Page 64 of It's a Brewtiful Day
“Let’s do this.” I glanced around the crowd of people, searching for Elliot.
“He’s not here.” She shook her head while a smug smile stretched across her face.
Busted. “Oh?”
“Alice said he was working late at the Coffee Loft.”
“Oh.” My words fell like my shoulders.
Even though he clearly didn’t want to see me, my heart still picked up its pace when I walked by the shop, watching him wash the bar table by the window, or when he’d pass by the bookstore checking out the display, or was having dinner with the redhead as I was grabbing dinner to go.
Our bus ride was uneventful and relatively quick, considering the less-than-ideal mode of transportation. Alice stood by the driver and read over what was required of us, letting us know that busses were running every thirty minutes, so we’d always have a way to get back to our starting point. The task at hand was fairly easy—guide the visitors to their planned activity. That was it.
As a thank you, we all got badges to help identify ourselves, and we also had unlimited and free access to the hot chocolate and treats. As we motored along, she handed us each a travel mug with the Dark Sky logo on it, plus our badges, and thanked us for our help.
Lake Annette was a gorgeous beach location.During the summer months, it was warm enough to swim in the mountain feed lake. In the middle of October, it was a tad chilly, but thankfully, we still hadn’t had our first snowfall.
We exited the bus and familiarized ourselves with where everything was. The firepit was not as small as I’d thought, and in fact, was a decent-sized bonfire near the water. It wasn’t hard at all to spot but was far enough away from where the astronomers were setting up their telescopes at the other end of the beach. Beams of red light danced everywhere as tables were propped up, scopes positioned, and signs were erected.
Just off the beach on a pathway, I spotted Elliot’s star lights. Admittedly, they looked so much better than what I had created, and it was the perfect way to outline the paths. Beyond that, there was a tent and table set up with a giant carafe, a huge bin of cookies, and the Coffee Loft banner hanging across the back.
My heart skipped a beat, and frantically, I searched all around, trying to locate Elliot. I suspected Cassie was up to something and that he was really here and she was going to somehow get us together.
Nina sprang into view and waved me and Cassie over. “Hey, ladies. Can I fill your mugs?”
“Sure.” I handed mine over and she quickly wiped it out with a towel before filling it.
“No Elliot tonight?” I wasn’t sure why I asked, but the words rolled out beforeI could stop them.
“Nah. He’s stationed at the store, making the hot chocolate for me. Molly is transporting it here to refill.”
A sense of disappointment welled inside, and I took my filled travel mug from her hand with a heavy heart. “Well, tell him I said hi.”
“Indeed.” She filled Cassie’s mug too. “Hope you enjoy the festivities a latte.” A sweet snicker filled the air.
Cassie giggled. “Well, we’ll certainly try.”
We walked back to the beach, and Cassie pointed everything out that was tucked back off the beach into the forest area. “Path A leads to the hot chocolate station and probably the most important; Path B ends at a nature tent where they have all the info on the animals in the area.”
Black bears and grizzly bears had not settled down for their winter sleep, but with all the noise and bells hanging from the tents, they would avoid us.
Cassie pointed down a gravel path (lined with Elliot’s star lights—seriously, how many had he made?) edged with towering coniferous trees. Thank goodness the start of each path had signage to indicate what was where.
She carried on. “Path C is the arts and crafts area, and Path D has a giant dome set up to view different parts of the night sky that I guess they can’t see in the telescopes?”
“I have no idea.” I shrugged, only somewhat interested in what they could see.
“That’s what I think Alice said.”
“Okay. Understood.”
She nudged me. “Easy, eh? Like the good ole days.”
“Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
“I’m going to catch the bus back at ten. In case we get split up, meet me there,” she pointed to the loading zone, “and we can ride back together?”
“Sure. That works.” I took a quick sip of the hot chocolate. It definitely tasted like Elliot had had a hand in making it; it was perfectly sweet but not overpowering, and there was a hint of a spice which I knew he always added.