The doorbell rang just as Elena was doing a final sweep of the kitchen.
“I’ll get it,” Finn called, already heading for the front door.
“Oh, Finn… oh no, no, no…”
Elena turned the corner to find Laura at the door, shaking her head at Finn’s pineapple shirt.
“For the love ofGod, please tell me you’re not wearing that.”
“It’s tropical!” Finn defended lamely.
“Do better, Finn. And here I thought you had impeccable taste based on your choice in women.” Laura gestured toward Elena, then breezed past them towards the kitchen.
Elena noticed the bottle of champagne that Laura was carrying. “Laura, we’re literally about to leave for the airport,” She said, but couldn’t help but smile.
“And? You’re already on vacation. There are no rules on vacation,” Laura stated as she poured a glass for all three of them.
“Right, and what’s your excuse?”
“Honey, every day is a vacation for me,” Laura said, already taking a drink.
“Pour me one. I’ve got a headache from dealing with these two all morning,” Miguel declared as he walked into the room.
“Coming right up, buddy!” Laura looked at Miguel’stropical shirt and the sunglasses on his head. “You look dashing, young man. Take notes, Finn.”
Elena laughed, but she instantly regretted it when she found Finn glaring at her. It only took Laura thirty seconds to destroy his self-confidence. She squeezed his arm and mouthed, ‘I’m sorry.’
Laura dug into her bag and pulled out a small wrapped box. “I got you something for the trip,” she said, handing it to Elena.
Elena tore through the wrapping to find a polaroid camera.
“I can’t wait to see all the pictures when you get back.But, there’s a catch.”
Elena looked up at Laura, confused.
“Your phone stays in the hotel room. You can take all the pictures you need with that, and you aren’t allowed to check your work email for the whole trip.”
In the past, she would have resisted Laura’s attempt to slow her down. But Laura always had always shown up anyway, her love refusing to yield. It hit Elena surprisingly hard and she felt her eyes welling up. When Laura saw her reaction, she pulled Elena in for a tight hug.
“Okay, okay,” Laura said, pulling back and wiping at her own eyes. “Enough of that, or you’ll miss your flight. Now go have the time of your life.”
Ten minutes later, they were pulling out of the driveway as Laura waved them off. Miguel claimed the backseat, headphones in place, already in his own little bubble. Finn drove while Elena rode shotgun, her window cracked to let in the cool breeze.
She watched the buildings blur past, her mind blissfully empty. Finn had handled everything—the flights, the hotel, even the boring-but-important details like checking that their toiletries met the airline size restrictions. She hadn’t fully appreciated it until this moment. For once, she didn’t need to worryabout a thing.
"You okay?" Finn asked, glancing at her before returning his eyes to the road.
Elena smiled, realizing she'd been silent. "More than okay," she assured him, resting her hand on his thigh. "Just... happy."
He covered her hand with his for a moment before returning it to the steering wheel. “Good.”
In the backseat, Miguel’s head bobbed to music only he could hear, lost in whatever game glowed on his screen.
They’d been on the interstate for only twenty minutes when all hell broke loose.
"Oh no, oh no, OH NO!"
Elena twisted around so quickly she nearly dropped her phone. Beside her, Finn's hands tightened on the steering wheel, eyes darting to the rearview mirror. The panic in Miguel's voice triggered an immediate physiological response in Elena.
