My jaw drops in shock. “You like the Wolverines?”
“My dad does. Me and my mom just like my dad.”
There was a time when I used to imagine Dani’s parents. I used to envision meeting them, growing close to them, knowing them as more than just a passing anecdote.
“And? How was the game?”
She laughs. “They won, but we didn’t see the shit. We missed an exit and ended up in Canada.”
Her voice is soothing as she tells me about the highway that leads to Canada without the option to turn around. She smiles fondly as she recalls how frustrated her dad was when they were held up too long to make it to the game, since none of them had their passports on them.
“I’ve never seen my dad crash out like that. He said he was never going to Michigan again.”
“The whole state getting banned for one missed exit is crazy.”
She slides her eyes over to me. “Please. One thing my dad gon’ do is talk shit. He’s been to three games since then.”
My arm slides up the steering wheel as I laugh. “Your dad is wild.”
She answers with a tight-lipped smile, caught up in the haze of her reminiscing. “That was my last family trip before I moved to New York. We still travel all the time, just not road trips. More flying and enjoying events I can include them on.”
“If you could take a road trip anywhere, where would you go?”
“Hmm, road-tripping to California might be fun. It’s clear across the country so there’s so many fun stops you could make.”
“That does sound fun. It would probably be a long trip too.”
“The longer, the better.” She sighs. “What about you? Where would you go?”
“I’d probably go to Canada. But, you know, on purpose.”
Her shoulders shake with laughter. “But can you even say you’ve lived if you haven’t gone by accident?”
Once we get the new hose clamp and are able to drive at a normal speed, we get to Newberry Cove right as the sun is starting to set.
I drive us to the hotel we booked for our stay. It’s not the five-star luxury hotels I’m sure Dani is used to. It’s a family-run business, but something about this place called to me, and with everything we’ve seen so far, I’m hesitant to ignore anything that feels like a sign.
“Let’s see if we can get some answers here.” I nod to the hotel entrance.
We walk into Hotel Serenity and are transported to a nature site.
The ceilings are made of shiplap and have green vines hanging from the slots. There are potted plants in varying sizes on the shelves along the walls that give the lobby a comfortable feel. Somehow the air even feels drastically lighter in here than it did outside.
There’s a wall made of stones behind the front desk, not one of them looking the same as another.
The receptionist looks up from her computer and smiles at us. Her sisterlocs are pulled up into a bun and her white blazer is pristinely pressed.
“Welcome to Hotel Serenity. How can I help you?”
While I sort everything out with the reservation, Dani examines the lobby, studying every minute detail before she turns her sights on the woman helping us. Taking in her body language and tone, I watch her transform into Dani the professional right before my eyes.
“Can I ask you a question, Traci?” she asks, reading the woman’s name tag.
“Of course.”
“We’re actually here because our friend who recently passed grew up here.”
Traci puts her hand over her heart. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
