202. Chapter 202

Chapter 202

On their last day in Munich, Castle, Kate and all four children headed for the Bavarian countryside to see Neuschwanstein Castle. Alexis was anxious to see her younger siblings' reactions and wasn't disappointed. They took the guided tour, but when the tour guide finished, both younger children had questions about what things were used for, why things were built the way they were, whether there were any hidden doors, whether there were ever knights in armor there, why the beds had curtains…" The four adults quietly answered the questions while they walked to the next stopping place. When they were back at the entrance after the tour, a young British couple who had been close to them on the tour stopped to tell them they learned almost as much from hearing them answer the children's questions as they did from the tour guide, and thanked the children for asking.

"We're glad to be of service, Castle answered with a playful smile." Looking at his family as the couple waved and left, he said, "I guess we've done our good deed for today. Do you want to walk around the grounds or go back to the car and see if we can find dinner?"

"Find dinner," Jamie stated.

"Yeah. I want something to drink," Jo agreed.

As they walked back to the car, Castle went into storytelling mode and told them about Mad King Ludwig spending all his money building castles.

"If you want, I can show you his other castles."

"Could you show us where to find dinner first?" JD asked.

After an early dinner at a small German restaurant, their driver showed them two other castles and another one where he grew up, and he gave them some of the history of the region as he drove them back to their hotel…and received a generous tip for his extra service.

"Grams, we saw a real castle. It was humongous and it looked like a king or queen should be in it," Jo told her grandmother as soon Martha opened the door to her room.

Jamie added another observation and ended with, "There was lots of awesome stuff there."

"Well, it sounds like you enjoyed it."

"Just wanted to share the excitement and remind you that the cars will be here tomorrow morning at nine." Castle told her.

"We'll be there. Next stop is Venice?"

"That's right."

"We'll see you in the morning then. She hugged her grandchildren and said, "I'm glad you had fun. You can tell me all about it on the plane tomorrow."

xxxxx

Castle's signing in Venice was in the morning, so they took the children for a gondola ride afterward. The gondolier spoke enough English to communicate pretty well, and Kate filled in the difficult spots with translations in both directions; so they worked out a little bit of a side tour of some areas beyond the usual trip through The Grand Canal, not as much of a trip as on their first visit, but a little more than the average shorter voyage.

The children were sitting in front of the parents, and Castle had his arm around Kate's shoulders most of the time, both of them keeping a close eye on their babies. Between streams of informative comments from the gondolier, Castle would kiss Kate's head now and then or she would lean her head on his shoulder and kiss the underside of his jawline…not long or inappropriate, just loving. Then Castle broke down and gave her a lingering soft, loving kiss, which Jamie caught, of course.

"Daaaaad! Everybody can see you kissing."

"Hey, we brought you along so you could see how it felt to ride in a gondola. Gondola rides are supposed to be romantic, and I wanted to kiss my wife; but it looks like we brought along two interfering children."

"I didn't interfere," Jo protested, and Jamie stuck his tongue out at her.

"Well so much for the romance," Kate noted, gently thumping the back of Jamie's head.

Both Castle and the gondolier chuckled. "One day you will like kissing, too," the man maneuvering the boat told Jamie.

"That's what Dad says, but I don't think so. Mom, can't you make him stop when people can see you? It's embarrassing."

Castle looked at his wife and said, "Oh, embarrassing? Then I think I should kiss you some more to pay him back for the times he pitched a terrible twos tantrum and embarrassed us."

"Nice alliteration there, Writer-Man. Kiss me again."

Castle planted silly kisses, making them noisy, Kate joined his efforts, and Jo was laughing. Jamie started out trying to be stern with his parents, but eventually broke down and laughed with the rest of the family. Then Castle grabbed his head and both parents noisily kissed all over it. Jo and the gondolier were laughing, and in spite of himself, Jamie was, too. They even managed the entire exchange without unduly rocking the boat, and the tension was gone again just in time for the gondolier to point out something new to see and hear about.

"Thanks for the extra part of the tour," Castle told him as they got off the boat. He slipped a very good tip in the man's hand.

"And for putting up with us," Kate added in Italian. "Grazie"

"What did you say?" Castle asked as they turned to walk away. Kate told him, as he swung an arm around her shoulders again. "Hey, we weren't that bad," he protested. "Come back here and walk with us," he told the children.

"You're not going to start kissing again, are you?" his son asked.

