Chapter 31

Luke soared down the highway as fast as the speed limit would allow. The sooner he got to their camping spot, the sooner Luke and his little buddy can start their relaxing and fun, long weekend. He held his arm propped on his door as he leaned his head against his hand. Movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and glanced over while Shelby was clutching the camera bag in her arms, holding it on her lap.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Shelby carefully shifted the bag on her lap. "I'm making sure I don' drop Mom's camera," she explained, hugging the bag to her like it was precious cargo.

"Why don't you set it on the floor? It would be safer on the floor than if I suddenly stepped on my brakes and the camera goes flying out of your hands from the sudden stop."

"Oh." Shelby leaned forward to gently set the bag on the floor at her feet.

"Your mom let you have her camera?" he asked, trying to make conversation, but was also very curious Rachel gave her the camera to use.

"She's le'ing me borrow one of her old cameras while we're camping," she explained. "Then she's gonna show me how to develop the film on our nex' weekend."

His eyebrows rose. Rachel was letting Shelby borrow one of her cameras? He knew Rachel was very protective of her cameras and others handling them. They were pretty much her babies in which you touch them; you die. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but Rachel did cherish them, and she was letting their eight-year-old borrow one for a whole four-day weekend? Guess that shows how much she was trying to show their daughter how much she trusted her.

Shelby ended up changing the subject when Luke had let things go silent and started talking about how disappointed she was that baseball season was over again and how she already missed it.

"We'll get some practice in, this weekend so you won't get rusty," he reassured to help Shelby feel better.

It seemed to help. "Okay."

His little buddy smiling helped him to smile. The rest of the drive to the campgrounds ended up being about baseball, as well as basketball, since that was the next sport Shelby wanted to play next spring.

Luke pulled up to their spot around four-thirty. Thankfully, they still had some daylight while setting up the tent and everything else. For dinner, he grilled some hotdogs and baked beans over the campfire as the sun was setting.

"Roger cooks on the campground's fire pit in...sss-tead of making his own," Shelby said while watching Luke rolling the hotdogs over with the large metal tongs.

He wasn't sure what to say to that statement. "He does, huh?"

"He says he doesn' know how to build his own because his family wen' to public campgrounds like the one we were a'," she explained what Roger had told her. "I told Mom I could teach them because you taugh' me, bu' tha' was okay since they had one, anyway."

"No need when you already have one, right?" Luke tried to cheer his little buddy up again, knowing how helpful she liked to be.

Shelby nodded while staring into the fire. "Hey, Dad?"

"Hm?" he responded with.

"How come Lor-lai didn' come to the diner this morning or yesterday?"

Luke suddenly froze when he heard Shelby ask about Lorelai. He nervously fidgeted. "I don't know, Shell. Maybe she just didn't have time," he lied, knowing full well it was probably because of their latest fight.

To his relief, Shelby accepted the answer. "Yeah, plus she hasn' been coming as often as she used to, the las' few months either since Rory lef' for college."

"I'm sure she'll come back when she has the time," he reassured her.

"Yeah, because you have the coffee." Hearing Shelby remind him of that fact made both of them laugh out loud. It actually felt good to laugh.

Luke also toasted the hotdog buns over the fire before making a plate for both him and Shelby.

After dinner, Shelby pulled out his guitar she had brought with her and pleaded for him to play this time. Making sure it was tuned which it was, proving his little buddy was taking good care of his guitar, Luke started strumming a few chords before they began singing. The music filled the quiet, chilly night air. They sang their favorites together and took turns singing solos. Shelby also proudly showed her dad what she had been practicing. She could now play the theme music to her newest Legend of Zelda game she was in love with at the moment.

"Wow, Shell. You learned to play that all by yourself?" he asked in amazement.

"I asked Mom to ask Roger if he could see if he could find the sheet music on his computer and prin' i' ou' for me, and sss-tarted practicing. Every day since September. I kep' ge'ting mad a' myself bu' when I finally go' i', I was really happy."

Luke smiled, proud of his little buddy. "That's how you get better, by practicing, huh?"

"I' always takes me lo's of practice to ge' something." Shelby looked away and stared at the fire again.

It pained him so much how Shelby was so hard on herself. Then again, he was just as hard on himself as his little buddy was, and it didn't help Rachel was really hard on her, too. Reaching over, he gave the back of her neck a firm but gentle squeeze. Life surely did not come easy for the two of them.

Tired after the day Luke and Shelby had, the two turned in early so they could get an early start the next morning.

Luke made scrambled eggs and potatoes for breakfast before they left on their morning hike. Shelby ended up sharing about the hikes she had gone on with her mom and Roger, and the sights they've seen. Once they got back to their campsite, Luke kept his promise and played catch with her.

