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  They’d hardly spoken to one another about anything that mattered, yet Paxton found herself happy at the thought of getting into a car with Chris and driving for hours upon hours. She had no real reason to be happy about that, but she was happy, nonetheless. She smiled at herself in the mirror more, because leaving this apartment behind was the first real step in this new part of her journey.

  ◆◆◆

  “What did you think of the fish throwing?” Paxton asked just after they’d gotten outside of the city.

  “It was kind of funny. Very weird. I have no idea how they do that,” Chris replied with a chuckle. “Fish are slimy, aren’t they?”

  “Not all fish, and not when they’re frozen,” Paxton replied.

  “Thanks for taking me,” Chris said.

  “What did you think of my hometown?”

  “I like Seattle. I can see myself coming back for a visit someday.”

  Chris leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and looking ahead at the road. Paxton turned to glance at her for a second before doing the same.

  “Is South Lake your hometown?”

  “You mean, was I born there?” Chris asked, turning her head to Paxton.

  “Yeah. You know I’m from Seattle. Are you from South Lake, or did you move there?”

  “I moved to South Lake right before I turned twenty-one. I grew up in Yerington, Nevada, which is a town no one has heard of, ever. It’s probably still less than ten thousand people. There’s basically nothing there,” she said.

  “What brought you to Tahoe?” Paxton asked, taking the turn onto the highway.

  “That’s a long story.” Chris sighed.

  “We have the next three days, Chris,” Paxton replied.

  “Things were going so well, Pax. Why ruin them by talking?” Chris asked, but Paxton knew it was a rhetorical question.

  Paxton turned up the music, allowing that to show Chris she’d taken the hint. They drove in the car for two hours before Chris announced she needed to go to the bathroom. Paxton used the in-car GPS to help her identify if there was somewhere they could stop that was a little better than a gas station. Fortunately, there was a name she recognized from the list of small hotels and B&Bs she researched before she left. She’d found at least five worth stopping at along their drive. Chris said she could hold it for another half an hour or so. When they finally pulled up to the B&B, it was clear that Chris needed to go now. They made their way inside the small establishment, where Chris instantly went looking for a bathroom.

  The front desk wasn’t occupied, and in lieu of hitting the bell to let the proprietor know she was there, she decided to look around. The place was a little larger than hers. The lobby was off to the left. There was a comfy looking sofa, and floor to ceiling bookshelves were lining the back wall. Tables with a couple of old-looking yet still comfortable-looking chairs finished the room. Chris had disappeared through that room, looking for a bathroom. Paxton followed Chris’s path through an open doorway into a small dining area that was smaller than her own. It only housed four tables and was empty.

  “The kitchen’s through there,” Chris said when she emerged from what must have been the bathroom. “I saw it on my way back out. It’s pretty tiny. I’m not sure they can fit more than two people in there at a time. That kind of limits what they can do food-wise here.”

  “Yeah?” Paxton asked.

  “Plus, I haven’t seen a soul since we got here. The parking lot is pretty sparse, too. I’m not sure we should model what we’re doing after this place.” Her eyes got big. “What you are doing. I meant what you’re doing.”

  “Chris, we’re in this together. I mean, literally. We’re in this place together.” Paxton motioned around them. “And we’re trying to build something together.”

  Chris looked down at her hands and said, “We should get going before someone spots us and asks if we’re checking in.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  They got back in the car and hit the road. Paxton wondered what was going on with Chris because the woman was still relatively silent. They talked about the music on the radio, about the traffic, and about the weather, but that was about it for the next four hours. That was when Paxton pulled them over to stay for the night. It was a small, family-owned hotel, with fifteen guest rooms. It didn’t have a restaurant, but it had outstanding reviews online. Paxton wanted to know what it was that they were doing right.

  “Welcome. Checking in?” the woman behind the front desk asked Paxton.

  “We don’t have a reservation. I was hoping you still had something available,” Paxton said.

