Spider was already pawing at the carrier’s grate. “Mama, Spider wants out.”
“Out,” Sugar repeated. “Out, Momlady.
“I know you want out, and I’m going to let you, but first, listen to me.” I made sure they were both looking at me. Still not a guarantee they were listening, but you took what you could get with cats. “We’re in a very big vehicle now. It’s a motor coach. And for the next few weeks, we’re going to live on this motor coach. You cannot leave the motor coach for any reason or Sinclair and I will be upset. You could get hurt or lost, and that would make us very sad. Do you understand?”
“No leaving. Mama mad.”
“Right.” Close enough. I looked at Sugar. “You got it?”
She blinked her pretty eyes at me. “Sugar stay put.”
“Very good. For now, I’m going to let you out but only in the bedroom so you can explore in here while we get settled, all right? After we’re on the road, you can go anywhere you like on the coach.”
“Yes, Mama. Hurry.”
I opened his carrier first, then Sugar’s. They both popped out instantly but then stopped to sniff the air.
“There’s supposed to be a litter box in the bathroom,” I told them. “I guess we should have a look.”
I went through the etched glass door on the other side of the bed. And stopped. I’d been incredibly wrong about imagining having to stand on the toilet to shower. “Snowballs.”
The bathroom was remarkable. Obviously not as big as the one in our apartment but just as nicely appointed. Two cobalt-blue glass vessel sinks and a big walk-in shower with lots of white marble tile and plenty of storage space. No tub, but then that seemed like a silly thing to have on what was essentially a land yacht.
I went back out to the bedroom to check that out some more. The top of the mattress was elevated so that it sloped, which would be great for reading or watching TV, but that would have to be flattened out for sleeping. I just didn’t know how to do that yet.
Two good-size wardrobes flanked the television opposite the bed, along with plenty of drawers underneath. I was surprised by how much storage there was. One of the wardrobes even had a small safe. The other had the Santa’s Bag.
Spider’s voice carried from the other room. “Mama Mama Mama.”
I went back into the bathroom. “What is it, Spider?”
“Look, Mama. Litter box.”
He was standing in it, his head peeking out of the opening. The box had been cleverly hidden in a cabinet beside the toilet. Sugar sat on top of the toilet, watching him.
Thankfully, the lid was down. Starting the trip with a toilet-water-soaked cat didn’t seem like the best way to kick things off.
“I’m so glad you found it.” I opened the narrow cabinet next to it and found all the supplies necessary to maintain the litter box. Ezreal really had thought of everything.
“All right, you two enjoy your exploring. I’m going back out to help.”
Sugar jumped off the toilet seat and zoomed past me to hop up on the bed. “Momlady, window?”
Windows were a big deal for cats. “Oh, right. Let me see.” There was a small window on either side of the headboard, which had reading lights built in. A nice touch. I opened the blinds and pulled them up and out of the way. If there was anything these two loved, it was looking outside. “There you go.”
Sugar perched herself on the sill that doubled as a nightstand, instantly glued to that little slice of Anchorage. I went to the other side and opened those blinds as well.
I’d been a tiny bit concerned about how the cats were going to do in such a small space and how they’d handle the travel. I was starting to think I’d been worried about nothing. Also, it wasn’t that small of a space.
Spider came out of the bathroom and took up residence in the other window a few seconds later.
“You guys good?”
Neither one looked at me.
Spider made a little eek eek eek noise at something beyond the glass. “Bird, Mama.”
“Good thing you spotted him.” I tried not to laugh. “Better keep an eye on him.”
Sin and Ezreal were just returning as I left the bedroom, making sure to hit the button to slide the door shut. “You got it all?”
“Yes.” Sin set the rest of the bags down, then moved out of the way to let Ezreal add his to the pile.
He hooked a thumb toward the door. “If you want to come outside, I’ll give you the rundown of everything out there, then I can go over a few more things inside and that’ll be it.”
Sin rubbed his hands together, clearly as excited as could be. “Let’s do it.”
We followed Ezreal as he gave us the grand tour. Not going to lie, it was a little overwhelming, but Sin seemed to have a decent grasp of most of it already. The coach was very impressive. Every available space had been turned into useful storage. There was even a big empty compartment on one side for our luggage when we’d unpacked.
And pretty much everything was as techie as possible. Not only was that a camera at the front door, but it was connected to a monitor in the back that would allow us to see and record anyone who came to our door.
Additionally, there was a tablet that controlled just about everything, from the climate to the slide-outs, whatever those were, to the awnings that would provide us shade when we were parked in a campsite.
I loved that the double awnings were trimmed with LED lights. I could already imagine sitting underneath them with Sin some evening, maybe having our dinner outside, listening to the sounds of nature and taking in the night air.
Was that camping? I couldn’t believe I was genuinely looking forward to camping. Maybe marriage was changing me.
Back inside, Ezreal showed us the tablet. He took it out of a pocket behind the driver’s seat and turned it on. “This is basically your control panel for everything.” He tapped a few buttons.
Things began to move. I grabbed Sin’s arm. “Whoa. This gets bigger?”
