He shook his head. “We’ll do better sharing a bathroom.”
Noah smiled at her. “It’s a guy thing, Ryleigh.”
“But I’ll feel guilty.”
“Live with the pain,” Alex said, then pointed toward the other end of the condo.
She made her way across the tile floor. The main bedroom was big, with a king-size bed and a balcony. The bathroom was huge and included a large soaking tub. Maybe tonight she would take it for a test-drive, she thought with a smile.
It only took a few minutes to unpack, then she met up with Alex and Noah in the living room.
“Let’s drive down to the Embarcadero,” Alex said. “We’ll walk around and get an ice cream that will ruin our dinner.”
“Yes, please!” Noah jumped in place. “I want to ruin my dinner with two flavors.”
“Sounds good,” she said. “Afterward, we can go by the grocery store we passed on our way here and stock up with what we need for breakfast.”
They’d agreed that they would have that meal in and not worry about cooking the rest of the time.
Alex nodded. “I saw a sandwich place next to the grocery store. We’ll get those to-go for tonight.”
Noah reached out his hands to them. “I’m ready for ice cream. Let’s go!”
They drove to the waterfront where Alex found parking. They got their ice creams and walked along the boardwalk. The air was warm and smelled of salt water. She breathed in the scent. Sure there was a much smaller pier back home, but somehow this felt totally different. There were more people and lots of ships in the harbor. She felt the energy and found herself relaxing. Whatever she decided, she was determined to enjoy the weekend.
“This is nice,” Alex said quietly as Noah ran to the railing to stare at the aircraft carrier that was part of a collection of historic sailing ships. “Getting away. We haven’t since Kim died. We visited my folks last summer, but that wasn’t much of a vacation.”
“You were still in shock.”
“It makes me think I should plan something with Noah over summer vacation. He’ll be going to the park program every day, which he likes, but we should do something more.”
“Harris takes the kids to a different baseball park every summer,” she said. “They drive there, stopping along the way, then go to a few games. It’s their thing.”
Alex grinned. “I’m not that much into baseball.”
“No one is.” She laughed. “My point was you could think about a road trip. Or what about Disneyland? How long has it been since Noah went?”
“Years. Disney, huh? Would you enjoy that?”
“Me? Am I invited?”
They stared at each other. Alex shook his head.
“Sorry. I just assumed you’d be with us. I didn’t mean to presume on your summer plans.”
She touched his arm. “Don’t start acting like a lawyer with the fancy talk. We do a lot together and it would be fun to hang out on vacation. Let’s talk when we get home.”
“We will. Because you might be too busy to take the time. If you decide you like it here.”
“I’d make time,” she told him.
Noah raced back and flung himself at her. “I want to go see that ship,” he said, pointing to theMidway.
“I don’t think we have time this visit,” she said. “But maybe it would be fun to think about coming another time.”
“Have you been on the aircraft carrier?” he asked her.
“When I was in college. It’s very big and there are lots of military planes on the main deck.”
