Page 82 of Her Paramedic
“We can stop,” Talia replied. “We can go to the donut shop before the interstate. They have the best boudin balls.”
Slate stopped fifteen minutes later at the donut shop, and then they hit the road. The sounds of soft music filled the car, and he glanced at Talia to see her paying attention to which lane they were in. Not that it would give her any sign of where they were going so soon. He still found it cute that she was trying to figure it out before they arrived.
“I know Killian probably already told you, but he and Journee are doing Independence Day at their house,” Talia responded.
“Yeah, he told me. We take turns hosting it each year and have this ongoing tug-of-war contest. We’ve all already put in for the time off.”
“You’ve been taking so much time off lately, and I get it, but you’re never going to earn back all your PTO.”
Slate shrugged. “It isn’t a big deal. With PTO, I find someone to cover my shift, and I get paid for it. Without it, someone still covers my shift, and I don’t.”
Taking unpaid time off didn’t affect him. Being a silent partner in their security firm paid well. He made a lower monthly salary and quarterly dividends, which fluctuated depending on his level of activity.
“What do you think we should take?”
“Whatever you want to, baby, but remind me to get more gloves.”
“Gloves?” Talia inquired, turning in her seat to look at him.
“I need to get some new ones for the tug-of-war contest.”
“Okay. Maybe we can find you some when we get to…” she trailed off, and Slate chuckled.
“When we get to where we’re going,” he supplied.
“Baby,” she whined. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because that’s the whole point of a surprise. Besides, you said it yourself. The signs will give it away, eventually.”
“Exactly. So you can tell me.”
“I enjoy watching you try to figure it out,” he responded with a smirk, and she reached over and poked his cheek.
“Mean.”
Slate chuckled. “We’ve established that you like me mean.”
“Only in certain situations. Not when I’m trying to get my way,” she countered.
“I’ve clearly spoiled you too much,” he joked.
“You might be right, but that doesn’t mean you get to stop.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
When they arrived at their destination, Slate followed the signs to their cabin as Talia took in the scenery. The property had a main chateau which contained fourteen suites and five cabins. He’d mildly thought about booking a suite, but decided that would be inconsiderate because they’d keep up whoever stayed in the rooms next to them.
He parked in front of their cabin, and they exited the car. He went to the trunk while his girlfriend took in the lush nature around them.
“I’ve lived in Colorado my entire life, and I’ve never been to Grand Lake,” she admitted. “It’s so pretty.”
“We aren’t far from Rocky Mountain National Park, and the lake is about a quarter of a mile that way,” he told her, nodding in that direction as he removed their suitcases. “The property also has a small lake with a few gazebos.”
“We should check it out.”
They were going to. It was where he planned for them to have dinner that night. The objective of their trip was to relax, and Slate hadn’t wanted to jam too much into the days they would be there. It was also why he chose a serene place. He wanted the atmosphere of it to carry over to their vacation.
Talia grabbed her purse and the shopping bags from the backseat, and they entered the cabin after he keyed in the code.
