“Yeah, that was cool,” I agreed. “That’s pretty fast, for a road car.”
“Pretty fast? That was, like, warp nine! Those orchards were going by like- like the stars when the Millennium Falcon goes to hyperdrive!” Ashley said, mixing her sci-fi imagery.
“Like I said, pretty good- for a family sedan,” I smirked.
“It’s funny- it feels like we’re goin’ so slow now,” Ashley commented, looking out at the almond trees as we passed them by.
“It does,” I agreed.
We skirted Modesto, but when we got to the small town of Oakdale, James signaled to pull into the first gas station we saw.
While we were filling up, he went in and asked about good places to eat nearby, and armed with local knowledge we found ourselves in a hipster 'New American Cuisine' brewpub a few minutes later.
I was a bit surprised to find a place like that on the outskirts of a farming community in the San Joaquin Valley, but certainly happy that we found it. They claimed all their ingredients were sourced from farms and ranches within twenty miles of the restaurant, and I had no reason to doubt it.
James seemed a bit out of his element, unsure what to order and a bit dubious of the ‘rough hewn’ decor, but he did admit that the burger he had was about as good as any he could remember.
Knowing food service margins were low and wanting to help the obviously new business, I stopped to buy a couple of hoodies with the restaurant’s steer logo at the front counter on the way out.
“Who are those for?” Ashley asked when I selected two in a size medium. On impulse, I grabbed a third medium and said, “Just gifts. Want one?”
“Sure, I’ll take it!” Ashley said, her eyes wide with excitement at this meager offering.
As I paid, she held up her new hoodie and admired it. “Thanks, Leah- this is awesome!”
I turned to James and said, “You should get one for Imogen. I’m sure she’d love it.”
James laughed, saying, “Can you imagine Imogen at her parents’ house, wearing that? She’d probably inherit right then and there, after her mother and father both had heart attacks.”
“There you go- a sound financial investment, then,” I replied.
Out in the parking lot, there were a couple of guys in work boots, flannel shirts and beat up old baseball caps eyeing James’ Porsche. As we walked up, one of the guys asked James if it was his car.
“Sure is a beauty,” the guy said. “Hey, look, I don’t know which way you folks are headed, but they just chip-sealed 120 south of China Camp, so I’d avoid that chunk of road in a car like that.”
“We were planning on going over Sonora Pass,” James said. “But thanks for the heads-up.”
“Sonora’s nice and clean right now. It’ll be smooth sailing for you guys,” the second farmer said. “Hey, can I ask a favor? Can you, like, I dunno, rev it up for us?” he asked, pointing at the Porsche. “I just wanna hear it run.”
James looked at the two guys in their work clothes, thought for a moment, and said, “Tell you what. If you want to jump in, I’ll take you for a quick spin- how’s that?”
“Are you serious?” the second farmer asked. “I’d hate to get your car dirty.”
James just shrugged, and said, “Dust yourself off first.”
Ashley and I just stood around the parking lot with the first farmer while James took the second out for a quick joyride. We made small talk for the ten minutes James and Robbie were gone, mostly about local road conditions.
When the Porsche pulled back into the lot, Robbie got out, dusted off the seat as best he could, and said to his pal, “Jim, you gotta do it. That car has completely recalibrated my entire reference for what ‘fast’ is.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Jim said as he slid into the low-slung supercar for his turn.
Robbie watched the Porsche leave the lot, then turned to Ashley and me. “You ever ridden in that car?” he asked.
“I’ve driven it,” I said with a shrug. “It is pretty amazing, alright.”
“Amazing doesn’t begin to describe it. I’m just glad I thought to shoot video,” he said, holding up his phone.
“Out on one of the straight back roads crossing the valley, we hit a hundred and eighty miles an hour in the BMW, and he pulled away like it was nothing,” I said.
