Chapter 71

The landing, like the takeoff, was fast and efficient. We were quickly on the ground and taxied to one end of the terminal, where we could see three people standing next to a large motorized cart. The Citation rolled up and came to a stop and Dave Lopez had the hatch opened a few seconds later. He came back and got Kelli's bag down for her.

"Guess I didn't need this after all," she said, elbowing me in the ribs. "But since I didn't know where we were going..."

"All will soon be revealed," I laughed.

What was revealed was the tarmac of the Jack McNamara Field, in Crescent City.

"Welcome to Crescent City," I announced as we stepped out of the plane.

"Crescent City?" Kelli asked. "We're spending the weekend in Crescent City?"

"Nope," I laughed. "But we're picking up a rental car here."

Our rental car, in fact, pulled up in front of us, the local Hertz agent being quite cooperative when I told him how I was arriving. I'd gotten us an Infiniti QX56. We needed the room for our golf clubs, but that didn't mean I didn't want something with a little luxury.

While I was getting the paperwork taken care of, our bags got transferred to the back of the rental. I shook hands with the Hertz agent, slipping him a hundred dollar bill. "See you Sunday," I told him.

He looked at the bill in his hand and grinned. "Yes, you will."

I opened the door for Kelli and helped her slip into the passenger seat, then thanked our two pilots on my way back around the car. "See you Sunday," I told them.

"Maybe," Eliana the pilot told me. "It depends on which plane you draw for the return trip. You probably would have gotten a Citation II for a flight this length, but we were what was free on such short notice."

I eased myself into the driver's seat, leaned over and kissed Kelli before buckling up my seat belt. The Hertz agent was waving us towards an open gate in a fence that separated the tarmac from the road. Once I was through the gate I stopped long enough to get the Very nice GPS navigation unit started.

"Okay my sweet," I laughed. "Suspense time is over. We're headed to Brookings, Oregon, just across the border, where we have a very nice, secluded and cozy room in the 'A Country Retreat B&B'. The Salmon Run golf course is nearby. There's a tennis court. There are horseback riding opportunities. We can rent a boat or kayak, perhaps bicycles or scooters, or none of the above. We have a 9 am tee time at the golf course tomorrow, but other than that, we are completely free to do whatever we want."

"Really, even just walk around and sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in?"

"Really," I had pulled out on airport road, turning east onto Washington Boulevard. Traffic was light and it was still early in the afternoon.

"Golf and tennis were the only activities I had planned. Everything else is totally up to you."

"And the dining that required my dresses?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, that may have been a slight exaggeration," I admitted. "There are several very nice restaurants in Brookings, and a couple in Crescent City as well, but we've got three dinners together on this trip and nobody to impress."

"I didn't bring any real outdoor clothes," Kelli said with a frown. "I wasn't thinking it would be quite this rustic."

"I'm sorry. I guess I did too good a job of disguising my intentions, didn't I?"

"No, its okay, but if we want to try the horseback or kayak options, we'll need to find someplace I can buy jeans at least."

By this time we were through north Crescent City and in the middle of turning onto the Redwood Highway headed north. "Once we get to the B&B, we can look online and see what our options are."