Since shortstop was looking to be the position Shelby wanted to stick with, Luke mostly went through some shortstop drills with her. With some distance apart from each other, he constantly threw balls in every direction to get Shelby to move around quickly like she would do out on the field during a game.

"Remember, you want to get around the ball to scoop it up," he was telling her as he scooped the ball in his glove and immediately threw it right back. "Keep your eye on the ball, stay focused, and move your feet. Be ready for when the ball comes to you."

Shelby did as her dad was coaching her to do, circling around to scoop the ball up before throwing it right back at him. A few times she lost her balance and slid in the dirt, getting her jeans dirty, but didn't let it stop her from going for the ball. Thankfully, there was one thing Luke knew how to raise her confidence; keeping her playing sports. There was no second guessing in baseball. You had to go for it or cost your team a home run by a runner on the other team.

The two practiced for a long time until Shelby felt tired and thirsty, and took a break for lunch.

Luke made turkey and cheese sandwiches for lunch, making sure Shelby drank some water before and with it. "You're doing great, kiddo," he praised proudly as he handed her the sandwich.

Shelby wiped her brow on her arm, thanking him.

After they finished lunch, they spent the rest of the day fishing and resting. Shelby put together her own fishing pole and baited it herself before casting it out on the water, just as her dad had taught her to do.

Luke did the same with his own fishing pole and the two sat back on the chairs they brought, to relax and wait to see if anything would bite. Things were quiet for a while during the wait. The sounds of the lake and the birds chirping nearby calmed Luke from not only moving around just a moment ago, but the stresses of life he was dealing with at the moment. That's one of the things he liked about camping, especially now that he had his little buddy with him. With both him and Shelby, not much of talkers, they could just sit and enjoy each other's company for an extended period of time. Just being there with her, set his mind at ease. The diner, the therapy sessions, Nicole being back and rekindling their relationship, and everything that was heavy on his mind just washed away like the lake's shore washing up along the shoreline.

Shelby leaned back in her chair to lift her feet, holding the fishing pole between her legs. A bird chirped loudly nearby over and over every few seconds.

Luke closed his eyes. He breathed in through his nose, taking in the cool, crisp fresh air of the Connecticut forest. The smell of pinewood and fresh air filled his nostrils and breathed out, letting what was left of the stresses wash away.

More breathing was heard from beside him and soon realized his little buddy was doing the same.

He smiled over at her. "Feel better?"

Shelby nodded. "Lo's."

Turning back to the lake, Luke lifted his left hand and playfully grabbed the top of Shelby's head, gently shaking it.

Unfortunately, not many fish were biting that first full day except for the really tiny fish that could also be used as bait. So, the father and daughter duo just spent the rest of the afternoon sitting there, enjoying each other's company and listening to the sounds of nature.

For dinner, Luke had packed a camping version of a Thanksgiving meal, having made it yesterday morning before he left for the therapy session and sealed everything in containers. The turkey was already cooked and carved to fit in the biggest container he brought, and just heated everything up again over the fire.

Shelby suggested they tell each other five things they were thankful for, which she went first. "I'm thankful for you and tha' we ge' to sss-pend thanksgiving camping, and tha' Mom and I are doing a li'tle bi' be'ter and for our friends, and tha' I'm ge'ting be'ter on the guitar and with baseball. Oh, yeah, and tha' Nicole is back, and you guys are dating again."

Listening to what his little buddy was thankful for, made him thrilled things were going well for her. But when she mentioned Nicole, it was a chore to keep up being happy. Yes, he missed the woman a little. He still wasn't fully sure this was what he wanted and kept thinking about what Lauren had told him, despite trying to shake the words from his mind.

He heard Shelby break through his thoughts and tell him to say what he was thankful for.

"Well, I am thankful I have the most kindest, sweetest, hard-working kid around," he began. "I'm thankful you and your mom seem to be doing well, and that the diner is also doing well. I'm actually looking into hiring some more help in the next couple of months, especially since I don't have my little helper around as much."

Shelby perked up at that. "If you need help, Dad, I can sss-tart helping again," she offered. "I know I haven't been helping as much, and Christmas is nex' month."

"It's okay, Shell. I know you're busy with school, and your friends, and spending every other weekend with your mom," he tried to reassure her. "I'd rather you enjoy being a kid while you still can than working all the time."

"Bu' I can sss-till help ou' sometimes during the week and on the weekends I am home," she pointed out.

Luke shrugged. "If you want to, you can."

"I do," she replied. "I love being able to ge' everyone presen's for Chris'mas."

"Okay, just make sure you're at least getting your homework and studying done."

