The Scenic Route by Devan Sipher Page A

wooly.”
    â€œWild and wooly?” she teased.
Oh God
. He sounded like a character from
Ice Age 2
.
    â€œMy life is just so different,” she said. Meaning their lives were so incompatible. “I could be fired tomorrow. Technically, I’m on a contract, but that doesn’t mean much in the restaurant business, especially when the owner’s making noises about going in a more Latin-fusion direction. And I’m kind of overdue for trying something new. Someplace new.”
    â€œIn Miami?”
    What he really wanted to know was if moving to Michigan was even a remote possibility, but it seemed presumptuous to ask. And he doubted someone who had lived in Miami, Rome, Los Angeles, London, and Vienna would want to settle down in a suburb of Detroit.
    â€œI’m not married to Miami,” she said. That was the opening he’d been waiting for. He took a deep breath.
    â€œOh my God,” she exclaimed, looking at the clock. She jumped out of the bed. “I’ve got a plane to catch.”
    And that was it. He had just wasted their last remaining minutes together talking about retirement plans.
    â€œWould it be okay if I used your shower?” she asked.
    â€œDepends,” he said, thinking fast. “Would it be okay if I joined you?”
    She giggled as she scurried into the bathroom, and he took that as a yes.

    They were late getting to the post-wedding brunch. Naomi accused Austin of dawdling as she briskly traversed the Crystal Cove main lobby to the terraced dining room. He had to hustle to keep up with her.
    There was a lavish buffet in the coral-colored room, and a couple dozen people milling about. By this point Austin was inured to the scrutiny his clothing inspired, but this time around people seemed mostly amused by the return engagement of his one and only outfit. Naomi hugged two women who looked vaguely familiar from the night before. But Austin hadn’t paid much attention to anyone besides Naomi. He waited for her to introduce him, but she didn’t.
    She was standing just out of his arm’s reach. He’d been dreading this moment, this inevitable feeling of “separating,” of becoming two individuals again after having felt briefly melded together as one. He wanted to go back. He wanted to cling to the memory of their lastembrace in the steaming shower and would have happily skipped the brunch, but Naomi had stymied his effort to stall their arrival.
    As it turned out, they had made it down before Steffi, who was giving a new meaning (or possibly an old one) to wedding crashing. The bride had imbibed more than was wise and was having trouble staying vertical. However, Stu was having no trouble piling up a buffet plate with a lofty mound of waffles, eggs, bacon and corned beef hash.
    â€œI think they’ll let you come back for seconds,” Austin joked as he and Naomi made their way over.
    â€œThis is seconds,” Stu said. “I didn’t eat anything last night other than the chocolate volcano. I’m starved.”
    â€œI don’t think I have time to eat,” Naomi said, looking at her watch, which made Austin gaze at her slender wrist, which made him yearn to be touching it.
    â€œThe car service isn’t picking you up for another half hour,” Stu told Naomi.
    â€œI thought it was earlier.”
    Austin did a double take. “You didn’t rent a car?” he asked.
    â€œSteffi picked me up at the airport.”
    â€œI can give you a ride!” He realized he had spoken much louder than he had intended when several guests looked up from their meals.
    â€œThey already hired the car service,” Naomi said in a hushed voice.
    â€œWe can cancel it,” Stu offered.
    â€œYou can’t cancel this late,” she said.
    â€œWhat’s a few more dollars at this point?” Stu said as he moseyed over to the omelette station.
    â€œI can take you,” Austin told Naomi. “I’d