As the conversation faded from his hearing, the gondolier shook his head and grinned to himself.

xxxxx

The next morning they took a high speed train to Milan, where there was one more signing. This time Kate took advantage of the hotel pool to entertain the kids while Castle was gone, and the next morning they were on their way to Paris. There was a signing that afternoon, and another the next morning, and the party, which Castle referred to for Jo as "going to the ball", was scheduled for the second night they were there.

The women decided to do as Castle suggested and have a girls' day with Jo the day of the party. All of them had appointments at a spa for manicures, and pedicures; and the attendant who was assigned to Jo gave her every ounce of respect and service that was given to the grown-ups…which netted her an excellent tip. They had dressed up a little more than usual for the trip, and their next stop was a very nice tea room where they had little sandwiches along with tea in old world inspired floral china cups. The adults in the party took turns explaining things to Jo, and she was enthralled. The décor was storybook beautiful, the service was wonderful, and everybody went back to the hotel feeling pampered, relaxed, and ready for the ball.

Castle took charge of getting Jamie ready for the party, and Kate took Jo. Their fingernails were already well done, so Kate put on her makeup and then arranged Jo's hair, adding a barrette that complimented her new dress. She even gave Jo a little sweep of colorless lip gloss to make her feel more grown up. Then she took care of her own hair and said, "It's time to put on our pretty dresses and go see Daddy and Jamie in their tuxedos. Will you zip Mommy's dress? Then I'll help you with yours."

In a couple of minutes Kate looked as stunning as she ever had, and Jo was looking as if she felt like Cinderella, post fairy godmother; and then they went to meet the men in the family.

"Oh, look at them, Jo. We're going to be at the party with the two handsomest men in the room. Jamie, turn around and let me see. You look so grown up and handsome in your tuxedo. And your father looks good enough I should kiss him," she teased.

"Mooooooooom. Stop it," he moaned, but there was a little smirk matching his father's now that his father had a moment to get past "the out of it look". Castle still hadn't spoken, though.

"Kate, you look…absolutely enthralling And can this possibly be my little girl looking so grown up? Jo, you look beautiful in your new dress, and your hair looks so pretty."

Jo gave him an excited beaming smile. "Are we going to the party now?"

"Yes, we are. Are you ready? And you remember you and Jamie will be the only children there. You'll have to talk to grownups tonight...and use your gentleman and princess manners."

She nodded. "I remember. Will it be decorated all pretty like Mr. Bentley's wedding?"

"Probably. We should go and see. Our driver is waiting for us, and the rest of the family will meet us in the lobby. Ready, Son?" he asked.

Jamie was obviously pleased with his tux and seemed to stand a little taller than usual as he followed his father to the door.

As the four of them left the elevator and walked toward Jim, Meagan, Alexis, and JD, everyone in the room watched as they joined the others. Then Martha and John followed suit when the next elevator arrived, turning some heads themselves. Kate looked around the group and said, "All of you gentlemen do a tuxedo proud."

"And I think all of us looked at our wives tonight the way your children described Rick," Jim answered.

"Let's get in the cars. We can tell each other how good we look there," Castle said, taking Jo's hand and putting the other hand at the small of Kate's back. "Lead the way, Son," he told Jamie.

xxxxx

Once the party was past the initial introductions of Mr. and Mrs. Castle to all the most important guests at the party, he and Kate were able to get back to spending time with their children, relieving other family members who might want to be free to have a drink, or dance, or schmooze for a little while. Alexis and JD gravitated toward their parents and siblings as they found hors d'oeuvres and appropriate drinks for themselves and the children, and they set their dishes from the buffet at a table that had been reserved for Castle as one of the guests of honor, the other being Walter Haskell. Walter and Bentley and their guests, which included Paula, were at the next table. Some of the party guests moved in their direction as they were about to sit down, and Jamie went into the charming/business mode he had picked up from his father, introducing himself easily and matter-of-factly when someone seemed interested. Jo, following her parents' and her brother's lead and did the same, sometimes calling herself Johanna and remembering to say thank you when people complimented her dress or her manners. JD and Alexis were gracious in greeting the guests as well. After all their children had successfully charmed several couples who had stopped to introduce themselves, the Castle family had time to sit down and eat something. The rest of the family had gradually come from the party to the table to join them, and they now filled the entire table meant for ten.

