Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson Page 0,48

and relax. It’s summer, I’m on vacation, and I didn’t get to go to Europe. Unlike Steve.” I screw up my face.

“That’s true.” Grace smiles. “You do whatever you want and have fun.”

“Thanks.”

14

Molly

I’m doing what I want, and I’m going to have fun.

I survived another flight and we’re in Winnipeg.

All I know about Winnipeg it that it’s the home of the Jets. Jax laughed at me when I asked him if I needed warm clothes for this trip. Then he admitted that I would need a sweater or hoodie for at night, as it gets cool up at the lake.

And sure enough, it’s a beautiful day as we leave the airport in another rental car, warm and sunny. Jax’s first stop is visiting his grandparents.

“I don’t need to meet your grandparents,” I tell him. “Maybe you can drop me off somewhere. A shopping mall or something.”

He eyes me. “You sure?”

“Yes. The fewer people who know about me being here, the better.”

“Huh. I guess that’s true. Okay, there’s a new outlet mall not far from them. I’ll leave you there and pick you up in a couple of hours.”

“That sounds good.”

Not that I need to do more shopping. I’ve reclaimed my belongings and now have ample clothes, toiletries and my beloved Kindle. But I can hang out there and grab something to eat.

He points out the modern new condo building where his grandparents live as we pass it, then turns into the parking lot of the mall. We make a note of which entrance we’re at and he says he’ll pick me up at four o’clock. Apparently it’s about a three-hour drive to the lake.

I pass a couple of hours easily, with a stop at Starbucks and an impulse purchase of a pair of shoes that are fifty percent off at Saks Off Fifth.

Jax smirks when he sees my shopping bag. I toss it in the back seat and climb in. “What’s so funny?”

“You like shopping, don’t you? I could tell that day at Target.”

I pull my seatbelt down and across my body. “Yes, I admit it. But we’re going into the wilderness, and I won’t be able to shop, right?”

“Um…not exactly.”

“There’s a shopping mall at the lake?”

“Not a mall, no. But there are shops.”

“Oh. Cool! Now I’m even more excited.”

He laughs and pulls out onto a wide street heading west. “I don’t know if they’ll be your kind of shopping.”

We pass the drive chatting and listening to music. I gaze around in fascination as we cross the prairie, flat and open, the sky enormous above us. Farmland stretches out on either side of the highway.

Jax turns off the Trans-Canada Highway to head north on what is called the Yellowhead Highway, and we pass a town called Gladstone. There’s the cutest statue with the name “Happy Rock” painted on it.

“Get it?” Jax asks. “Happy Rock? Gladstone?”

“Ha ha. Hilarious.” It is funny

Then we arrive at Neepawa.

“Are you hungry?” Jax asks.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Good. There’s a drive-in here we can stop at.”

It’s also cute. Jax orders a ton of food including a hamburger, perogies and onion rings. I stick with a burger and a milkshake, but I pilfer one onion ring. We eat at a picnic table on the small patio, then climb back in the car.

“Are we almost there?” I ask plaintively.

Jax laughs. “Yeah. Not much father.”

This part of the drive is a change of scenery, with huge rolling hills and valleys, and more trees. Finally we arrive at our destination—Riding Mountain National Park.

“We have to make one stop before we go into the park,” Jax says, turning off the highway and into the parking lot of a hardware store. “We need booze.”

“Um, at the hardware store?”

He grins. “Yep.”

We pick up beer, wine and tequila, then we’re back on our journey and entering the park. We actually have to wait in a line of cars at the booth, where Jax purchases a seasonal pass. In a moment, we’re cruising through a quaint little town with shops and restaurants and log cabin structures. Not what I expected!

“This is Wasagaming,” Jax tells me.

We round a curve and drive along the lake. It’s now evening, but still fully daylight with lots of people strolling the beach and walking the sidewalks.

“That lake is amazing!” I gaze at the incredible blue in awe.

“Clear Lake,” Jax replies. “The town name, Wasagaming, is a Cree word meaning clear water. We’ll see more of it.”

We progress a couple of blocks, and Jax turns left into a driveway and rolls to a