The main spa room at the Ridge was so opulent it was nearly decadent. Which made it perfect. A curve of aquamarine water followed the circumference of the room. Jets built into the walls of the pool produced frothy bubbles of pure relaxation and the only sounds were from the jets and the rhythmic splash of the overhead waterfalls spraying heated water down into the waiting pool.

Elena felt loose and limber and almost guilty for taking the entire afternoon to do nothing but be pampered. Still, since it had been Isobel's idea to have a quiet afternoon of family bonding, Elena thought she could let the guilt go just this once. Besides, after the busy hours she'd had for the past few days, it felt good to just relax.

"You are seriously making us all look bad," Isobel told her with a sigh. "I mean, really, you don't have to be Gilbert Family Member of the Year right off the bat."

Elena smiled and hid the hurt that seemed to be a constant companion. Yes, she was making great strides at her new job. Her families were coming around—she had even managed to talk to Samantha without her glaring at her. And she'd had dozens of compliments on her plans for the splashy welcome she had designed for the opening of the gala from the board of directors.

For the first time in her life, Elena felt as though she was being accepted and appreciated by her families for who and what she was. For what she could contribute. And it felt great.

Memories of having breakfast with Damon at his house this morning floated through her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Breakfast this morning would be date number three for them. On date number one she cooked him a meal at her place and they kissed. On date number two he brought her to a nice cosy restaurant for drinks and dinner. And they kissed again. Given their track record, that should constitute a relationship, shouldn't it?

And he wanted her to meet his family. It meant something, didn't it? Damon had mentioned staying at an inn. Was he thinking one room or two? Should she shop for a new nightgown tomorrow along with a new dress?

"Okay, what is wrong?"

"Hmm? What?" Elena jolted as she realized her thoughts had wandered off while Isobel was talking to her. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about work."

"Uh-huh." Isobel shook her head and reached out to pat Elena's shoulder.

The two of them had indulged in a luxury spa treatment. They had already been through the facials, the massages and now, they were stretched out side by side in the narrow curve of the pool, relaxing. Or they were supposed to be.

"I know that look," Isobel said. "You look smitten. And it is not a 'work' look. It is a 'man' look. So spill."

She automatically shook her head. One thing you learned as an adult was that it was not necessary to tell your parents every little detail of your life. And there was simply no way she wanted her aunt to know about her relationship with Damon at this stage. "I really don't think—"

Isobel gave her a dramatic pout. "What's the point of having family if you can't bare your soul and get free advice—or sarcasm, as the situation demands."

In spite of everything, Elena smiled. It did feel good to have Isobel as her aunt. Even two weeks ago, she never would have believed that she still had family around in this world apart from Jenna. Yet here they were, and astonishingly enough, the two of them had actually formed a bond that Elena hoped would only get stronger with time.

"Okay," she said, and glanced around to make sure they were still alone.

"Relax. The place is ours for the afternoon. I run the spa, remember?"

"Right." Elena lifted one arm and slid it through the water, letting the jetted bubbles pulse against her skin. "Okay, say there was a man I'm seeing socially at the moment."

"A man." Isobel leaned back and floated, allowing more of the jets to beat against her body. "You mean Damon."

Elena felt heat rising in her cheek. "I…..How…"

Isobel smiled. "I saw you walked over to his house early this morning. And you two came back to the Ridge together."

Elena tensed a little, as though preparing herself for battle. "His place isn't far from the Manor. I…I just wanted to talk to him."

Isobel grinned. "There is something going on between the two of you. You look smitten when Damon is around."

"I don't look smitten!" she protested.

"You like Damon."

"Well, I do like him," Elena admitted. She knew there was no point denying it.

"A lot?"

She knew she was blushing. "I like him enough to go out with him."

"But you want him," Isobel teased. "You are nuts over him."

Elena was struck dumb. She could not think of an appropriate response. She couldn't think of any response.

"Elena?" Isobel snapped her fingers. "Hello? Anybody home in there? Stay with me here, Elena."

"Am I that obvious?" Face burning, she asked.

"Obvious?"

"Nuts over him."

Isobel laughed. "You ought to see the way you look at him, Elena. Damn near painful."

"Right."

"He looks at you the same way."

"Really?"

Isobel gave her a commiserating look. "You told me about your ex. The jerk who cheated on you."

"A total jerk."

"Right." Isobel nodded. "Think of it as an experiment that didn't go well."

"It was a mistake, not an experiment."

"Uh-uh." Isobel wagged her forefinger. "You know what they say, it is only mistake you don't learn from it."

"I learned a lot from it," Elena said. "I don't trust men easily."

"But you trust Damon."

Elena nodded. "Yes."