"Okay." He was hoping the subject of what he was thankful for ended, but then Shelby asked if there was anything else. "Are you thankful Nicole is back and those dumb lawyers aren' hounding you anymore?" It was clear Shelby had heard him complain enough times about the whole situation and heard him always on the phone with a lawyer to repeat the phases he says. On one hand, it was cute coming out of her mouth. On the other hand, it reminded him how much of a sponge his daughter's mind was and how much he really was teaching her he wasn't trying to teach. At least she didn't say the other "D" word he used in front of the word "lawyer."

"Uh, yeah, I am," he answered. "It's actually been nice being able to get out and see a movie and have dinner for a change of pace." It wasn't really a lie. It was nice spending time with someone his own age, being served at a restaurant instead of doing the serving.

"Nicole really likes you," Shelby commented.

"She does, huh?" Luke forced a smile that time and started on his Thanksgiving meal.

"Yeah, she always smiles when she looks at you and you always smile at her. Not like you do at Lor-lai bu' I think things could go well." Luke suddenly got very uncomfortable as Shelby told him her observations and thoughts of him and Nicole, trying to sound hopeful.

He fidgeted in his seat as he tried to focus on his dinner. Finally, he asked if they could talk about something else and asked how school was going, how Ethan and Alan were, and even asked if she knew how Jess was doing and where he was. There was a slight pause but Shelby did change the subject and filled her dad in on school, her friends, but couldn't give much of an update on Jess since he didn't tell her much except that he wasn't with his father anymore and was still trying to sort through his current life situation.

"But he's okay?" Luke said, making sure.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, that's good to hear."

For dessert, Luke had brought along a pie for the special occasion. Since they were spending Thanksgiving while camping, he made a special pie that resembled s'mores, using gram crackers as the crust with a marshmallow and chocolate filling. It was definitely a crowd favorite.

Friday and Saturday were basically more of the same. They started the day with breakfast before going on their morning hike. Except Shelby decided to change it up and go hiking in the late afternoon on Saturday. Instead of fishing in the afternoon, they started in the morning after breakfast. During their hikes was also the only time Shelby remembered to take out her mom's camera and take pictures.

Despite Thursday, Friday, and Saturday being the best days Luke had in a while, the dreaded day had been taking up most space in his mind that all he wanted to do was sit and fish the whole day. It wasn't all in silence, though. He and Shelby got to converse and enjoy the time they had. Even though she had already heard them, she also asked her dad to tell stories of his father and about his own childhood. It was always amazing how much the kid seemed to hang on to every word. But with each story, the harder it got and soon Luke couldn't continue anymore and stared out at the lake instead.

The sound of a folding chair being dragged was heard from beside him. Shelby moved her chair closer to him and sat back in it. She then rested her head against his arm.

"I's okay, Dad. Grandpa is watching us from heaven," he heard her say to help him feel better.

Hearing his little buddy try to cheer him up, helped. Luke pulled his arm out, which Shelby lifted her head long enough to do so and wrapped it around her. The rest of the time they spent fishing was in more silence, just enjoying nature and each other's company. Unfortunately, they had to reel in their lines to pack up and head back home since Shelby had school the next day.

On the way home, Shelby asked, "Did Grandpa have any favorite music he liked to listen to?"

"Um..." Luke pondered on that. "Well, he sometimes would have the radio on in his office, usually listening to music that was before my time from the 50s." He told her to check the glove compartment where he kept some of his cassette tapes. There were a few in his collection that used to belong to his father, pointing them out to her while paying attention to the road.

Shelby popped in the one that was William's favorite and turned the volume up just a tad. She then quickly moved to the middle seat, fastening her seatbelt to lean against him so she could comfort him as the familiar music his dad would play made Luke miss the man even more. If anything, having his little buddy there with him was actually helping get through this day a little easier.

Luke gave his little buddy a squeeze as he drove down the highway as the classics of the old days filled the truck. It reminded him of riding with his own father again, coming back from one of their camping trips William would take him on. Just as he would, Shelby also fell asleep on the way home, exhausted from the long weekend. He gave her upper arm a loving rub.

If only William and Shelby could have met...

It was hard having to wake her so they could unload the truck once they got home since Shelby was sleeping so peacefully. They then carried everything in, making sure everything got put away.

Luke started a load of laundry while letting Shelby shower first. Once she finished, he took his turn.

For dinner that night, Luke just made them each a grilled cheese sandwich, and heated some tomato soup before the two turned in early for the night.

While Luke was getting comfortable, he felt the bed move more than it should have been and soon realized it was Shelby, wanting to keep him company still, during the last few hours of his "Dark Day."

"You have a good weekend?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied softly. "You?"

Luke smiled through the dark at his little buddy. "You bet, kiddo."

The two eventually drifted off to sleep with Shelby cuddling up right next to him.