The autumn of 2013 passed quickly. Jamie enjoyed her classes, and she occasionally exchanged greetings in the hallway with Nolan. The two of them even ate lunch together a couple of times, but Jamie never stopped missing Andy. He was very busy with his mission work and also had limited access to the internet, so communication between the two of them was rare.

When she came home from school on the last day of the fall term, her mother had a surprise for her. "We're driving out to Los Angeles for a couple of weeks."

"All right!" Jamie exclaimed. "So can we go to Hollywood Hills and look at all those movie star homes?"

"Perhaps, if there's time," Jo replied. "But this is mostly a trip to visit my old friends from high school. I haven't seen them all together since the summer Sarah's grandmother died, you know. I've never even met Natalie's baby, and he's a year old now!"

"Will Tisha be there too?"

"I doubt it. They live in New York, remember?"

Jamie's face fell. "Do I have to go?"

"Don't you want to?"

"Well, if we're not going to see Hollywood Hills and Tisha's not gonna be there, it sounds like a pretty boring trip to me."

Jo sighed. "You're old enough to stay here by yourself, if you want, but Doug and I were really hoping you'd want to come with us. He was the one who suggested it. He thought you'd enjoy it."

"All right," Jamie groaned, going to her room to start packing.

Doug came home from work several hours later. "Did you tell her?" he asked Jo after kissing her hello.

"Yep."

"Well, what did she say?"

"She was less than thrilled. All she really cares about is seeing Hollywood Hills."

"So we'll go to Hollywood Hills, then."

"But Doug, I thought we were mainly going so I could reconnect with Natalie and Blair."

"We're mainly going so that we can have a nice vacation together we'll all enjoy."

"I guess I sounded kind of selfish, didn't I?"

Doug grinned. "Nah. There'll be plenty of time to do what everybody wants to do."

They arose at four the following morning, and Doug and Jamie loaded all the suitcases and bags into the trunk while Jo carried a very sleepy Bethany to the car and buckled her into her car seat. Once Doug reached the interstate, the ride went quite smoothly. They rode for a couple of hours, and then Bethany opened her eyes and looked out the window. "We're going bye-bye!"

"We're going to Hollywood, where all the movie stars live," Jamie told her.

"Do you need to go potty, Bethy?" asked Jo.

"I already did," Bethany told her.

Jo groaned. "You're gonna have to pull over, Doug."

Doug found an exit ramp, then drove until he came to a gas station, where Jo fished a pair of dry training pants out of a bag and led Bethany into the bathroom by the hand. Doug chuckled and shook his head as he watched them walk away. A few minutes later, they reappeared, Bethany skipping beside her mother. Jo strapped her back into her car seat, gave her a box of animal crackers and a juice box, then returned to her own seat beside her husband.

They drove for a couple more hours, then stopped at McDonald's for lunch. "Boy it feels good to stretch your legs, doesn't it?" asked Doug.

"It sure does," Jo agreed.

After they'd eaten, Doug yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Want me to drive for awhile, hon?" Jo offered. He nodded.

Jo took Bethany to the bathroom again, and then they were off. Bethany fell asleep almost right away, and Jamie slumped down in the seat with her ear buds in her ears. Jo drove for a couple of hours, then pulled into a rest area and took Bethany to the bathroom again. Doug and Jamie walked around on the sidewalk and then stood in the shaded area where the picnic tables were and talked.

"Enjoying the trip so far?" Doug asked his stepdaughter.

"It's all right. You?"

He chuckled. "I haven't done this much driving in awhile."

It was on the tip of Jamie's tongue to remark that if they'd flown instead, they'd already be there, but she knew about his flying phobia and didn't want to embarrass him.

A few minutes later, Jo and Bethany reappeared. "I made poo poo!" Bethany announced in a joyful voice.

Jo, Doug, and Jamie all laughed, while Bethany looked puzzled.

They returned to the car, and Doug drove until it was almost dark. They left the interstate in Albuquerque, found a motel, and checked in, then walked to the diner next door for dinner. Doug carried Bethany, who was still half asleep. She managed to eat a couple of french fries, then fell asleep in her father's arms.

Back at the motel, Doug gently laid his sleeping daughter onto the bed while Jamie called Taylor on her cell phone. After getting the toddler settled, Doug sat on the other bed, switched the television on, and took Jo into his arms. She moaned in contentment as she cuddled up to him.