"I can tell you that you have already taken a quantum leap forward."

"Meaning?"

"You and Damon are dating. How cool is that?"

"Well, there are more to come."

"Oh." Isobel smiled a smug little smile. "Is he taking you to somewhere special?"

Elena moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, swallowed a few times to clear her throat and drew a deep breath. "He wants me to meet his family this weekend."

Isobel's eyes lit with speculative interest. "This is serious, isn't it?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think his family will like me?"

Straightening up, Isobel shook her wet hair back from her face and looked at Elena. "Who gives a damn what they think? Damon likes you."

"But I got the feeling that it is very important to him, Isobel," Elena said as she shifted in the water, letting the heated water push into her back. "What if his family doesn't like me?"

"Of course they will like you," Isobel reassured her. "You will survive, Elena."

"I hope so."

"Nervous, honey?" Isobel was laughing at her. "Afraid you will chicken out after you have met his family?"

"Well, no, it is just that I…"

"Don't worry," Isobel said softly, climbing out of the water and reaching for a fluffy white towel. "They will like you. Be in the moment. Enjoy your time with Damon, okay?"

"Okay."

"But right now, we have got things to do."

Elena rose. "What?"

"We are going shopping."

"You want to shop?"

"Not me. You need to shop," Isobel said. "For something to wear this weekend. You have got a big weekend coming up."

x x x

Elena sat in the passenger seat and watched the rural scenery flow past. The drive from Mystic Falls to the quarry was only about forty miles, but the road was a two-lane highway that wound through a rolling landscape. A few miles back, the picturesque vineyards had given way to small farms. Goats and dairy cattle wandered across grassy fields. Signs advertising homemade cheese and antiques appeared at the side of the road.

Elena could not escape a sense of anticipation. They were on their way to a birthday party, but in her imagination the drive to the coast loomed as a turning point of sorts in her relationship with Damon.

It felt good to be out here sharing the warmth of the day with Damon, she thought. Her spirits rose. For the first time since she had arrived in Mystic Falls, she began to relax.

"It is a relief to get away from Mystic Falls for a while," she said. "I'm tired of being the main attraction at the resort. This whole week all anyone wanted to talk about was me becoming the head of the PR department."

"Can't blame everyone for being curious." Damon slowed for a right-hand turn. "But I agree with you. Today is a nice day to get away from the town. Trust me, the quarry late is beautiful."

"Does your family always have a small get-together at the quarry?" she asked.

"My parents have a small cabin at the quarry," he said. "But we will be staying at the inn tonight. The cabin can't fit all of us."

"You are sure your family is expecting me?"

"I called the house this morning and talked to my mother," Damon said. "She can't wait to meet you."

He drove for another short distance before they arrived at the quarry. He parked the car, and they made their way to the quarry lake.

He pointed at the cabins around the area. "This quarry used to be a very popular mining place in the 1900s. But mining stopped in mid 1950s. This place started to become a favourite weekend get-together in the past ten years when builders started to build cabins and lodges around this area."

"This is a nice place." She smiled. "I like it here."

The snapping breeze whipped Elena's hair and sent a rush of pure, unadulterated delight through her. It was good to be here, alone, with Damon.

She glanced at him, smiling to herself at the sight of his tousled hair. He looked delicious in his black windbreaker, jeans and sunglasses. She was no longer a teenager, but the hormones she thought had matured and perhaps gone a little stale in the past few years were playing havoc with her senses and emotions.

Stop staring, woman. You have got him all to yourself for a while. Be in the moment.

And she realised, suddenly that she wanted the moment to go on indefinitely.

Get a grip, woman. You will scare him off if you are so desperate.

She refocused her attention on the rough beach and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her own windbreaker to restrain herself from doing something rash like, say, grab Damon and kiss him senseless.

"What are you thinking?" Damon asked.

Caught off guard, she groped for words and finally came up with the question that had been on her mind since they left Sal Rose Café the other night.

"Your father told you to stop fooling around with your job for a while and pay attention to what is important."

Nervously she came to a halt and turned to stare at him. He stopped, too, and looked at her. They were both wearing sunglasses, so she could not read his eyes.

"What is important?" she asked.

He was silent for a couple of heartbeats. She had the impression that he was gathering himself for a big jump.

"I don't want to go back to Mystic Falls today," he said finally. "I want to spend the night with you, here, where no one knows us and we can be alone together."

She caught her breath. Hope soared within her. Grimly she tamped it down, forcing herself to keep things in perspective. "And tonight is important to you?"

"Yes."

She took a deep breath.

Be in the moment.

"Yes," she said. "I would like very much to spend the night with you."

He took her hand, closing his fingers tightly around hers. They continued walking along the path that led to the cabins.