“I can believe it,” Robbie said. “When James stepped on the accelerator, we were over a hundred in about three seconds.” Taking off his hat to rub the bald spot on the back of his head, Robbie said, “I’m glad they make cars like that, but I could never imagine owning one. Never mind the cost, the temptation would simply be too strong for me to resist.”
“To be honest?” I said. “I don’t even try to resist it.”
I held up my fist and Robbie bumped it. “Resistance is futile,” he agreed.
James and Jim returned about that time, and, as they climbed out of the car, Jim said, “I’m gonna need that beer, now,” visibly wobbling.
“You guys have a great afternoon,” James said to the two, who thanked him and went inside.
“Have fun showing off?” I asked.
“Those guys loved it,” James said.
“Yeah, I think it made that guy Robbie’s day, that’s for sure,” I agreed.
Leaving Oakdale, we made our way out of the flat farmland of the valley and into the Sierra foothills. We didn’t spend any time in the town of Sonora- just passed through, admiring the touristy cuteness of the Gold Rush main street as we drove by.
Up we went, continuing to gain elevation as we climbed into the tallest mountain range in the contiguous United States.
“This is really pretty,” Ashley remarked as the oaks of the lower elevations started to give way to pine trees. “It’s just so different from what I’m used to.”
“I think we’re already higher than any mountain peak in the Eastern US,” I said as we passed one of the many tiny lakes that dot the Sierras.
James had thought we’d be able to get in some good high-performance driving on that road, but the reality was that it was too narrow and sight lines were too limited to be able to pass the many slow vehicles we came up on as we made our way east.
Still, as a sight-seeing road, it was hard to beat. The mid-afternoon sunlight filtering through the pine trees, the small lakes and waterfalls, the walls of granite on either side… It was just magnificent. It didn’t matter that we were stuck behind some Instagramming van life rig going at a snail’s pace. The scenery was just that spectacular.
Finally dropping down out of the high elevation, we passed the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, then rolled down to Highway 395. James pulled over to a stop, and we got out to talk.
“My GPS says it’s about a five hour drive back to Mountain View,” he said. “That’s fastest route, which isn’t back the way we came. What are your thoughts?”
“As amazing as that road was,” I said, “I’d rather see something new.”
“I’m not sure how much seeing we’ll be doing,” James said, looking this watch. “We only have about two more hours of daylight.”
“I guess we’ll just have to find a hotel somewhere and stay the night,” Ashley said, hopefully.
“Not so fast, Missy,” I said. “We’re headed back to Palo Alto tonight.”
“Spoilsport!” she replied, sticking her tongue out.
James just laughed and said, “I’ve got to get home tonight to feed the cat, so I’m headed back.”
“Up 395 to Carson City, then over?” I asked.
“Something like that.”
“Alright. Let’s make the most out of the light we’ve got,” I said. “We can grab dinner in Sacramento.”
“Sounds like a plan,” James agreed, and we piled back into our cars.
“Seriously, we could get a hotel room somewhere,” Ashley said as we made our way north on Highway 395, in the shadow of the Sierras.
“What happened to the ‘just friends’ thing?” I asked.
“Friends can share a hotel room,” Ashley said. “Especially if it has a big, nice king-sized bed and maybe a jacuzzi tub.”
I rolled my eyes so loudly Ashley could hear it over the road noise as we sped along the highway.
“O.K., O.K., I get it. Just friends.”
“Just friends,” I agreed.
We were both quiet for a while, lost in our own thoughts.
James called, and when I answered, he said, “I think I’m going to run up a bit farther and take the freeway back. Are you guys going to do that, or turn left at Gardnerville and go past Kirkwood?”
“I’m thinking Carson Pass- we’ll run out of daylight before we cross, but at least it’ll be good driving,” I replied.
“Alright,” James said. “Drive cheerfully!” and signed off, promising to catch up next time I was in the Bay Area.
“Carson Pass? Is it like what we just went over?” Ashley asked.
