Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Suddenly, Stella, who had been bent low over her handlebars, was sitting up straighter, slowing the pace and signaling toward their right side. “Over there. Look over there. Finally.” She spoke in a hushed tone that wasn’t exactly quiet and she stopped moving completely, forcing everyone behind her to do the same.
Vienna found herself smiling. This was Stella’s bridal shower. It was unusual and exactly what she wanted. She didn’t need gifts. She wanted adventures with her friends, and they were going down her list, checking all the boxes. Vienna was grateful they had managed to run across a small herd of wild burros.
They all pulled out their cell phones in order to take pictures. Harlow was an excellent photographer. So much so that she sold her landscapes in art galleries. She had first made a name for herself with a few of her pottery pieces, but her love of photography had won out and she began almost exclusively dedicating herself to that art. She rarely took pictures of human beings, other than the six of them when they were together. She included Sam. She used to include Denver and Bruce. Denver had proven to be a serial killer, and now Zahra had indicated that she was finished waiting for Bruce. Generally, Zahra meant what she said.
They knew to stay completely away from the burros, not interact with or feed them. The burros were wild and should be treated as such, but they all had their phones out, staying on the trail a good distance away. Only Harlow stepped off the narrow bike path and moved around the Joshua trees and few cholla cactuses to get a better angle. She was careful not to approach the small group of burros, nor did she want to startle them, but she took many pictures from various angles.
“Don’t worry, Stella. I got some great shots for you,” she assured, returning to the trail. “I’ll send them to everyone.”
“The burros were on my wish list,” Stella said. “The desert has its own beauty. My first love is always going to be the Eastern Sierras, but I can definitely see the beauty here.”
Vienna could see it as well. “The trips we took to Joshua Tree to see the night blooms when Harlow wanted to photograph the Joshua trees and then again in the desert during the super bloom were incredible.”
“We’ll have to add another trip to Red Rock in March,” Harlow said. “The flowers will be out in force here. We can camp.”
“Camp?” Zahra’s tone was an instant protest. “No, Harlow. If you’re going to take really good pictures with your equipment, you need a clean environment. I’ll find an Airbnb close. Something with all the amenities. Everything you’ll need. And remember, if we want Raine to come, she needs access to the internet. She has to have WiFi. I’ll get right on that. We should book in advance. Stella will help me look.”
“I might not,” Stella said. “I’m getting married.”
Zahra rolled her eyes. “Of course you will. Marriage isn’t going to change things in the least. Sam is already around all the time. He doesn’t mind you going on trips with us.”
“What if I get pregnant or have a baby?” Stella challenged.
Zahra went very still. “You’re not . . .”
“No, but it could happen . . . someday. Not right away,” she assured as they all stared at her, a little in shock.
“I didn’t think in terms of a baby,” Vienna admitted. “I suppose that would be a natural outcome.” Would Zale want a family? They hadn’t really discussed that. There were many things they hadn’t discussed. She was a nurse. She knew the entire biological-clock-ticking concept wasn’t a hoax. The older a woman got, the less viable her eggs would become. “Do you want to have children, Stella?”
“I believe I do—with Sam. If it never happens for us, I’ll always be happy and satisfied. I think Sam will be as well. He says he will and you know Sam, he doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean,” Stella said with total confidence.
Vienna knew that confidence came from knowing Sam for over two years. Sam was steady, a man she had always been able to count on. Vienna didn’t really know Zale, yet she was committing to a life with him. What was wrong with her that she hadn’t sat down with him and really talked about the important things, like children?
Stella began to laugh. “You’re all looking at me as if I’ve grown two heads. If I have a baby, that child will grow up camping, hiking and climbing. He or she will love animals. For heaven’s sake, the poor thing will have Sam and me for parents. It will spend its early years being lugged around in a front- or backpack when we’re climbing or hiking.”