She was done eating and looking forward to whatever the day would bring.
“Why don't you go ahead and start on your schoolwork, and when I'm done eating, we will decide what we're going to do next.”
Ellis finished soon after, and Lottie wasn't sure why she'd been eating so slowly.She left to join her sister and get started on her schoolwork.
“I thought about taking you and the girls to Branson,” Darren mentioned.
“Today?You've not mentioned it.”
“I saw an ad on my phone last night, and it looked like a lot of fun.They've been working hard and so have you.Maybe you deserve a break and a little bit of fun?”
Why did she feel like she was being led into something she might have to escape from?Since he had become a wolf, things weren't the same between them.There was a draw that she couldn't escape, and she thought he felt it too.What would she do if she had to spend time with him in close quarters?
“All right.I’m sure the girls will love it.Will anyone else come?”Lottie asked.
“Flo and I will come.There will also be a guard, and I will ask Harry if she can come,” Carlos offered.
He walked off to get ready and probably make a few calls.Lottie also went to her room to change into something a little better for walking around outside.She also changed into her most comfortable tennis shoes.Once she was ready, she headed back downstairs to where Flo was already waiting.Adele came out next, and then Ellis was a few minutes behind.Darren joins them next, and finally, Carlos was there.
“Harry said she would join us and bring the guard that Tyne is providing.We will meet them at the place that offers paintball in Branson.”Carlos explained.“We all need to go so they won't have to wait for us.”
They headed out to the SUV waiting outside.The girls rode in the back seat, which had a TV of its own, and they had it on immediately.That would keep them busy on what might otherwise be a boring trip.Lottie and Darren shared the middle seat, but they each sat by their window.Carlos and Flo were in the front seats.Carlos was driving, and he had probably been to Branson and even this place several times.
Lottie didn't usually make these kinds of trips without any planning.From what she had heard, this was not something that Darren did either.Maybe he was becoming more spontaneous than he had been before.That might even be something that was good for him after all he had been through.There was no doubt that the girls were very excited, and she was sure they would have a lot of fun.
The trip was nice, and the view from the window is beautiful.Leaves were changing, and many colors were already evident, even though it was early.In a couple of weeks, the colors would probably be brilliant.They passed the lake, which she had not seen yet.In the summer, it would be a perfect place to take the kids for boating or fishing.She could see a lot of rocks on the shore, so swimming might not be the best thing to do here.She knew Flo had a boat and that they would probably go fishing next summer.
They hadn't gone far before they began to see signs for Branson.It was interesting that Carlos and Flo lived between two tourist attractions.There were lots of things to see and do, and she was sure that come summer, the girls would get to do a lot of them.Lottie didn't think that she'd still be here in the summer because things should be settled down by then.The thought made her feel sad that she wouldn't be here, but happy that they would be living the kind of life that they wanted without anyone after them.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?”Darren asked.
“This place that you live in is a beautiful area.There will be many places you can take the girls and activities they will enjoy.I'm sure you'll be able to take them alone by the time summer rolls around.We are at least halfway to having that guy dealt with.”
“They'll still need you.Is it that you want to leave us?”
“Of course, not, but all things end in time,” Lottie mentioned.
“Don't worry about that now.Take the time to enjoy this trip and get everything out of it that you can.”
He was probably right, and that was what she needed to do: not worry about the future, because the future was hard to see.
