Page 16 of Tides and Tidings

“You sure we can’t drive east?” I joked, knowing damn well we would end up in the freakin’ ocean.

She playfully rolled her green eyes, which made me weak in the knees. “Either we’re staying in Georgia, or we’re going to end up in Florida…”

“Again, a very keen observation.”

“You’re not going to tell me anything else?” She jutted her bottom lip out and attempted Wren’s infamous pout.

Saved by Sandy.

“Here you go. Breakfast burrito for Miss Whitlock and an omelet for Mr. Hannigan.” She placed our food down in front of us. “Y’all need anything else before I leave you alone?”

Blythe and I shook our heads, “We’re good,” we said in unison.

“Fantastic. Wave me over if you need somethin’. I don’t wanna keep bothering you.”

Blythe patted Sandy on the arm, “You could never be a bother.”

Sandy’s laugh bellowed through the restaurant, “You tell your boyfriend that.” She turned towards me, “He’s shooting daggers in my direction to leave y’all alone.”

Blythe gave me a pointed look, “Don’t revert to Grumpy Charlie. I worked so hard to get rid of him.”

Sandy walked away without another word.

We dove into our food, and it was as delicious as usual. It was odd being able to eat quietly. Wren is well-behaved, but not having to cut her food, answer a million questions, or wrangle her was incredible. We were able to eat in peace.

After a few minutes, Blythe broke the comfortable silence, “I don’t know what you have planned for the rest of the day, but I don’t even care. I’m just looking forward to spending some quality time together.”

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, happy Blythe couldn’t see. “I think you’ll have a good day.”

Blythe

The car ride here was comfortably quiet except for the occasional conversation. There were no bathroom breaks, no “Are we there yet,” and best of all, no listening to Wren’s playlist of her favorite songs. Don’t get me wrong, the version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star she loves was quite the bop, but being able to listen to our songs was glorious.

We exited the highway in an area I recognized. “Savannah?” I asked, trying to figure out if this was our final destination.

We pulled up to a stoplight, and Charlie waved his hands, “Surprise!”

I couldn’t help but smile, “You know I love this place.”

Charlie threaded his fingers through mine on the center console before lifting my hand to his lips. “I think you’ll like this place even more after the night we have in store.”

As we drove through the downtown area, decked out from head-to-toe in Christmas decorations, I couldn’t help but reflect on the first time we visited here. It was early this year, and we had only been dating for four months; I hadn’t even moved in with the Hannigan duo yet. Charlie suggested one random Saturday that we pack up and take a day trip to Savannah to go to the zoo. The day—from start to finish—was perfect. We had so many laughs that my cheeks hurt from smiling when we got home.

I stared out the window, admiring the scenery. “What’s first on our list?”

“First,” we pulled into the parking lot for the nicest hotel I’ve ever seen, “we check-in.”

“Here?” I tapped the glass of the window.

“No, three blocks away, but I’m just parking here.” He joked.

Charlie insisted on carrying all the bags into the massive lobby. The hotel was right on the riverfront, with windows from floor to ceiling spanned two floors. This place was so fancy; balcony rooms looked out over the lobby. My mouth hung open as I took in the place, “This looks expensive.”

He cocked his head while looking at me, “Don’t worry about it.”

“But…”

He pressed a finger to my lips as we stood at the reception desk. “Shhh.”