“Nah,” I answered. “It’s a bit more wide-open, and a lot more developed.”
As I’d predicted, the evening light faded quickly. By the time we passed Silver Lake, the last of the setting sun’s light was no more than a hint in the sky to the west.
“There are so many stars here,” Ashley said, looking out the window.
On a whim, I pulled over into a picnic area between the road and the lake, and we got out to admire the night sky.
“I think we’re at about seven thousand feet of elevation here,” I said as Ashley gaped in awe, craning her neck to look up.
“A shooting star!” she said, pointing. “I never seen one before!”
“Keep watching,” I replied. “You’ll see more.”
After a few minutes, Ashley went back to the car for the hoodie I’d bought her at lunch. “It’s kinda cold,” she said as she pulled it on.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
During the half an hour we stared at the night sky we each saw a number of shooting stars, and a few satellites orbiting the Earth as well.
Back in the car, Ashley said, “I’ve never seen so many stars in my life. Heck, I never even imagined the night sky could look like that. And so many shooting stars! Is it always like that up here?”
“On moonless nights, yeah,” I agreed. “But in the winter, you can see even more stars.”
“Wow…” she breathed.
Dropping down into the lower elevations on the western slope, we stopped at a little Mom and Pop burger and barbecue place on the side of the road in one of the little Gold Rush towns we passed through.
The menu had absolutely no pretensions of being anything but what it was, but the beef was good, the onions, tomato and lettuce were all fresh and crispy, and the buns were locally baked, making for excellent burgers. I opted for the sweet potato fries, and they were good, but the home-style hand-cut thick fries Ashley ordered were even better.
Back on the road, Ashley said, “I’m gonna have to go back to ramen for the rest of the week to make up for all this food!”
Slipping out of the mountains and into the Central Valley, we talked about Ashley’s training, the cross country season coming up, and the joys of college roommates. It made me miss college, but at the same time, made me grateful I’d finished with all that.
Pulling into an empty parking spot in front of Ashley’s apartment back in Palo Alto, she made one last play.
“You could come up,”she suggested. “Why don’t you stay over, and we could go running together in the morning?”
“Friend zone,” I reminded her, receiving a pout in return.
“At least a good night kiss?”
“How about no,” I replied.
“I tried,” Ashley sighed as she got out of the car.
“Yes, you did.”
Back at the condo, I toyed with the idea of heading to the club for a late night, but ultimately decided against it. It was Sunday night, after all, and bound to be slow.
I’d had a good day, enjoyed the driving, the scenery, and yes, even Ashley’s company, but it was time to relax, take a bath, and go to bed.
Emmy and Angela had been uncharacteristically quiet on the text front all day, but that was fine. ‘No news is good news’, as they say. I shot the two of them a goodnight message before heading to bed, even though it was well past midnight East Coast time.
When I awoke for my early morning run, I saw a text from Angela. It was a photo of Emmy asleep in that big canopy bed, as beautiful and peaceful as I’d ever seen her.
“I got her to come to bed at midnite”, the text read. “Shes still sleeping. Im going to wake her up 4 bfst soon”.
“I miss you guys”, I texted back. “I wish I was there”.
Deciding to skip my morning run, I got ready for work, then picked up a chocolate croissant and coffee on my way to the office. My schedule was a bit more open that day, since I’d be talking to some startup founders. Listening to their VC pitches can sometimes take a while- I’m not one of those who want the basics distilled down to what can be written in large letters on a three by five card. No, I want to get a real feel for the company’s tech, business model, and people at the helm.
This meant I had one morning meeting and another in the afternoon, after which I was free to jet back down to Los Angeles, and the empty condo there.
The morning meeting was a bust. The guys had no real idea of the business ramifications of the tech they were proposing, and seemed like nothing more than a couple of frat boys from Stanford who came up with an idea for a web service company after a few too many beer bongs.