He smiled. “These are the slide-outs Ezreal mentioned. Only for when we’re parked, though.”
Ezreal showed me the tablet’s screen. “See? Here’s where you control those. Just look at the tabs and you should be able to find what you need. Everything outside can be controlled with this too. Not just the awnings but everything out there.”
When the slide-outs stopped sliding, I took a walk through. The coach had almost doubled in size. I peeked into the bedroom. It had grown, too.
Spider and Sugar were curled up on the bed together, sleeping. Apparently, travel was exhausting.
I closed the door and went back to Sin and Ezreal. “This is great. I never thought I’d say this, but I love it.”
Ezreal made a short bow. “I am very happy to hear you say that, Princess.”
He pointed out a few final things to us, one of which was how to flatten the bed, then we said our goodbyes and Sin and I were on our own.
Sin put his hands on his hips and stared at the luggage. “We certainly packed enough.”
“And now we have to unpack it.”
He sighed, glancing toward the cockpit.
“You want to get on the road, don’t you?”
“We do have eight days of travel before we reach Vegas. How are the cats, by the way?”
“They’re doing great. Sleeping, actually.” An idea came to me. “Why don’t you get us underway while I work on the unpacking?”
His brows rose. “You’re sure?”
“Sure.”
He grinned before leaning in to kiss me. “Buckle up. I mean, metaphorically.”
I laughed. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
And just like that, our adventure had begun.
Chapter Seven
Sinclair
Jayne’s about-face at seeing the coach was everything I’d hoped for and more. It was important to me that she liked the coach, which I figured she would after she’d seen it, but she really seemed to fall in love with it. I was thrilled.
I
also couldn’t blame her. It was the most amazing RV I’d ever seen. I couldn’t imagine what it had cost the kingdom, but I supposed Jack wasn’t about to send the heir to his throne out in anything less than the best.
It also told me that his timing had nothing to do with my recent boredom. A custom coach like this didn’t happen overnight. This vehicle had been in production for a while. Possibly since before we’d been married.
But then, he’d said the popularity of our wedding had been the impetus for all this. That the event had been what had gotten him and Kris thinking. So maybe they had just paid extra to get the vehicle done quickly.
I didn’t really know, but whatever the reason, I was immensely grateful. Not to mention pretty psyched to get behind the wheel.
As expected, it handled beautifully.
Jayne came up to the front. “I’m going to give you the wardrobe and drawers on the right side, and I’ll take the ones on the left, if that’s okay with you. Which means your side has the Santa’s Bag and mine has the safe. Cool?”
“Sounds good. Are you unpacking my stuff?”
“I am. Unless you don’t want me to.”
“No, that’s very sweet of you. Thanks, babe.”
Grinning, she leaned in and kissed my cheek. “You are doing the driving. I figured it was the least I could do.”
“Well, I appreciate it. When we stop next, we’ll put the suitcases in that empty compartment outside that Ezreal showed us.”
“Perfect. That’ll help with space.”
Spider slipped past her to stand between the two captain’s chairs. He faced her and put a paw on her leg. “Mama, up.”
She leaned down and scooped him into her arms. “I thought you were sleeping.”
He tucked his head into the crook of her neck. “Sugar snores.”
She snorted softly. “Well, you married her.”
“Spider loves Sugar.” He pushed his head against her chin. “Spider loves Mama too.”
She laughed. “And I love you. Why don’t you sit up here with Sinclair? You don’t mind, do you, honey?”
“Not as long as he just sits there and doesn’t climb up onto the dashboard or get under my feet.” I glanced over at the little black cat. “Will you be a good boy, Spider?”
“Spider always good.”
He was pretty well-behaved. “All right, you can be my navigator.”
Jayne put him into the captain’s chair beside me. “All right, I’m going back to unpacking.”
Spider sat up very straight and stared big-eyed out at the road. “Spider high up.”
“Yep, you sit very high up in a motor coach.”
“What’s motor coach?”
“This vehicle we’re in.”
“Mama said RV.”
“Well, you can call it that too. Both names are correct.” I glanced at him. He was clearly fascinated by the view. Spider had been given the gift of gab by a wayward, wish-granting imp that Jayne had accidentally set free from its box.
Spider was initially reluctant to talk around anyone but Jayne, but since Sugar had been gifted her translation collar, he’d gotten chatty around more people.
“What’s the navigator?”
“It’s the person who helps the driver make sure they’re on the right road. The navigator charts the proper route.” I wasn’t sure what words he understood and what words he didn’t, but I figured he’d ask if something stumped him. My cat, on the other hand, whose vocal abilities were produced by a special elf-constructed collar she wore, seemed to mostly focus on treats and doing whatever Spider was doing.
“Route?”
“The path that takes us to where we’re going.”
“Where’s that?”
“We’re going to Las Vegas. That’s where my parents live.”
“Lost Vegas have snow? Spider tired of snow.”
“Las Vegas,” I corrected him. I knew how he was feeling just a bit. Again, I loved the North Pole, but it was all snow all the time. “And they do get snow, but I don’t think they have any right now. Las Vegas is more desert. Lots of sun. And lots of sand.”
