by Eva Morian
With both seatbelts buckled, Simon began the drive down the sleepy road and towards the picturesque town below. He looked over at her momentarily, “There are a few handcraft stores. There’s also an arts district and a few diners. From the pictures I’ve seen, it looks like a cute little town.” He said.
Handcraft shops were number one on Cherish’s list. She always wanted to get little rocking chairs made for the kids when they were a little older. The thought of them rocking in their little chairs, babbling to one another, and reading books was the image of perfection in her eyes. The gleeful expression showed on her face as she nodded to herself. Yes, she needed it in her life.
Pausing, he rose a brow as a suggestive smirk appeared on his features. He could sense her answer to the next suggestion, “Or…we could always go snowmobiling.”
Looking at him, she narrowed her eyes instantly at him as she tilted her head, “No. No, no, hell no. I am not going missing in a ravine in a fiery pit of hell. It’s beautiful, but I’ve had enough snow.” She replied. Stretching her arms outwards, she tightened her hands into fists and smiled to herself, “I can’t wait to be back in the warm climate. Maybe then, I’ll be able to thaw out parts of me that have been permanently frozen since we landed.” She said rubbing her head.
Simon gave an eyeroll. He’d heard how hellish Colorado was at least a dozen times since they’d arrived, and it was clear that she would rather appreciate a more tropical destination for a vacation, “Oh? And what places are frozen?” he asked with a suggestive smirk.
She bit on her bottom lip as she slowly cut her glance in his direction, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” she asked in a tone that matched his.
Simon smirked to her in response. They neared the welcome sign to town, “Would you like to go to an island for our next family vacation?” he asked.
Her body turned towards him as she pressed her side against the chair, “Hm, an island? I don’t know I was thinking somewhere like Las Vegas and without the kids. A nice hot, dry climate…” She shook her fists before cupping along her jaw and cheeks, “…what I’ve give to be hot right now.” She stated peering out of the windshield, “Where would you want to go?”
Smirking broadly, he chuckled under his breath as he turned a corner, “Antarctica.” He lied quickly.
Cherish threw her head back and mocked a laugh, “AHA! You’re going there by yourself.” She quipped in return.
Reaching over, he turned the heaters on her and set her seat warmer to max. If she wanted to be stifling, then he would do it for her, “You know, it would help if you put on your jacket…”
She bit her bottom lip and resisted the urge to touch along his hair, “If I wear the jacket, I sweat and freeze. If I don’t wear the jacket I freeze. Either way, I’m going to freeze! So, what do you want me to do! Sit in the hot tub until it’s time to fly off in the frigid blue sky?” she questioned with a laugh.
Simon narrowed his eyes slightly, “The hot tub until we leave? I wouldn’t mind that.”
Cherish looked upwards and to the side as she contemplated and replayed what she said, “I’m sorry…who said anything about you being with me?” she asked with an incredulous look only to met with him pointing to himself.
Within moments they were riding down a quaint, decorative street full of charm and simple shops. As they passed by the brightly painted buildings lined with twinkle lights, trees, and lit sculptures, Cherish found a small smile creep along her features. Parking, Simon shut off the car, got out, and met on her side. Seething in a deep breath when the cold air hit, she bent over slightly as she fought to pull on her jacket, “Shit, shit, shit.” She whispered. Looping the jacket closed, she then tucked her arm with his and walked side by side. She then pointed to a wood working building, “Can we stop there first?” she asked.
Their breaths made clouds as they strolled towards the main street, “I don’t see why not.” As they passed by the ice sculptures and trees, she admired the work that was put in.
Making their way towards the wood working shop, he decided to bring up an idea he hadn’t let slip by, “So, you’re thinking of our next vacation being adults only, hm?” he questioned with interest.
Turning her attention to him, she sighed under her breath, “I mean, I love the kids. They’re my world, but I don’t know. It was a stupid thought. I don’t really have enough friends to make an adult only vacation. My friends are our parents so, who would watch Jasmine and Jr.? You know what I mean?” she asked.
He nodded from side to side before clearing his throat, “Well, it could just be u—”
Perking up, Cherish suddenly pointed across the street, “—Oh! Look, they have a chocolate shop! Do you think they sell dark chocolate?” she asked.
Switching his train of thought, he had an ambiguous grin, “I sure hope so, dark chocolate is my favorite.” He whispered.
Taking her by the hand, he led her towards the shop across from the wood working establishment. She did a quick glance at the whittler who sat outside before turning her attention to the chocolates. Simon pulled open the door, “I wonder if they sell truffles.” He mumbled to himself.
Stepping inside, Cherish inhaled a deep breath and smiled softly to herself. There were many pretty desserts and designs of chocolate which filled the air with a pungent, sweet cocoa fragrance; pleasing the senses. She followed Simon's lead and bent over to look at the nougats, bars, baskets, and other edible arrangements. Behind a pane of glass, they could see the chocolatier shaving and shaping a figurine.
She leaned into Simon's side as the shop keep washed her hands and approached them. She entered their sights and smiled while Simon spoke up, “Hello. It’s our first time here, is there anything you recommend?”
