again. “Gregory, you look like a reporter about to grill me.”
He shrugged. “I do have questions.”
“I don’t know if I’ve had enough coffee for this.”
“Buy you a cup after the ride?”
Charlotte considered the offer. “Okay. Fire away.”
“So, I thought IPs were a big bad and you didn’t like seeing them in theme parks. Loathed it, even. The heated discussions we’ve all had about Heroic Patrol would support this.”
“Ugh. I cannot with Heroic Patrol today, Gregory. We are escaping! But, what you said is both true and not true,” Charlotte answered as they reached the end of other people waiting in line. “Rides or even whole lands themed around a movie, book, game, whatever aren’t inherently terrible. In the right place with thought and care, and if Peak Fusion weren’t gross, a Heroic Patrol land could be cute. When the level of immersion is right and the designers and engineers are fans who nail every detail, it can be incredible. This ride is a fantastic example of an IP done right—it’s in Exploration Isle and it makes me feel like I’m on an adventure with Sullivan Slade and that I’m with him in scenes of a new story—”
“Hey, no ride spoilers,” Gregory interrupted.
“I would never,” Charlotte said, hand to her chest. “May I continue?”
Gregory extended his hand in a “please go ahead” gesture.
“Thank you,” Charlotte nodded her head at him, smirking. “Rides or lands that build upon the placemaking and themes of an IP can be glorious. On the other hand, sometimes it’s shoehorned in or it feels like an easy way out. Say, for example, creatives have an idea for an exciting original ride unlike anything else in a theme park. They get excited, put together presentations, and throw in all kinds of innovation. But then executives who control the budget either say an outright no or ask them to make so many compromises the idea isn’t special anymore. Maybe those executives will then say, ‘Why don’t you design a ride around ‘insert popular character or movie here’?’ Or they’ll see what IP-based rides in other parks are doing well and clone them. That’s when it feels like throwing a logo on a ride for no reason, disingenuous and like an obvious cash grab.”
“Isn’t it always a cash grab? These places are businesses,” Gregory said.
“True, but there’s a way to do it that makes it about the guest and what they’ll feel and experience, and not just the IP for the sake of the IP. Know what I mean?”
“I think I do,” he answered.
Charlotte continued, “And then with a place like Lands of Legend, it would feel exceptionally fake because it’s a homegrown, handmade park. Even if we look at a family-friendly IP featuring the themes of the park—which totally exists—adding it would feel like we’ve done it for the sake of making money. Heroic Patrol , for example, seems more of the shoehorned, cash-grab variety of IP. Does a superpowered mermaid really have the right vibe for Under the Waves and Lands?”
She didn’t pause to check Gregory’s reaction. “And yes, I know Lands needs to make money to stay stable and open for years to come, but bringing in more people with our own ideas, ones like Under the Waves and the Faery Festival, feels authentic. It upholds the world we want to create for our guests.”
“As usual, that was enlightening,” Gregory said, pen scratching on notebook paper. He glanced up at Charlotte, something she couldn’t quite place in his eyes. Before she could ask him about it, he pulled his phone from his pocket, scowling as he cleared a notification.
“Everything okay?” Charlotte asked.
He put his notebook away and then leaned back against the queue’s railing, themed to look like lashed leaves of tropical plants, and sighed. “Yeah, it’s fine. It’s Ian demanding an update on our response to Peak Fusion.”
“You know I understand family obligations related to business, but I vote for muting his texts until we get back.”
“That might make him reach out to Emily instead.”
Charlotte made a face. “Then answer if you must.”
Gregory tapped at his phone. “I let him know I’m in the middle of important research that will help me provide an informed response.”
“Proud of you. And I have another suggestion. Pass me your notebook?” Gregory narrowed his eyes but obliged, and Charlotte unzipped her backpack and tucked it inside. “It will be here safe and sound for you tomorrow, but for today, no more notes.”
“How will I remember everything?”
“Because you’re living it.” And, Charlotte thought, she’d remember everything because she was there with Gregory for the first time.
“I think it’s kind of become my emotional support notebook, though?”
“As someone who makes emotional support lists, I understand and I promise to give it back if the situation seems desperate.”
They shuffled ahead and when the line paused again, they each leaned on the queue railing. They faced each other, Charlotte’s feet staggered with his, toes almost touching. He nudged her shoe with his. “Thanks for putting this together. I would never have pictured myself here and now I’m excited.”
Charlotte glowed at the comment and at the earnestness on Gregory’s face. The ends of his hair curled in different directions in the light humidity and his eyes were shining. “Gregory Binns, ready to play in a theme park—who would have thought?”
“Well, I’ve had an excellent teacher who helped me understand how cool theme parks are. Plus we’re outside and do you see the foliage in this queue?” Gregory pointed at a leafy green plant and called out its scientific name like it was a friend. Charlotte adored it when he let go enough to be a big nerd.
She crossed over to lean on the rail beside Gregory. “Can I ask you something?”
He nodded. “You can. And it doesn’t seem like the line is moving, so we have time.”
“Do you think you’d ever go back to school and try to be a park ranger?”
“Oh. Just some casual existential theme park chatter, then.”
She poked his foot with hers. “You said I could ask.”
“I did. And I don’t know. I can’t say that going back to college as a thirty-two-year-old sounds appealing. But seeing you and your uncle embracing your passion does make me realize I need to stop going with the flow so much, because the flow is going to sweep me away and I’m going to look up and another eight years will have passed with Ever Fund. I don’t want that.”
Charlotte leaned closer until their arms touched. “Luckily it’s never too late to find your way or discover new possibilities; I think the most important thing is being open to anything, and as far as I can tell, you are open.”
One corner of Gregory’s mouth lifted in a shy smile. “I try to be. I’ve learned so much these last few months. Without Ever Fund and Mom sending me to Lands, just think, I never would have known the difference between theme parks and amusement parks and how much more I like the former.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed my time at Lands.”
“I could take that the wrong way,” Charlotte joked, “but I hear you. I didn’t expect much from you when you showed up. You in your suit. You’ve settled in and I can see that you care.”
“I do. I know I’m an outsider and basically the face of money, but I do want Lands of Legend to succeed for your family. And for you.” He all but whispered the last part.
Charlotte put her hand on the side of her face in mock surprise. “Gregory! Do you think theme parks could be becoming your new thing?”
She was mostly kidding, but Gregory leaned down and whispered in her ear, his soft breath sending a vibrating chill down her back. “Actually, they might be.”
“Oh hey,” he said, “Looks like the line is moving again.” He nodded toward the widening gap between them and the people in front of them.
Charlotte shuffled forward, noting the way her pulse raced at her thinking about a possible future with Gregory, one where they ran Lands of Legend. One that wasn’t possible given her current hopes for the DreamUs job in Paris.