Kate leaned toward him as she spread her napkin in her lap and said softly, "You always have a big, strong impressive chest; but if pride in our children swells it any bigger, you might explode before the party's over."

"Oh, I'm in real trouble now," he answered quietly.

"Why is that?"

"The gorgeous woman of my dreams just added flattery to the mix," he answered, sitting up straighter and puffing his chest out a little bit for effect. That earned him a big smile and a little swat to the puffed chest before she turned her attention back to the children and his chest might have puffed up again involuntarily as he watched all four children and his beautiful wife enjoying their entire family.

During the course of the evening, a small group of guests approached Castle's family as they were being introduced to the head of one of their publishing affiliates from Sweden.

"We wanted to tell you how much we've enjoyed your children's books, Mr. Castle," the woman said. "We've bought every one of them for our grandchildren, and they love them. And your children really help you write them?"

"They do. You're looking at my collaborators right here."

"You must be Little Brother," she said to Jamie, but where is The Girl With Red Hair?"

"Right here," he said with a smile, pointing to his older sister. "The girl with red hair."

Alexis laughed and introduced herself. "Some of the first books you have were written when I was younger than Jo," she said, putting her arm around Jo's shoulder. "And Dad and I worked on them together until I was about Jamie's age. I was the only child until Dad married Kate a little over ten years ago, but I always wanted a little brother; so he wrote one for the stories, and as a bigger bonus, I have a little sister, too. I'm extra lucky. We had kind of forgotten about the books until Jamie was about three. When I read them again from an adult perspective, I pushed Dad to publish them." She looked down at Jo and hugged her shoulders.

"Will there be more books?"

"There's a new one coming out in November," Castle told her. Jamie and Alexis worked with me on that one. When we were working on it, Jo wasn't old enough to understand the story, let alone help with it, but Little Sister will be introduced in this one. We didn't want to leave her out."

"And are you helping with another one now?" she asked Jo.

Jo nodded. "We just finished another one," she answered excitedly. "Bear and Eleph…"

Alexis smiled and moved her hand from her sister's shoulder to over Jo's mouth, saying, "Remember what Dad said about no spoilers?"

"Oh, yeah." Looking up at Castle, Jo said, "Sorry, Daddy."

"It's okay, Honey. No harm done."

"And is this handsome young man your son, too?"

JD introduced himself. "They make me feel that way. I married Alexis and was adopted."

"He's ours now, too," Kate answered.

"How do you collaborate?" she asked, looking at the younger children.

"Dad gives us a list of all the things we need to decide on to write a mystery, and we have to help decide what the problem should be, how it happened and why…" Jamie started.

"And who's the bad guy and who's the good guy and who solves the mystery," Jo finished.

"And then, after we decide everything, Dad writes it, and it sounds better when he reads it back to us," Jamie amended.

"And then Jamie tells me what 'doesn't sound right' and I correct it. This boy wanted edits at age four," Castle said proudly.

"Well, if it doesn't sound right…" Jamie said and shrugged.

"I have to agree with the young man," Blake said with a mischievous smile from the edge of the group that had begun to form around them when there was mention of new books. "If it doesn't sound right…"

"Blake, I didn't know you'd be here tonight," Castle said, smiling and offering his hand to the editor.

"There's a reason for that," Walter chimed in from behind Castle. "I did as you asked, and Bentley and Gina gave him stellar recommendations, but they're now put out with me because he's going leave London to take Gina's position at the New York office. He and his family agreed to the move, so they'll be in New York by the first of October."

"Congratulations, Blake," Kate said, and he introduced the Castles to his wife.

"All of us are excited about the move," Kitty Davies said. "We're looking forward to the adventure of a new place and meeting new people. We have a lot to do in the next couple of months."

As they talked, Martha and John had commandeered the children and moved to another group. With so many people there from Black Pawn's publishing affiliates, the subject of conversation often turned quickly to books, and publishing, and with the children present, to the Girl With Red Hair books. Both of the young Castles were contributing in some small ways to the writing conversation. Jo had now been to a meeting with Brad where they talked about illustrations, and cover art, and page layouts. Jamie had been to those meetings with Brad often enough to be reasonably familiar with the process, and Jo took an interest right away when she was there, so she had a little bit to contribute. And with the variety and amount of reading in their household, the children had references to draw from to connect to other snippets of general conversation.