The woman was cheery and welcoming, “Oh, hello! We have our white chocolate curls or milk chocolate dewdrops…”
Cherish blinked a few times before she finally noticed the small, round balls of sugar. Beneath the platter was the plaque titled "Truffles". She hadn't the slightest idea of what they were. Those weren’t the truffles they spoke about on the Food Network. She pointed them out to Simon, "You mean these?" She questioned.
Simon lit up as he appeared behind her and pressed against her back, “Yes! Those.” He answered. Turning his head, he glanced back at the shop keep who approached them, “Could I get a dozen of these please?” he asked. The woman nodded while he beamed at Cherish, “You haven’t had truffles before? Just wait, they’re so good.” He stated while she smiled softly at his enthusiasm.
The woman pulled on a pair of gloves, "Did you have any particular flavors you wanted? Or a mix of everything?" She asked while beginning to set the box up for his order.
He pushed against his glasses with a knuckle, “Dark chocolate with cinnamon caramel please.” He answered. Turning his attention to Cherish, Simon urged her to find something of her tastes, “Go on and pick what you want.”
Breaking away from him, she began to venture around the glass encased treats before pausing, "Turtles: Pecan, caramel, chocolate." She whispered to herself. The abnormal shaped candies caught her interests and she figured she liked all the listed ingredients.
Handing Simon his box, the woman glanced at Cherish, "Anything that catches your eye, ma'am?" She questioned pacing over.
Cherish pointed a gloved finger against the glass and smiled, "Oh, hi. I have a question. Everything is so different than what I've had but I was wondering if turtles were good?"
The woman lit up before she slid open the door in the back, "Would you like to sample for yourself?" She questioned.
Cherish watched the woman take a smaller turtle out and held it over in her direction. Surprised, she took the candy and gave her a relaxed smile, “Thank you very much!" She expressed her gratitude before biting in. The rich, sweet flavor was broken by the thick pieces of salted pecan. A smirk tugged on the corner of Cherish's face as she leaned back and chewed. Her eyes slowly fell shut while she nodded quite pleased, "Oh, that's good. Oh
man." She whispered.
The woman giggled at her before she pointed in Cherish's direction, "Is she always like that?" She questioned.
Simon watched her relish in the sweet, savory flavor before he sighed, “Only all the time.” He replied with a warm smirk.
As she came back to Earth, Cherish peeked an eye open and realized she was caught. She licked a few crumbs from her lips before approaching Simon and holding out her half-bitten piece, "Taste this! Oh my gosh..."
This struck him in his stomach. It was obvious she loved her choice, yet she wanted to give him the other half. No matter what, she’d share whatever she had; even when it was hardly anything at all. Leaning in, his lips took the last bite from her fingers before he nodded and chewed, “Mmmm, mm, yes. We’re getting two boxes of those.” He stated as he lifted two fingers.
Cherish lowered her head and lifted a softened gaze in his direction. She sucked on her own fingers gently before she nodded and agreed with him. Her face felt hot as she watched the shop keep quickly load up two, one-pound boxes and wrapped them.
As they waited, Cherish brushed her arm against his while she clasped her hands in front of her thighs, “Two boxes?” she questioned.
Simon smirked a bit before he turned to face her and gazed over her soft, dark features, “One for the vultures back home, and one for us.” He whispered in return.
She shook her and chuckled lightly under her breath, “You’re so bad.” She whispered as she turned her attention towards the chocolatier.
He looked over the whole profile of her image, down her neck and over her breasts tucked in that thick jacket before he leaned back slightly to gaze at her backside. Even though he’d checked her out quite a few times before, now that they openly knew his emotions, he caught himself virtually all the time. Simon released a deep sigh to himself before he looked to the front, “You have no idea.” He stated.
Turning, the woman handed the boxes over and glanced between them, "Will that be all?"
Making sure to be polite, Simon took the bag of stacked boxes before he took their business card from the counter, “Hmm, I think so, thank you for your help.” He answered.
Cherish waved goodbye to the woman before she braced herself for the cold. Stepping outside, she was already waiting to cross the street when Simon paused, “Oh right, the wood shop. I forgot.” He expressed lightly hitting his forehead.
A couple of cars slowly passed by before they stepped off the curb and hurried over, "You're losing your mind. I told you porn rots your brain." Cherish stated. Though, her false accusation was alike to the pot calling the kettle black. Simon wasn't the only one in the house who used a phone for overnight activities.
Entering the building, they noticed demonstrations and workshops were tucked on the left-hand side. The shelves were stocked with discounted Christmas figurines and specialty items. There were many products to choose from paperweights, to jewelry, to doll benches, and just what Cherish wished for; rocking chairs.
Browsing through the shop, Simon walked along her side closely with his hand on the small of her back, “See anything interesting? Aside from the cat ashtray…”
She didn't miss the way his hand would rub along her back and linger which flattered her all the same. Tucking her eyebrows together, she pointed at the figure of Marilyn Monroe holding her dress down; as odd as it looked, "Why don't we get that one instead?" She asked.