The afternoon, though- that meeting seemed much more promising. Of course, it was second round, so they’d already fine-tuned their approach and had working prototypes and beta-level software. It seemed to me to be an obvious winner, and the first-round investors included a few I knew to be pretty savvy, so I signed off on it, committing a few million for forty-nine per cent of the company. We worked out a framework for executive compensation that was heavily weighted towards performance bonuses, set some challenging but achievable benchmarks, and finally, exit strategies. It was obvious the three guys had done their homework, making the whole process nice and smooth. They grumbled a bit about giving up half the company, but I pointed out that it was my money floating their dreams and ambitions, and if it blew up, well, half a huge pile of cash is still a huge pile of cash. If it crashed and burned, it was me that was on the hook for the loss, since they’d be drawing salary from my money in the meanwhile.
My workday done, I made my rounds of the office, saying goodbye and telling everybody I’d be back in two weeks. I drove back to the condo, changed clothes, and got an Uber to the airport for my flight home.
It had been a good trip in a lot of ways, both as far as business was concerned and for my adjustment to spending time in San Jose. The condo still felt a lot like a big hotel room, but that would change with time. I’d started the process of creating a groove to settle in, and I could see that it would become comfortable enough within a few more visits.
Yes, I’d missed Emmy, and, to my surprise, Angela, but maybe they could come up there with me next time.
The next day was a school day for me, so I had my morning workout in the building’s gym, worked from home for a few hours, did what homework needed to be done for class that night, then went to class- the same as any Tuesday or Thursday before our trip to Chicago and New York. The only difference was that I was the only one there at the condo that night.
Sure, we had a video call when I got home and Angela and Emmy were getting ready for bed, and that was nice, but it wasn’t the same as actually having them there to snuggle with.
After hanging up, I sent Angela a text thanking her again for making sure Emmy got to bed at a reasonable hour (if one A.M. could be considered reasonable) and also making sure that Emmy took care of herself and ate regularly.
“Somebody has to do it”, Angela responded. “She gets so focused she forgets”.
“I’m glad you’re there for her”, I texted back, and realized that it was true. If Emmy was going to be in New York to record and I needed to stay on the West Coast, somebody should be there to take care of Emmy, and it should be somebody that loves her.
I realized that at some point I’d slipped past my doubts about Angela without even noticing, and now just took it for granted that of course Angela loved Emmy, and of course, she loved me, too.
It was a nice, warm feeling, and thinking about my two beautiful, loving ladies made falling asleep and into pleasant dreams that much easier.
After my morning workout with Jody, I stopped off and bought myself one of those digital picture frames for my desk, but also some of that film you put on your computer monitor so it can only be seen from certain angles. After I made my rounds and reminded everyone I was back, I set my new picture frame up on my desk, angled towards my chair. With the privacy screen cover, nobody but me would be able to see the photos as they rotated through. I loaded a couple dozen pics from my phone onto the frame and set it to rotate every few minutes or so. Of course, none of the pics were all that racy, but the fact that there was another woman besides my wife might raise questions that I didn’t feel any need to deal with.
Work was unmemorable that day. The photos on my desk were clearly the highlight, and every now and then when I glanced up and saw Emmy at the Griffith Park Observatory, or Angela and Emmy holding hands walking along the lakefront in Chicago, or that picture of Angela in my Cardinal hoodie (and apparently nothing else), curled up in a big, comfy chair in front of the fireplace in the master bedroom in New York, it brought a smile to my face.
Since I had nobody at home waiting for me, I took the opportunity to go driving with the boys that afternoon after slipping out of the office early. Driving the M3 up in the Bay Area had been good, but my tuned Vantage was like a favorite comfortable pair of gloves. Sure, I could swing the rear end of the M3 around, but that Aston? I could make it dance.
Jimmy (and his sister) were waiting at the meeting spot when I showed up, along with Teddy Bear. Stein had texted he was on the way, so we waited for a few minutes until he got there, his McLaren now a dark British Racing Green.