Walter Haskell stood with Castle, Kate, and Blake and Kitty Davies watching Martha and the children talking to the group they were with. "I have to tell you, Rick, I had my doubts about the wisdom of bringing two young children to this kind of setting, but I understand that when we get you now, we get your family as well. However, it looks like your children are a welcomed addition. They've been delightful. And they dress up as well as you and Kate."

Paula walked up about that time and added, "And they would be publicity gold. Too bad he won't let us use that."

"Paula," Castle warned.

"I know. I know. The kids are off limits."

"That's right."

"What about radio spots? Nobody would see them there."

"Paula." This time there was a little bit of a growl involved, and she waved, saying, "Fine, fine," and moved on to talk to someone else.

Castle turned back to Walter and said, "Speaking of my adorable children, they've held up much longer than I'd expected. It's way past their bedtime, and we should take them to the hotel before they turn back into pumpkins. Have we put in enough time to start making the rounds for an exit?"

"Go ahead. All of you have been great with the guests. I think people have loved meeting your whole family."

"And I get a say in which shots the photographer can make public?"

"He promised they'll be in your email tomorrow."

"Thank you for understanding. The children of both a cop and a wealthy writer…I just want them to be safe and have as normal a life as possible."

"We understand that, even though Paula is right. Those children, including the medical student and the adopted one are publicity gold…but I'll never ask you to push that past your own limits. I have children, too."

"I've always appreciated your patience with that. I'm going to start bowing out now."

Castle told Kate he was calling their driver to be there in about twenty minutes. "Why don't you get the kids ready to go…maybe let them have another dessert while you wait, reward them for showing the charming sides of themselves for the evening. I'm going to make the rounds of goodnights, and I'll meet you back here at our table."

Kate went and found the children, who didn't argue at all about a second dessert. When they went to the table, a tall, slender older man with dark hair spoke to them with a French accent. "I can bring this to you if you'd like to sit down."

"Thank you." She looked at him and said, "You look familiar, but I'm not sure why."

He just smiled and started gathering the small plates of the decadent chocolate desserts for them as they returned to the table. Alexis and JD were there when they got back, and when the server brought his tray, it included a small box with an extra dessert. "For your husband," he explained and set it down next to Kate's plate. "And I'll be back in a moment with two more." He returned quickly and then went back to his work.

When Castle returned, he pretended to be upset that they had dessert without him. "The waiter brought them to us," Jamie told him. He brought one in a box for you to have later.

"Well, that was nice of him."

"He had a smile with crinkly eyes like yours…but his were brown, not blue," Jo said right before another bite went in her mouth."

"Oh," Kate said, looking as if she'd just had a revelation. "I think we saw him in Paris last time we were here, too," They had a quick eye conversation, and she said "He's tall, slender…dark hair…older man."

"I'll be right back."

"Thanks for dessert for the children," he said, smiling as he approached his father.

"Spotting me doesn't count if your wife has to help. She's a sharp one," he teased very quietly, facing away from the party and barely moving his lips. The French accent was gone. "They're beautiful, bright children…all of them."

"That was all. Just wanted to thank you," Castle said at a normal level.

"Any time, Mr. Castle," his father answered, accent back in place, and loud enough to be heard.

They parted ways then, and by the time Castle reached the table, they had all finished their desserts and Kate was getting them up from the table to leave.

"Did you find him?" Kate asked.

Castle nodded and smiled then offered her his arm. Jo asked Jamie, "Can I hold your arm again?" and he held it out for her. She smiled adoringly up at her big brother, JD did the same for Alexis, and the rest of the family followed them out. The photographer was snapping as many shots as he could get.

Gina and Bentley were near the exit door to say goodnight, and watching the exchange between Jo and Jamie. Gina said, "I know this doesn't sound like me, but that's one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. She looks like she feels so special." As the children reached the door, Gina leaned, looked at Jo, and said, "Jo, you look beautiful tonight. And Jamie, you look so handsome, and you've been such a gentleman."

Both of them remembered to say thank you and smile.

"What she said." Bentley grinned at the two of them.

Back at the hotel, both children were reluctant to take off their finery. But once they got into their pajamas, they were asleep in no time.

"I think it must have really felt like turning back into a pumpkin. We'll have to find somewhere to take them where they can wear those clothes again." Kate said. "Before they outgrow them."

"Yeah, we will." Castle answered. "Did I ever tell you that's what Lanie said in her intervention text back when the two of us were not smart enough to get ourselves together?"

"She compared us to pumpkins?"