  “You’re actually really lucky; we had a cancelation about an hour ago,” the woman said. “I have one queen suite available.”

  “Only one?” Chris chimed in.

  “Yes. Did you need two rooms?” the woman asked.

  “Yes.” Chris moved to stand beside Paxton.

  Paxton tried not to take that personally and added, “You said suite, right?”

  “Yes. It’s a queen bedroom, but it has a pull-out sofa. Would that work for you?”

  “I’ve been driving all day, Chris. I want to grab some dinner and get some rest. I’ll sleep on the pull-out, okay?”

  “Sure.” Chris nodded.

  They checked in and carried their bags up the single staircase to their room, since it was on the second floor. Paxton unlocked the door using an actual key, which she hadn’t done in years. When they walked in, Paxton tried to put herself into the mindset of a hotel owner instead of merely a guest. The room was overly large, which was nice. There was a small living room off to the right, along with a sink and a microwave. Paxton guessed there was a mini-fridge in one of the cabinets under the sink. To the left were the bed and bathroom. The bed wasn’t in a separate room. It was just sitting against the wall, with two bedside tables on either side. She’d expected a wall separating the living room from the bedroom, but they’d make do. Chris placed her bags next to the sofa and stretched. Paxton stood there, watching the woman who was wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt for the long drive. As Chris lifted her arms over her head, Paxton caught sight of the skin between the pants and the shirt. While Chris hadn’t mentioned anything to her about working out, it was clear that her job waiting tables and running around for hours at a time had done her a lot of favors.

  “What do you want for dinner?” Chris asked, turning back to her.

  “Oh, I don’t care. Anything is fine.”

  “I saw a diner down the road. Want to take a walk? Might be nice getting out of the car for a while.”

  Paxton nodded. They freshened up a little and left the room. Paxton made notes of the wallpaper and patterned hotel carpet. She really wanted to avoid that in her place, but every hotel she’d ever stayed in had had the patterned carpet, which didn’t show wear and tear as much as regular carpet. She made some other mental notes. Then, she held the door open for Chris as they made their way outside.

  “You do that a lot, you know?” Chris asked.

  “Do what?”

  “Open doors for me,” she replied.

  “Is that a problem?” Paxton chuckled.

  “No,” Chris stated plainly.

  They walked on for about half a mile without a word. The street wasn’t a particularly busy one, but there were cars moving steadily past them as they made their way along the sidewalk.

  “Chris?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why’d you move to Tahoe?” Paxton tried again.

  “Why does it matter, Pax?”

  “Because we’re in this together, remember? I’d like to know more about you.”

  Chris sighed and replied, “My parents died, okay?”

  Paxton turned her head toward Chris at the same time she slid her hands into her pockets. She didn’t know what to say to that or how to react. She supposed that no one really knew.

  “That’s why Wes lives with you?”

  �
��They were killed when I was twenty and away at school. Wes was a kid then. He’s still a kid now, but this was eleven years ago.”

  “And you had to go home to take care of him?”

  “There wasn’t anyone else. Look, when I said before that it’s a long story, I meant it. It really is a long story. It’s not a particularly happy one, either. Are you sure you even want to hear it?”

  “I’d like to if you want to tell me. You don’t have to, though, Chris. It’s up to you.”

  “My mom’s family was in a cult in the middle of the desert, okay?” Chris stated. “My grandmother was one of thirteen wives to the leader of the cult. My mom was raised there. She was fourteen when they were about to marry her off to some man who was three times her age. She wanted to run but didn’t know how or where to go. My dad’s family lived in the town they used to go into for supplies. He was sixteen at the time. She told him one day that she wanted to leave. He told his parents. They helped her escape. Five years later, my mom and dad got married. I came along after that. They thought I’d be their only kid. Then, my mom got pregnant with Wes.”

  “That is a long story. I’m guessing you shortened it a bit, though,” Paxton replied.

