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"It is," Ruth said "I’rateful to have the two of you withalone"
Bethanne smiled Annie had added spontaneity and adventure to the trip If it’d just been Ruth and Bethanne, she would’ve gladly followed her ht?" Ruth asked, unfolding the est?" Bethanne asked
"Has I think our best bet is Ely Maybe Annie could check the internet for a hotel and make a reservation"
"Good idea," Bethanne inserted
"How far is Ely froh calculating the distance "I’d say about three or four hours"
"That’ll make nine hours in the car, Ruth," Bethanne said, a bit concerned "Is that too long for you?"
"It’s fine," Ruth insisted
"Let’s stop in Wells and pick up lunch and find soested "There’s all kinds of small lakes, but I heard someone mention one called Snow Water Lake I don’t remember who, but they said it was absolutely pristine We could have a picnic there"
"Sounds like a great plan," Ruth concurred "I’d like to stretch reed, content to let Annie handle the details
They purchased sandwiches, sodas and chips in Wells, Nevada, and turned off the interstate onto Highway 93 They gassed up there, too Bethanne decided to continue driving The car turned over a couple of ti, which worried her, but she didn’t have a proble; it was a relief not to have to deal with so much traffic She drove at a moderate speed and absorbed what she could of the scenery
"I do prefer highway travel over the interstate," Ruth said after a while "There’s erated shudder "I can only iet if Grant or Robin ever heard about this"
"I’onna have to tell Dad we’re in Vegas, though," Annie said
Despite the thought of Grant’s disapproval, Bethanne suess what he’d say once he learned that they were visiting Sin City And while she was there, Bethanne fully intended to have fun She wasn’t ambler, but there’d be shows to see and casinos to visit She’d heard so much about them The Wynn, Mandalay Bay, the Venetian…
"Can we spend as?" Annie asked
"We can take as long as we like with one stipulation," Ruth told her "I have to be in Florida before my reunion"
"No problem, Grandma I’ll make sure we’re exactly where you need to be with time to spare"
Bethanne wasn’t quite sure how Annie had taken over their itinerary, but she didn’t object And apparently neither did Ruth Although she’d hoped to have a chance to think, consider her options, decide what she really wanted, it felt good to sihter and mother-in-law Ex- on either the home front or at the office She’d talked to Julia and been assured that all ell at Parties
As for Grant… Reuniting with him wasn’t a decision she had to ive them six months to become reacquainted In six ressed What she found most difficult was how badly her fao back to Grant In a perfect world she’d fall in love with her ex-husband again and they’d all return to being the ideal family they’d once been Except maybe it hadn’t been so ideal… Besides, this was far fro Annie and Ruth happy
She wasn’t sure how long they drove; she didn’t look at the dashboard clock or her watch The scenery was engaging and kept her attention Thankfully, the rental car was air-conditioned because the Nevada heat was brutal, even in the mountains
"Okay, Mo theup soon"
Bethanne would have missed the arrow if Ruth hadn’t pointed it out "How far is the lake frohway onto the narrow paved road
"It’s hard to tell on the map, but it can’t be more than a few h she had to wonder if they were heading toward a designated picnic area or invading personal property Well, they’d find out soon enough
Minutes later, they reached the lake There wasn’t a picnic table--or a picnicker--in sight They saw the reo, but no other evidence of anyone’s presence Using the hood of the car as a table, Ruth spread out their feast and they stood in the shade and ate their sandwiches and chips Lingering over sodas, Annie and Bethanne walked along the lakeshore
Annie removed her shoes and waded in the water "Wow, this is cold"
"It isn’t called Snow Water Lake for nothing," Bethanne teased
"Come on in, Moe, splashing onto the shore
Although they’d been out of the car for less than thirtyon the sand at the lake’s edge, she slipped off her shoes and waded ankle-deep into the chilly water After the initial shock she quickly grew accustoot up and, with her arh the water
"I should probably call Dad," Annie said "He’ll want to knoe’ve changed our plans"
Bethanne didn’t co, didn’t he?" Annie asked "We can sit together as a faiven Grant her final answer "I suppose"
"Good" Annie rested her head on Bethanne’s shoulder "I want us to be a faain"
"I know you do, honey," Bethanne said in a soothing voice "Annie, you have your own life now Your own place, a pro future… And your dad and I both love you"
"Yeah But nothing’s been the same since Dad one through a second divorce, Bethanne added to herself The man who’d walked out the door wasn’t the saed, and Bethanne wasn’t sure either of the; she didn’t know