"Not us, just you," he teased. "Give me a minute. I saved it." He scrolled through his texts for a while and then showed her the one Lanie sent. "My girl broke up with Demming so she could go with you this weekend, and she's actually facing up to what she's done. If there's any chance of fixing this hot mess, you need to do it now before she turns back into a pumpkin."

"That sounds like Lanie," she answered with a fond smile. "If I'd known what she was doing then I might have fired her as a best friend; but I can never entirely pay her back for that little foray into our business."

"We can never entirely pay her back."

She looked at him and asked, "Is it time for us to turn into pumpkins, too?"

"No pumpkins here. You're as beautiful out of that dress as you are in it."

"And I never get tired of that big, strong chest…and these big, strong arms."

"All yours, Beautiful." He took her hand and kissed her palm. "I'll help you with your dress if you'll help me out of the tux."

"Not a problem, Handsome."

"I was so proud of our children tonight," he said as he opened the zipper of her dress.

"Me, too," she answered, removing the studs and cufflinks from his shirt and putting them on the dresser. "My only disappointment in the last couple of days is that Jamie is calling us Mom and Dad now. I knew it was bound to happen, but I'll miss being his Mommy."

"You'll always be his mommy deep down where it counts, but he's growing up. Peer pressure, I guess, like not hugging or kissing him at school. You'll still be Mommy to Jo for a while longer, but they're gonna grow up. Not a thing we can do about it." He kissed her forehead in sympathy. "I'll miss being Daddy, too."

"You want to help each other forget about that for tonight?"

His answer was a kiss that said he was in full agreement.

xxxxx

Kate finished packing and loaded a luggage cart while Castle was at his signing early the next afternoon. Everyone in the family was packed and had their luggage ready, and they were out of their hotel and on a plane to Barcelona not long after he returned to the hotel. The doorman, the porter, and the driver were so efficient at loading luggage into the two cars that Castle didn't even need to get out of the car. He handed Kate tips for the doorman and the porter, and she took care of it before sliding in beside him and kissing his cheek.

There was an extra family day and a half in Barcelona, and the family headed for La Rambla for brunch and sightseeing on the full day. Then they went to tour some of the Gaudi architecture they hadn't had time to see when they were there the first time, when everything was planned around the needs of a three year old. When they went into the first building, their parents told Jo and Jamie to look at the windows and stairways. "They're different from what you usually see and different from each other," Castle told them. By the time they had looked around for a while, the children were pointing things out to their parents. Late that afternoon, their driver gave them a little tour of landmarks on the way back to their hotel.

After his morning book signing, the entire family went to see the Magic Fountains at Montjuic, again enjoying the synced fountains, lights, and music.

The next morning, the rest of the family flew back to London to leave for home with Jo and Jamie, again giving the two adult Castles a couple of days to themselves.

Castle had a signing in Edinburgh the next morning, and he had made reservations several months before at The Witchery for dinner again…and to stay in one of the few suites available at the old medieval building. Their last visit there had gone well enough to try to create another magical night for themselves. While Castle was gone, Kate arranged to have her dress and his tux dry cleaned and returned to the suite he had arranged for them.

When Castle returned from work, she met him at the car and they walked up the hill and toured Edinburgh Castle. Then they went back to their suite. It was decorated with dark wood, rich deep colors, and antiques…like spending time in the eighteenth century with some modern amenities. They made love in the massive wooden four poster bed and then sunk into the freestanding bathtub and enjoyed the luxurious feel of their surroundings…and each other.

Wrapping his arms around her in the warm water, he kissed her neck and told her, "I looked at all the suites and chose this one because of this bathtub. It looked bigger than the others, and I knew you'd like it."

"I do. I wouldn't want to live in this kind of place all the time, but it does feel a little magical here. Last time we were here, the restaurant did, too. It was like stepping back in time."

"Our reservations are for eight."

After reaching to add more hot water to their bath, she snuggled back against him and answered, "Then we have plenty of time to enjoy this before dinner."

They dressed for dinner in the clothes they wore to the party in Paris, and turned heads as they entered the candlelit room for dinner. The meal and service were wonderful, and as they did the last time they were there, they went back to their suite and, still dressed in their elegant clothes, danced to slow, romantic music from a playlist Castle had put together for that specific night. And gradually they worked their way back to the bed to enjoy the romantic surroundings before they had to leave the next day.

