“We're here,” he said. “I'll drop you off in the front.”
Finally, I get to see where this so-called beach is, she thought, gazing out the side window of the car.
Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw the sign, which loomed high above the parking lot.
“Water World,” she said, then turned to face Ethan. “Oh, my God. Ethan! I love Water World! How did you know?”
He smiled with delight. “I didn't know, actually. But when I tried to find beaches in Colorado, this was about the closest I could get.”
“It's perfect!” she wrapped her hands around his neck.
“Dallas, did you hear that?” Ivy said. “We're going to Water World!”
“Yes!” he squealed and kicked his feet in excitement. “This is the best day ever!”
The mood in the car was one of pure joy. Everybody had a huge smile on their face. Laura couldn't have been happier, or more surprised, by Ethan's choice. Sure, Water World didn't exactly have a traditional beach, but she didn't care about that. They had water, a wave pool, rides and everything in between. In a lot of ways, it was actually better than a plain old beach with a bunch of sand.
“I would never have guessed,” she said, hopping out of the back seat. “You definitely did a good job of not giving any clues.”
“I thought for sure you were going to figure it out,” Ethan said. “I'm glad I was able to surprise you.”
“I honestly had no idea,” she said, shaking her head. “This is really great, though. Thank you, Ethan.” She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“Anything for you,” he said, with a smile. “Now, what do you say we get in there and start doing some rides? Huh, kids?”
“Yeah!” Dallas and Ivy shouted, as the unbuckled themselves from their car seats and hopped out onto the sidewalk. “Let's do it!”
Ethan went to the back of the car and grabbed the gym bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Before he closed the door, he told Craig that he'd text him when they were ready to go.
“It'll probably be sometime this afternoon,” Ethan said to him.
“No problem,” Craig said. “Take your time. I'll be around. Just let me know when you're ready.”
Ethan walked up to Laura and the kids, with a smile on his face as wide as she had ever seen.
“You guys ready?” he asked.
“Let's do it!” Ivy said.
Laura hadn't felt that happy in quite some time. She realized that she didn't feel that way because she was about to go and have a relaxing time at Water World, though. She was happy because Dallas and Ivy were happy. That was enough for her.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Laura said.
Then the four of them headed toward the gates, to begin a fun-filled day on the beach.
Chapter 26
Laura
Ethan, Laura, Dallas, and Ivy and made their way down the sidewalk and toward the front gates of Water World. Laura remembered many happy summer days at this water park as a kid. It was a quite good backup plan to come here.
As they walked, Laura realized that something didn't feel quite right. There wasn't the sound of any kids laughing or water splashing on the other side of the fence, where the park was. In fact, it was pretty much silent except for their own feet as they scuffed across the pavement.
That was when she glanced back toward the parking lot. She saw Craig driving away in the SUV, cutting across the parking lines on his way to the exit. He was the only car in the lot, though. Not a single other one was parked.
That's weird, she thought. This place is usually packed.
She reached over and touched Ethan's arm to get his attention.