  “Yes, it felt longer living it.”

  “Can I ask how they died, or should I not?”

  “Carbon monoxide poisoning. They fell asleep one night and never woke up. Wes was at a sleepover that night. I was at school. I moved home right after and left school when I realized I needed to take care of him. My dad’s parents had died before Wes was born, and my mom’s parents were obviously not coming anywhere near my little brother. My mom had a lot of half-brothers and sisters, but they also weren’t going anywhere near Wes. My dad was an only child. There was only me. I couldn’t find work back home, and I knew Tahoe was a safe place to live and that I could probably find a job waiting tables or giving tours or something. We moved here, rented a tiny one-bedroom apartment at first, and then we moved where we are now. That’s the story.” Chris exhaled deeply. “And we’re here.” She pointed to the restaurant to her left. “I’m starving.”

  CHAPTER 11

  There were people who knew Chris’s life story, but not many. Fewer knew the whole story. She’d left out the cult part to most people. It always caused them to ask more questions than she had answers for. She’d been born long after that part of her mother’s life, and thankfully for her, her mother had left for her own safety. As she sat in the diner, looking across at Paxton who was looking at the table-sized jukebox that made the place feel very much retro, she wondered why Paxton hadn’t asked any other questions. They sat down, they’d ordered, they’d eaten and were now waiting for their check, but Paxton hadn’t said anything more to her about her story. She’d laughed as the waiter had made a joke. She’d gone to the bathroom. She’d come back to the table with a tiny container of mouthwash she’d bought in the bathroom vending machine solely because she thought the tiny container was cute and she had to have it. Chris just couldn’t figure this woman out.

  ◆◆◆

  “Sorry,” Paxton said when she bumped into Chris.

  “Sorry,” Chris said back.

  Paxton was trying to get to the sofa while Chris had been trying to get to the bathroom. They passed one another awkwardly. Paxton was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with the Washington Huskies logo on the front. Chris was wearing an old t-shirt she’d gotten from Donoto’s when she’d played on the softball team three years prior, and the same pair of yoga pants she’d been wearing all day. She brushed her teeth, her hair, and finished doing everything in the bathroom. Her hair was still wet from her shower, but she had no intention of drying it. She passed Paxton again on the way to the bed. Paxton had already pulled out the bed from the sofa and had the extra blanket the hotel provided lying on top of her.

  “Good night, Chris.”

  “Night,” Chris replied.

  She climbed into bed, pulling the scratchy comforter up to her neck. Then, she fell asleep.

  ◆◆◆

  They spent the morning in the hotel room, packing up their things but also looking at the space and everything inside it, trying to figure out if they should include anything from this room in rooms of their own. Paxton took some pictures. Chris looked at the books and magazines provided by the hotel. Since the place didn’t have its own restaurant, the owners offered delivery from the diner they’d been to the previous night as well as another local place for a small fee. Chris knew people could just order online through one of the many food delivery services for cheaper, and they likely did, which meant the hotel was out that delivery revenue. They loaded up the car soon after they grabbed coffee and pastries from the coffee place on the way out of town.

  “We obviously have the added benefit of knowing Morgan. She’ll hook us up with her tour guides that we can then offer from the hotel at a discount,” Paxton said. “I think the restaurant is key, too. If we can keep guests inside the hotel, spending money, we make more. Pretty simple.”

  “You keep saying we a lot,” Chris said.

  “I told you, we’re–”

  “No, I don’t mean you and me. I mean that it sounds like you’re planning for the future, but a future you’ll be involved in, Pax. Does this mean you’re not selling it?” Chris asked her.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I’m enjoying this whole thing. I think I’d like to see how it goes in the beginning, maybe.”

  “That means you’ll be sticking around Tahoe for a while, then,” Chris replied.

  “I guess so.” Paxton smiled at her.

