The Unknown

At the cottage

Stacey's pov

"YES! Someone finally picked my slip out of the suggestion box," my cousin exclaimed, upon seeing the stretch limo that was waiting outside as we exited the building on our final day of traffic school.

"You wish!" I laughed in disbelief until I saw Mike and Dr. Curtis emerge from the luxury vehicle.

"Hop in, ladies. We've got a surprise for you." Mike appeared happier than I've seen him in a long time.

Dr. Curtis, ever the gentleman, held the door open for us as we piled into the limo. We were even more surprised seeing Rick, Mindy, Cathie, and Jenny sitting inside.

"What's going on? Why the red carpet treatment?" Lisa asked.

"Dr. Curtis has been kind enough to host us at his lakeside cottage for the next few days," Rick explained.

"That's awesome," I replied. "But why are we just hearing about this cottage now?" I joked.

"I just acquired the property recently, Stacey. Don't worry, I haven't been hiding it from you," Dr. Curtis reassured me.

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, sir, but what's the occasion?" Carrie asked the question on everyone's mind.

"No special occasion, luv. I plan on making this a tradition of sorts with each of the children and their guardians at the Center and what better time to start than a long holiday weekend." Dr. Curtis winked at me and smiled. "Hopefully, the lot of you don't mind being my guinea pigs."

The limo stopped briefly at the Center so my sisters and I could pack our overnight bags and grab our necessities for the next three days and then we were off. Dr. Curtis's cottage was a three to four hour drive depending on traffic so we passed the time chatting, texting, and napping. It was great finally having our phones back.

"Will Mrs. Curtis be joining us, sir?" Julie asked, ever so politely.

"She'll be coming up on Monday, luv. She's currently visiting some of her friends from her college days, having a girls' weekend of sorts."

"Too bad Shane can't come," I lamented. We'd grown closer after spending so much time together during my three day suspension for bullying. I really miss him now when he's away on business. Currently he's in Germany, attending some important securities conference or something. He wasn't even back a week since his last trip before he had to leave for the airport again.

"If all goes well this weekend, we'll bring him up another time. Ok, Stacey? I promise."

Dr. Curtis is a man of his word so I knew his promise wasn't an empty one.

"Yes sir," I replied.

The drive went by quickly. Who knew traveling in style could be so enjoyable? We stopped at a small restaurant for dinner when we were within fifteen miles of the cottage. While we waited for our food, Dr. Curtis, Mike, and Rick took advantage of the opportunity to go over their rules and expectations for this weekend.  

"We are guests in Dr. Curtis's home and we will be respectful in any and all our dealings with him, his property, and each other. Ladies, you will follow orders given by any of the adults without delay, argument, or attitude. We won't hesitate to discipline misbehavior." Mike was all business.

"The only rules I have for you are to listen, behave, and have fun." God bless Rick for always being the cool chill parent.

"Your safety is my utmost concern this weekend, ladies. We'll go over boating safety when the time comes. You are allowed to swim off the docks and at the beach as long as you stay in the designated areas. Under no circumstances are you allowed to swim after dark. Do you understand all the rules we've set forth?" Dr. Curtis asked.