"You wanna do something different today?"
"Like what?" she asked, peering at me over her coffee mug.
This was one of my favorite times of day. We were in her kitchen, having coffee, so her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and her face scrubbed clean of makeup. She was adorable, and it was becoming a real problem.
"Something… fun," I said, grinning. "The most fun. That doubles as a great photo opportunity."
She grinned back, even though I felt certain it was in spite of herself. "How can I say no to that?"
"You can't. So go get dressed. Wear something casual, with sneakers. I'll meet you at the front door in ten."
Ten minutes later, she came out in a tank top, baseball hat, and denim shorts, her long legs tanned and gleaming. I just stared.
"What?" she said, blushing underneath the brim of her hat.
"You're sort of cute," I admitted.
"Well, thank you. Sort of." She smiled and grabbed my hand; it had almost become automatic for us. "Where are we going?"
"Not telling." We went through the door and greeted the throng of photographers.
"Are we headed to the gym? The usual?" one of the photographers asked, scratching his head and yawning.
"Nope," I answered. "We're mixing it up today."
"Where are you going?"
I beamed as I hustled her to the car. "I can't tell you—I'm surprising Lowell. But so we don't lose you and end up causing an accident with some sort of high-speed chase, I will tell you that we're headed to Anaheim."
They perked up a little.
"Are you going to you-know-where?" one of them asked.
I grinned. "Exactly."
"Cool!"
"Awesome!"
"See ya there!"
I got into the car, and Lowell was scowling at me.
"Where the heck is you-know-where?" she asked. "And why does everybody besides me know where that is?"
"'Cause you don't get out much." I threw the car into drive.
* * *
"No way!" Lo exclaimed as we turned down Disneyland Drive. "No, sir!"
"Yes way. Yes, sir." I looked at her face as I got in line to pull into the quickly filling lot. She looked excited, looking up at the Tower of Terror in the distance. "Do you… like Disneyland?"
"I've never been here," she said breathlessly. She looked like a young girl again, all full of hope and unrealized potential.
"Never?"
She shook her head. I would have been surprised, but I couldn't really picture Caroline Barton on a roller coaster, getting her hair messed up, or waiting in line with a bunch of tourists. That was surely beneath her.