“I like the new wrap,” I said when he got out of the car. “Did you run from the cops again?”
“Nah, not this time. I just couldn’t stand that pink any longer.”
“Next time, my man, get it wrapped in a red like this,” Jimmy said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at his Ferrari. “Like a real car.”
As we were trash talking, a text came through.
“Can Jenna and I bring anything over tonight?” Andy asked.
“Emmy and Angela are in New York, so it’ll just be me. You guys want to go out or something?” I responded.
A few seconds passed while the three dots did their thing. “We can do that. Like dinner?”
“You pick the place” I sent back.
“I’ll talk to Jenna and get back to you”.
“Cool” I texted.
“You ready to drive?” Stein asked, looking pointedly at my phone.
“I’m good. Let’s rock.”
Jimmy led out, which meant that the route would be unpredictable, but slow. I kept myself amused by throwing the Aston sideways through every turn I could, burning up a lot of expensive tire rubber, but grinning like a maniac with the sheer stupid joy of driving like a hooligan.
Eventually I had to peel off to go to the restaurant that Jenna and Andy had suggested. Pulling into the parking lot of the Greek restaurant in Woodland Hills, I spotted an empty spot next to a Shelby Mustang GT, figuring that it was probably Andy’s car.
Sure enough, Jenna and Andy had grabbed a table in the outdoor seating area and waved me over as I approached.
After the usual greetings, Jenna asked, “So why are you here in LA if Emmy and Angela are in New York?”
“We had a couple of days there after our Chicago trip, and Emmy fell in love with the recording studio we had built with the remodel. She mentioned it to Lee and Jackson, and they all decided to head over there and record their next album there instead of renting studio space here.”
“And Angela?”
“She just went because she wanted to go with Emmy, and I was just going to be boring and work, anyway,” I said with a shrug.
“You’re O.K. with them being together like that?” Jenna asked, concerned.
“Honestly, I’m happy Angela went. She’s been making sure Emmy gets to bed at a reasonable time, and actually takes meal breaks and stuff like that. When Emmy and the boys get into it, they completely lose track of time,” I explained.
“You’re not jealous, even a tiny bit?” Jenna continued.
“I’m a little bit envious they’re having a good time without me, but if you’re asking about Emmy and Angela, you know, sleeping together? No. In fact, I hope, and this sounds funny, but I hope they have a whole lot of sex while they’re there.”
Andy just about spewed the Pellegrino he was drinking. “Wait- what?” he finally managed to choke out. “You actually want them to be, uh, getting it on, without you?”
“Mmm hmm,” I agreed, nodding. Just then the waiter came for our orders, breaking the train of discussion.
“So Emmy’s recording with her band in New York, and you’re here working. It sounds like a raw deal,” Jenna said.
“Yeah, but I have class at UCLA, and although I can do a lot of my work from home, a lot of it still involves being there in person, so I couldn’t really fuck off to New York for a few weeks. Emmy, though, she and the boys have been really frustrated with their working conditions here, so…”
“I bet they can’t wait until your new house and studio get finished,” Andy commented.
“Well, they went to New York because they couldn’t wait,” I said with a laugh. “But yeah, it’s gonna be like heaven for the three of ‘em.”
“Is, um, Jen there in New York, too?” Jenna asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I guess I should find out, and if she isn’t, maybe invite her for a night out or something. It wouldn’t surprise me if she stayed here. I mean, she does have a job here, after all.”
The waiter arrived with our dinners, and we set into our food. After a few minutes, Jenna finally returned to the subject that was clearly still on her mind.
“Um, you said that you hoped Angela and Emmy were having a lot of sex,” she said. “What did you mean? I mean, why?”
“Two- no, three reasons. First, I want this thing, um, our situation, I mean, to be a real equal three way thing. It seemed, before they left, that Emmy was my lover, and Angela was my lover, but the two weren’t as, um, focused on each other, if you know what I mean.”
