Return To Maine Chapter 16
A/N: Thank you all so much for sharing your comments, reviews and your thoughts with me. You guys keep me inspired. Am I taking the romance factor overboard? Is it too much? Please let me know. Once I get them back to the city, I plan on writing a few stumbling blocks for them, as well as dealing with Gates, friends and family. I've never written about a case, either so I may need some help with that. Anyway, I hope I do this chapter justice.
In this chapter, I have referenced Great Maine Breakfast as an actual landmark in Bar Harbor. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Cadillac Mountain. The most dominant land feature on Mount Desert Isle and for many miles along the Maine coast and located in Bar Harbor.
From where they were standing on the eastern side of the mountain, it was windy and the brisk early morning air rustled around them causing Kate to shiver.
Rick had confiscated a blanket from their bed and Kate was thankful, but it wasn't quite warm enough. However, it would have been much colder without it. At least, it blocked some of the wind off of them.
Rick adjusted the blanket tighter around her shoulders pulling her closer. "Are you okay? If not, we could go back…"
"No! Absolutely not! I don't care how cold it is. I want to see this."
"Okay. If you're sure. It shouldn't be much longer now."
Rick had awakened her at 3:30 this morning with a soft kiss to her lips, gently calling her name, dragging her from a deep slumber.
She had opened her eyes to find him sitting on her side of the bed smiling at her , gently brushing her hair from her face. Had that only been an hour ago? No wonder she felt so tired, but she didn't want to miss this, either.
"We'll find someplace for coffee after this, okay?" His voice brought her from her thoughts.
"Sounds good." she agreed.
At last, the first rays of the sun began to ascend the horizon in the early morning sky, it's first rays lighting the earth as it rose higher and higher in the sky. It grew into a big ball of fire from dark orange to bright yellow as it began to heat up the earth and moved across the sky with grace, bringing it's promise of warmth.
Ohhs Awws and cheers erupted from the crowd as the sky turned from midnight blue, to light pink with it's golden rays, bathing Bar Harbor shopping district and Porcupine Island in splendid color, the light reflecting off of Frenchman Bay in shimmering blue.
The whole ordeal only lasted from 45- 90 seconds, but what an incredible experience this had been!
The crowd around them began to disperse and head to their own cars or the tour buses.
"Ready to go find that coffee now?" Rick asked.
"Mmm. Not just yet. I want to take this all in for a few moments. Is that okay with you?"
"If that's what you want, it's more than okay."
"Thank you, babe. This is so far removed from the city.
"Uh, yeah. Manhattan is 488 miles and a 10 and a half hours drive from here."
"That's not what I meant, babe. What I mean is in comparison. Manhattan is teeming with life, the hustle and bustle of the city, whereas, Bar Harbor is so peaceful and laid back. The air up here is so clean and crisp. Here, you don't hear the constant screeching of car tires or the wailing of sirens, there's no smog or pollution, no garbage blowing down the streets. People are more open and friendly."
"Ah, now I see what you're getting at."
"My dad's cabin is nice, but it doesn't come close in comparison. Dad's cabin is nice and peaceful, beautiful in it's own right, but… lacking in a lot of ways."
"I understand. This is like a slice of heaven here on earth."
"Mmm. I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right." She shivered as the a cold breeze rustled around them as the sun had not been up long enough to heat the earth, yet and Rick pulled her closer in his arms.
"You can't help but admire the Mainers for their eco ways of living. You're freezing. Come on, honey. Let's get back into town and find coffee and breakfast."
This time, she didn't hesitate, but let him lead her back to the car with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
The drive from the summit of Cadillac Mountain to Bar Harbor was only 6 miles and should have only taken them 15 minutes or so to descend, but with the remaining traffic and having to stop for the occasional deer or elk to cross the road, it took double the time.
Within minutes of arriving back in Bar Harbor, they found The Great Maine Breakfast diner at 15 Cottage Street.
The mouth watering smells of fresh coffee and fresh baking, pancakes and other delicious aromas permeated the air as soon as they entered the establishment.
"Mmm. Smells good in here." Kate uttered beside him.
"I agree. Let's just hope it tastes as good as it smells."
The restaurant was already filling with customers, some local fishermen and locals alike as well as the tourists that had risen early for the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain.
After a few minutes wait, a server escorted them to a booth in the back. She left 2 menus, silverware, napkins, and 2 glasses of water before leaving and giving them a few moments to look over the menu.
"So, what did you think about sunrise on Cadillac Mountain?" Rick asked, scanning the menu.
"Are you kidding me? I loved it! What's not to love about spectacular panoramic views? It was a fantastic experience."
"In Spite of that experience turning you into a human popsicle?"
"Yes! Human popsicle aside, it was so worth it and I'd gladly do it all over again." she laughed.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Maybe when we come back in July we can bring a picnic and watch the sunset."
"That would be very nice."
The server arrived a few minutes later, pad and pencil in hand. "Are you ready to order?"
"I am. I'll have the Great Maine Breakfast, 3 eggs over easy, coffee, and a side of apple spice pancakes, please." Rick replied, handing the server his menu. "Honey, what are you having?"