Their plane home was leaving from Heathrow, so Castle had arranged for them to have one free day in London again, staying in the same hotel where they had stayed before.

They slept late the next morning, had room service deliver breakfast and read a newspaper before taking a shower and venturing out of their room.

When they reached the front door, Kate said, "I think I remember that to the right there were a lot of stores and little shops…good for souvenirs and window shopping…and a good fish and chips place.

"And a nice park by the river to sit and eat." He gave her a playful grin and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go back for another couples mani/pedi?"

She laughed. "That's right. That was here, wasn't it? That was so much fun." Looking up at him with a grin, she said, "We probably caused enough trouble in there the first time. No sense pushing our luck. But I'm still disappointed I didn't get to see you with camouflage toenails."

Castle laughed and put an arm around her waist, pulling her with him out of the hotel and to the right to see if they could find anything interesting. After finding a few small things at a couple of little shops and doing a lot of window shopping and general touristy looking around, they recognized the fish and chips shop and picked up lunch. The park was in sight across the street, so they found a bench in the shade of a tree and sat down to enjoy lunch and the breeze from the river. When their lunch was finished, Castle draped his arm around her shoulders, and they stayed for a while to simply enjoy their surroundings and be close to each other.

"Your father met your children."

"Yeah. And he managed to make it look random." He kissed her head and smiled. "He said all of them were beautiful, bright children…and that you were sharp. He told me spotting him didn't count when my wife had to help me. And he made sure I had an extra dessert, too."

Both of them chuckled. At the last statement. "It sounds like he's proud of all of us…in the only way he knows how. Is it any comfort for you to see that?" Kate asked. "Does it feel creepy that he just randomly shows up for family events?"

"Some comfort, I suppose. And it doesn't feel as creepy as I thought it would. I'm resigned to the idea that I can't have enough of a relationship to get to know him better. But your dad and John feel more like fathers to me. It's a little bit like Alexis knowing she has a mother but having been ignored enough that she'd rather have a Kate."

"I'm glad my dad can give you that. He does think of you that way, like we think of JD. Dad has a lot of respect for you."

"We've built a good family, Mrs. Castle."

"Yes, we have, Mr. Castle."

"Are we ready to talk about how long you want to work?"

"Are you looking for deadlines…cut off points?"

"No. Just an idea of what to expect."

"They only intended one, but gave me two interns last year, three if you count the son of an arrogant former captain that they threw out." They grinned at their inside joke and she went on. "I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again. I'm a good cop, Castle. I've been good at what I've done from the ground up, and I teach interns by example. I've left well-functioning precincts behind me, and at the moment I've mentored or interned six people to be captains, five of whom already have their own commands, and the sixth one is in line for promotion when something opens. And we know Ryan and Esposito will be good captains. They'll pass along the best of Montgomery, Gates, and maybe something from me. The people making decisions on who to promote and how they perform on the job seem to be happy with the work they're all doing. If I stopped now, I'd know I've made a difference. NYPD has seventy-seven precincts, and the good cop side of Montgomery's legacy is commanding seven of them. If they mentor more like them…"

"Sweetheart, I'm so proud of what you've accomplished, and I'm not asking you to give it all up next year. I'm just looking at the future to see if we have a plan for it. It's easier if…"

"Kind of like giving Jamie a four day calendar when he was three…so he could mark off the days until we were back at home?"

"Yeah. Maybe we…maybe I need another calendar."

Kate reached up and pulled his face toward hers for a soft kiss and said, "Is five years from retirement too much? One of them is already done…except for the freedom part of it. After that we could both offer to consult on individual cases and then take things as they come. The kids would both be in school, so we could work during the school day and be out when they are. And if we already have plans, we can say no."

"We can do that."

"But if you need me to stop before then, promise you'll tell me, and I will. If you want to come in and consult on cases now and then while the kids are at school, I'll try to clear it; but no field work. Our kids need both of us."

"We can do that…and I promise I'll tell you."

"So you have a new calendar?"

"Yeah. I feel better. We have a plan now, and it's mostly what I expected." He planted a firm kiss on her lips and asked, "Want to go and ride that humongous Ferris wheel? I bought tickets online before we left home just in case. They're in my pocket."

"Yeah. Let's find a taxi."

They enjoyed the Ferris wheel and the view from the top, a nice dinner at the hotel, and having one more night all to themselves; then the next morning they got on the plane looking forward to getting home, hugging their children, and going to the beach house until time for school to start.