  They pulled over at two more small hotels like Paxton’s. They ate lunch at the first one while they questioned the proprietor about the other things the hotel offered. He was a kind old man, who volunteered a lot of details while he refilled their iced teas. The second place was a hotel that was slightly larger, with thirty guest rooms, but Paxton wanted Chris to check out the flow of the restaurant. They ate dinner there before they drove another hundred miles or so to arrive at their last stop of the night. Paxton had called the hotel earlier so as not to make the mistake she’d made the previous night. She’d made a reservation for two adjoining rooms.

  For some reason, Chris was disappointed.

  They checked in and went up the elevator to their rooms. This hotel was a Camden property. It had over one hundred rooms, a bar, a restaurant, and all the other more modern amenities, including an indoor pool. It was after nine when they made it inside their rooms and said goodnight. Chris called Wes to check on him. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, feeling exhausted, despite not having driven a single mile today at Paxton’s insistence. Around eleven, she still wasn’t getting to sleep. She threw back the blanket and decided to take her restless body for a walk.

  She made her way down to the lobby. Then, she turned at the front desk to walk down the narrow hall that she knew led out to the parking lot. She passed the business center, decided to check her email, since she had nothing else to do, and when she finished and stood, Chris heard a splash coming from nearby. She knew the pool was close and decided maybe she’d sit out by it for a while until she felt like going to sleep. When she made her way to the glass door leading to the pool, she noticed one woman in the water. She opened the door and sat in one of the chairs at the provided tables surrounding the pool. Chris watched the woman swim with near perfect form before she lifted her head out of the water and Chris realized who she’d been watching.

  “Pax?”

  “Oh, hey.” Paxton made her way to the side of the pool, putting both of her arms on the side and resting her chin on her arms. “Couldn’t sleep?”

  “No. You?”

  “This was the first place that had a pool. I thought I’d take advantage of it. I haven’t gotten to swim regularly in a while.”

  “You have good form,” Chris said and squeezed her eyes together in embarrassment. “I mean, I just saw you on that last lap back; it looked like it was good form.”

/>   “Do you swim?” Paxton asked.

  “I did in high school. I wasn’t bad.”

  “How not bad were you?” Paxton asked.

  “I placed third at state my senior year.”

  “Damn, Chris. That’s called being really good.” Paxton pushed off from the wall.

  “You?” Chris smiled at her.

  “I swam in college. Well, for two years. I messed up my shoulder and couldn’t compete anymore, but I still swim for fun whenever I can,” Paxton replied. “What was your race?”

  “Fifty, free.”

  “Speed demon, huh?” Paxton asked as she stood in the middle of the pool with the water coming up to just above her breasts. “I was the four hundred, free. But I did some short distance butterfly, too.”

  “How good were you?”

  “State champ senior year. That’s how I got my scholarship,” Paxton replied.

  “Of course, you were the state champ,” Chris said and leaned forward in her chair.

  “We should race sometime,” Paxton suggested.

  “I’d say we could do it now, but I’m not exactly dressed for it, and I didn’t bring a suit.”

  “There’s an extra in my car. That’s where I got this one from. We’re about the same size.”

  “You want to race me?” Chris asked with a lifted eyebrow.

  “Why not?”

  “All right, Champ. I’ll grab the keys and change. Give me ten minutes.”

  “It’s in the blue bag in the trunk. Side pocket.”

  Chris couldn’t believe what she was doing. She grabbed Paxton’s car keys from the table, went out to the parking lot, opened the trunk, and quickly found the one-piece suit. It was the same kind as the one Paxton had on, only a different color. She made her way back inside, found the restroom off the lobby, and changed into the suit. She slid her shorts over it but didn’t bother putting on a shirt. When she got to the pool, Paxton was underwater, swimming to the end nearest to her. Chris stripped off the shorts, tossed all her things and Paxton’s keys on the table, and dove into the side of the pool. When she broke the surface of the water, she opened her eyes and caught Paxton staring at her. She swam in her direction.