Kate scanned over the menu before answering. "I'll have the very berry pancakes topped with the homemade berry sauce and whipped cream." She watched as Rick's eyebrows rose and he coughed, nearly spitting the sip of water he'd just taken all over the table in front of them.
Unfazed, the waitress asked, "What flavor pancakes? We have Strawberry or Blueberry." the server asked.
Kate chewed on her bottom lip as she weighed her decision before replying, "Blueberry. And I'll have 1 egg over easy, grilled ham, home fries, toast, and coffee. And could you add a small glass of orange juice?"
The server nodded as she scribbled Kate's order on her pad and Rick added a small glass of juice to his order as well before scrambling off.
"Seriously, babe?" she asked after the server left.
"What?" he asked.
"You can eat 3 eggs, grilled ham, home fries, toast and pancakes as well as baked beans?"
"Well, baked beans for breakfast, I'm not too sure of, but after the workout you gave me last night, I'm pretty hungry."
"Ha!" Kate laughed. "You were the one that took me on a romantic dinner cruise, stuffed me with a delicious steak and lobster dinner and champagne and then took me to the bar in the hotel where we had not one, but two glasses of scotch. And if that were not enough, which I'm not complaining, but then you took me to our room and plied me with more champagne and chocolate covered strawberries."
Chuckling, Rick replied, "Yeah. Last night was fun, wasn't it?"
"Mmm. And sticky." she smirked, remembering what they had done with the juice from said strawberries.
"You enjoyed it, though. It's okay. You can admit it."
Pressing her lips together and shrugging slightly, she replied nonchalantly, "MMM. It was pleasant enough, I guess. Could use some improvement."
Rick's jaw fell slack, his eyes widening in astonishment. "Wha? You can't… If the sounds coming from you last night…" he spluttered.
Kate barked out another laugh. "Relax, babe. I'm only kidding. Last night was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing."
"I was going to say that last night you seemed insatiable."
"So were you." she countered back and then added, "I guess we both worked up quite an appetite last night. Besides, orders in places like this aren't on the large side and the wonderful smells in this place are making me more hungry."
Their conversation stopped as their server approached the table and set their coffees and it's condiments in front of them. "I'll be back shortly with your breakfasts. In the meantime, if you need refills on your coffees just let me know."
"Thank you." They chanted in unison. The server smiled at their replies, shook her head at how in sync they were and sauntered away.
"So, what do you think our next destination should be?" Rick asked.
"I don't know, babe. Let's check the map we picked up yesterday at the Information Center in Village Green."
"That's a good idea. Did you bring it?"
"Yeah. It never made it out of my purse."
He watched as she scrounged around in her purse momentarily before pulling it out.
Laying it open and flat against the table between them, they scanned the map.
"That one!" they chorused together, pointing at the same area on the map. Kate giggled and bumped his shoulder with hers.
"You two are so cute. You two married or something?"
Kate looked up and discovered the server had arrived with their breakfasts.
"Not yet." they both replied and giggled at the server's shoulder shrug.
"I was just going to say that most married people I know aren't that in tune with each other."
Neither replied as they watched her set their breakfasts before them.
Kate's eyes widened in surprise as the server set a plate of pancakes in front of her with the pancakes as large as dinner plates before her.
Woah! Sure they were both hungry, but seriously? This was a massive amount of food! There was no way she could consume this amount of food. Then there was the egg, the grilled ham, home fries and toast as well as the bowl of baked beans, which she didn't order but assumed came with each order.
She absentmindedly thanked the server and watched as the server served Rick's breakfast.
Marriage? Sure they loved each other, but were they ready to take that giant leap? It was something neither of them had mentioned much less talked about since the very beginning. They were both in it for the long haul, but were either of them ready for that?
"Ma'am?" the waitress's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"Hmm?" she asked, looking quizzically at the waitress.
"I asked if there was anything else I could get for you?"
"Oh, sorry. Yes, lots and lots of coffee." She was going to need it and not just for the trek in the park.
The waitress smiled at her. "Don't worry, hon. I'll keep you well caffeinated."
Kate smiled at her and she sauntered away.
"You okay?" Rick asked after the waitress left.
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"No reason. You just seemed so lost in thought."
He had no idea, but she wasn't about to share with him just what she had been thinking. She wasn't even sure why she had given it any thought. It was just a stupid comment. Besides, she hadn't a clue if he had been thinking about marriage or was even considering the prospect of it, so she'd let go of those thoughts for now.
She had an epiphany of chasing a little Rick through the loft st some point in the future and instead of terrifying her like it would have before, this one filled her with joy. She knew that if/when he proposed her answer would be a resounding yes.
A/N: Okay. That does it for this chapter. Not sure how the next chapter will work out as I have little research for the other areas of the park, so it may include a couple of destinations instead of one, which will bring their time in Bar Harbor closer to the end of their trip, bringing them closer to dealing with the issues at home. We'll see how it plays out, though. I won't be able to pick this back up until next week as I have out of town company coming in for the weekend and won't be able to even begin writing on this until next week, but will post as soon as it's complete. As always, thank you all for sticking with me on this project. Looking forward to your hearing from you.