He seemed to think about that for a moment. “Sounds like litter box.”
“It’s not a litter box.” I glanced over at him, and I could swear he was smiling.
He flicked his tail once, turned around, and lay down. “Spider navigator.”
It was going to be hard for him to navigate while he was sleeping, but since I doubted his ability to speak parlayed into any kind of map-reading skill, it wasn’t like I was counting on him to tell me which exit to take next.
Didn’t matter. The trip down through Canada was pretty much a straight shot, and the coach had an excellent satnav in the dash. There was no chance we’d get lost. Well. No chance I’d get lost. I knew people who could still manage it, even with help.
I caught glimpses of Jayne, but about an hour later, she came back to the front. “I’ve got everything put away. You’ll probably want to rearrange some stuff, but the suitcases are empty. Guess what else I discovered?”
“What?”
“Ezreal stocked the kitchen for us. At least enough that we could manage a day or two. Wasn’t that nice of him?”
“Very nice. He’s a great guy. Any chance there’s something to drink?”
“Sure.” She laughed. “Plenty of Dr Pepper.”
I smiled. “I’ll take one. They’re definitely growing on me.”
Our days fell into an easy rhythm. Me behind the wheel, Jayne in the passenger’s seat, often with one or both of the cats on her lap or nearby. We made one stop for groceries, ate a few meals at interesting places along the way, bought some maple candies, tried doughnuts at Tim Hortons (good but not as good as mine), and made numerous stops for gas. The miles just disappeared under our wheels.
We talked and laughed, and I fell in love with her all over again. She told me a hundred times how much fun she was having. I think it actually surprised her that the trip was so enjoyable.
Nights we’d put the awnings down, turn on the LED lights, set up our chairs outside and enjoy the evening, even if it was a little cold. The novelty and fun of it all was impossible to ignore, despite the weather.
Jayne didn’t mind the cold, of course. Winter elves and cold went together like necromancers and death, but I wasn’t as hardy.
At the campsites that had firepits, we took full advantage. We even roasted marshmallows. Sometimes, we’d watch a movie on the pull-out TV. One night, the campers in the spot next to us invited us over to play cards. Jayne was pretty careful to keep her hair down to hide her ears, and it seemed to be working pretty well.
I couldn’t think of a time I’d been happier.
I looked over at Jayne, sitting beside me in the slightly warmer climes of Salt Lake City. We’d parked for the night at the KOA campground just outside of town. Our spot had a tree, a little patch of grass and a fire ring, where I had gotten a decent blaze going with some firewood purchased at the camp store. “Tomorrow we reach Vegas.”
She nodded. “It’ll be great to see your folks again. Are we going to stay in the guest house or the RV?”
I hadn’t thought about it, actually. We’d stayed in my parents’ guest house when we’d visited on our honeymoon. Guest house made it sound small, but the house was bigger than our new apartment. “Up to you.”
She shrugged, a little smile on her face. “The guest house is gorgeous, but we’re so settled in here.”
“Then let’s just park it on the property and call it done. We won’t have to move the cats, either.”
“You say Spider’s name?” Sugar asked.
I glanced over my shoulder. Spider and Sugar were looking at us through the screen door. Despite the cool air, we often left it open so they didn’t feel too left out. “No.”
Spider stood up on his back legs and put his front paws on the screen. “We come out now.”
Jayne turned around. “You guys can’t come out here and—” She lowered her
voice. “You’re not supposed to be talking.”
Spider sat down again. He yawned, then licked Sugar on the head a few times. I could have sworn I heard him mutter “Mean” under his breath.
I just shook my head as I faced the fire again. “Is it just me, or are they talking more than usual?”
“I think they’re excited by the adventure.” She reached over and took my hand. “And I have to say I completely understand. This has been so much fun. I never thought I’d say that about driving for thirteen hours a day, but spending time with you, even just talking, has been wonderful.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. I was worried you’d hate it. You seemed like your mind was already made up in the North Pole.”
“You’re right, it was a little bit.” She stared at the fire. “I didn’t know what to expect. It certainly wasn’t that hotel suite on wheels behind us.”
“It’s the most beautiful RV I’ve ever seen.”
“Do you mind driving all those hours? I should be taking a turn, shouldn’t I?”
“I don’t mind driving at all. I enjoy it, really. But if you want to, I’m happy to let you have a crack at it.”
“I’d want to practice first.”
A breeze swept through the campsite, making Jayne take her hand back to tug her thick cardigan closer. The fire whipped sideways.
“Are you cold?” I was. “We should go in.”
She shrugged. “Just felt a little chill. I think I’m ready to crash.”
I stood. “I’ll put the fire out and meet you inside.” I offered her my hand.
She took it, letting me tug her into my arms. “Don’t be long. I need warming up.”
“Not to worry, Princess.” I knew very well she didn’t really need warming up. Didn’t matter. I could play along. I kissed the tip of her nose while I slid my hands down to her hips to pull her closer. “You’re about to be very warm indeed.”
Chapter Eight
Lost in Las Vegas Page 4