Simon tilted his head unimpressed, “There’s only one skirt I’m worried about and it isn’t Marilyn’s.” he muttered to himself just out of earshot of Cherish. He'd been staring at her more often than most. He liked spending time with their parents but having fun on the town with Cherish was different; special, “We really need to do this more often, Just us, one on one.” He said out loud.
She tilted her head back before standing straight and rubbing against her arms, "You know that we really shouldn't." She replied.
He tilted his head, “Why not? We’re doing it right now.” He pointed out with his arms out to the side.
Looking at him without answering the fact that they were out together. She shook her head because he knew what she’d meant.
Shrugging, he didn’t want to the distance to take ground again, “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kind of hungry. Are you done browsing? Or do you need a little more time?” he asked.
As soon as the small rocking chairs came into view, Cherish inhaled a deep breath and picked up the pace. She crouched down and flipped over the price tag. Pricy. Far pricier than she was used to, but the quality couldn't be beat, "This is fantastic..."
With those three words, Simon knew this was a time where she was determined to get something for her babies, and it showed in her features.. She wanted them, but he didn’t know where they would fit in the van or on the plane.
She pointed to the chairs, "I just want to talk to someone about these. Do you think they deliver?" She asked.
Simon looked around for a worker before he waved, “I figured you wanted them.”
A man approached, “Can I help you, sir?”
Simon pulled on one of the chairs and tilted his head, “We were wondering if you deliver state-wide. We’re just visiting, but we really like these chairs.”
The man nodded as he stroked his red beard, “We do, but there are additional fees and shipping costs that will have to be covered.” He informed.
Simon already had that in mind and could agree. He gave Cherish a glance, whose expression told him how happy she was. This was his chance to gain brownie points to push her closer to him sooner. He turned back to the man, “Perfect. We would like to get two of them.”
As the man picked up the chair beside Simon, he nudged his head in the direction of the register, “If you could bring the other to the front, I’ll take you both over here. I’ll send it for packaging, and we’ll get your delivery form filled out.” He said before turning his back to them.
Cherish bit on her bottom lip and kissed Simon on the cheek, "Thank you, so much." She whispered.
Success.
As he bent over to fill out the paperwork, she rested her chin against his shoulder and stared at the little chairs. Now, she couldn't wait for her little monsters to use them.
Once they had exhausted their time in the wood shop, they both left more than pleased and strolled to a semi famous diner on the next block. Within, they were seated and looked over the menu. They spoke about how early they'd have to leave in the morning, how Simon wasn't ready to go back to work, and how they couldn't wait to have the whole house to themselves again.
Cherish listened to Simon talk about his college days and friends he'd fallen out of touch with. There were talks about his high school reunion and how he wasn't sure if he'd go. Sitting with their sandwiches and sodas in the middle of lunch, Simon reached over and placed his hand over hers on the table.
Cherish glanced down at the way his fingertips stroked along the back of her hand. She smiled a little bit before she glanced up at him and clenched a napkin between her fingers, "What are you doing there?" She asked with a slightly flirtatious tone.
Taking a moment to clue into what she meant, Simon rolled his lips in before he turned his hand beneath hers with his palm up. His thumb closed over her knuckles with a rub, “Well, your hand looked cold. So…”
Her lips puckered slightly as she grazed her nails across his palm and pulled away, "Is that so? I'm actually feeling quite warm." She expressed.
He grinned and drank the rest of his hot chocolate; finishing his meal. As the bill was brought over by the waiter, he slid his card into the holder and looked at her, “Is there anything else you wanted to see today? Aside from my prom pictures.” He muttered cutting his eyes at her from over his glasses with a raised brow, “I’m pretty sure the only other attraction that isn’t outside is the art store.” He added.
Chewing on the corner of her sandwich, she laughed a bit to herself, "Your date wore orange and bleached her hair. I'm going to find th
ose pictures if it’s the last thing I do. Then, maybe we will finally get to why you're ignoring the reunion." She said knowingly as she sipped her tea.
Even though she disproved his reason, he didn’t move his hand from her until the receipt returned. He assumed from her lack of an answer that she was ready to go home, “There are a few people I’m not sure I want to see again, but there are some I do wonder about. Maybe I’ll go. Maybe.” He said firmly with a warning look. He didn’t want her to get over excited, but it was too late.
She lowered her cup against the saucer and rolled her eyes towards the window, “I can’t wait to hear about it.” she stated while their hands stayed connected.
Once Simon left a tip, they exited the small, quiet diner. They returned to the van and made the drive back home. Both were excited to see the babies again, which was normal for a pair of new parents, but, unfortunately for them, the kids were mid-nap by the time they turned on the street.
As they pulled up to the house for one last time, Cherish stared up at the exterior for a long moment before humming to herself, “Maybe we should come see this place in the summer. I wouldn’t mind enjoying the difference.” She stated to herself.
Entering the house, Simon Sr. and Jack brought the last of the bags from their bedrooms to the pile in the foyer. Feeling crestfallen that their amazing vacation had winded down to the last few hours, Cherish pulled the jacket off and hung it up in the closet by the front door. Jack pointed towards the van, “You’re just in time, son. Let’s load up the trunk.” He said without skipping a beat.