“O.K….” Jenna said. Andy was paying attention, but keeping quiet. “I think I understand what you mean. You want them to have this time to bond more, just the two of ‘em.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“Reason number two?”
“I guess two and three are sort of the same reason,” I said, thinking about it. “Emmy has never had anybody else. I’m the only one up until now she’d ever had sex with, right? So if she and Angela develop their own relationship, and figure out what each other likes as far as sex and intimacy are concerned, it’ll open up her, um, confidence? Her range of experience? I’m not sure how to phrase it,” I admitted.
“That… makes sense,” Jenna said. “I know a lot of people who get married young tend to wonder. The whole ‘other side of the fence’ thing.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“So, um, you and Chris, back in high school?” Andy asked.
“Yep. And me and Stephanie Houk, after senior year,” I said.
“No way!” Andy said, his eyes wide. “Stephanie, the cheerleader Stephanie? I mean, I know you guys were friends there after Emmy left, but really?”
“Really,” I said.
“Dude, that’s hot,” he said, then noticed Jenna’s annoyed look. “Stephanie was, like, the hottest girl in school until Emmy showed up. I guess that explains why Jonny used to complain that she just wasn’t, um…”
“Putting out?” Jenna demanded, getting more irritated.
“I wasn’t gonna put it like that, but, um, yeah,” he answered, looking as if he expected to get yelled at.
“Yeah, she told me she just wasn’t into Jonny,” I said, trying to rescue Andy from his fiancée’s wrath.
“So, putting this Stephanie aside,” Jenna said, returning her attention to me. “The third reason?”
“Well, it’s really the same as the second reason, but for Angela. This is her first relationship with another woman, right? She’s, well, unsure of what she’s doing, and worried that she’s getting it wrong. The times we’ve had sex-”
“Jesus, now that’s an image. You, a full on Amazon. Her, a fitness bikini model. The two of you in bed must be like an ancient Greek wrestling match or something!” Jenna said, which made me laugh. Andy, seeing I was laughing, felt free to join in.
“I hadn’t been thinking about that, but now that image is stuck in my head,” he said.
“I hate to burst your bubble, but when we have sex it tends to be really tender, and, well, gentle,” I said.
“Nope! Bubble not burst!” Jenna said. “I’m gonna keep imagining the two of you, all hot and sweaty, trying to pin each other down on the mattress.”
Andy, wisely, kept his mouth shut.
Laughing, I said, “Well, anyway, like I said about Emmy, Angela needs to, um, find her way around down there, and having more than one partner will help her in that regard.”
“What, you mean she’ll get better at rug munching?” Jenna asked, while Andy turned more and more red.
“No, she won’t get any practice at that,” I said. “Emmy is as smooth as an eight ball. No rug at all.”
“So the only rug she gets to munch is yours?” Jenna demanded.
“No, no rug here, either,” I said, thoroughly enjoying the stricken look on Andy’s face.
“Hey, how about them Padres?” Andy said, trying to turn the conversation to anything else at all, even baseball.
Showing mercy on the poor guy, I said, “If they win tomorrow, they’ll sweep the D Backs. The way the season has been going, any win is a precious thing.”
“No joke,” Andy said. “The post season vanished a long time ago.”
Jenna sat back, her mission accomplished for the moment. We talked about the upcoming Rams game, and the house that the two had bought from me, and my work, and so on, steering away from embarrassing topics.
Before we all went home, I told them that next week I’d make dinner at my house. “This was nice,” I said, indicating the remains of the lemon roasted chicken on my plate, “But it’s nicer having you guys over for dinner.”
Back at the empty condo I did some work on my laptop for a while before settling into bed to sleep. Chuckling about Jenna’s imagery of Angela and me wrestling naked, I fell asleep with images of what Emmy and Angela might be doing in bed.