Darling, you'll be okay

“ were they really that strong ? Or was it a case where you didn’t even taste it at all? Cause I’ll be honest those lemonades sound pretty good?” She replied but laughed softly at Camryn’s demeanor. “ ohh got it. It’s a secret. “ she nodded before trying to find where this Lemonade was to get one herself

“ so far. Mostly fun for Nico but my aunt has taken over and something about pixie dust? I don’t know but he’s is excited about it “ @camryn-hendricks

The third variable is being out in the warm weather under the sun, and her in need of a water or two before the next drink.

"Right, there's pixies or something. A whole thing, with flower crowns, and they're throwing glitter on people. But only if they ask. It's not—" Cam snorts to herself, and giggles out the rest. "Glitterilla warfare."

"Well I've never had a crush before." He'd always been so confused when people talked about liking someone. He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know what counts as a date. We've known each other for a long time. We've lived together since sophomore year of college." And he'd fallen in love with Josie over the last several years. "This is all new to me."

Not even a malt beer and a couple shots of gin would have her rambling, unfiltered, to a stranger outside of Lost Spirits.

"I think you'd have to outright ask about romantic intent. Because you can hang out with a friend at the movies, or it can be a date, even if it's the same activity."

Then again, she couldn't be certain because if she went on holiday in a place where she wasn't known and put her hair down— she could come back with some mistakes.

"I don't necessarily regret it but I also wouldn't recommend it." It didn't hurt that the person she married with gorgeous and someone she would have gone with today. He hadn't gotten on her bad side yet so she had to call that some kind of win.

It was admirable for her to walk away of something that she knew wasn't right. For herself and her partner, because from what she'd learnt from many of her friends, the longer with someone, the harder it was to free themselves. "I guess you're lucky you didn't have kids. That always complicates things."

But she didn't know if that was something Cam was even interested in.

"Right now, I feel like things are going smoothly but once we get into the knitty gritty and if his true colors start to show then I might have a different answer. I don't know that it's changed much in my life. I've lived pretty single for most of it."

She smirks, appreciative of her honesty then and says, "It's a memory, and what brought you here, so I'm thankful for your Vegas marriage just for that alone. And that makes me a little selfish, but I don't care."

Approaching a year and a half in this town, Cam's list of friends is very short, and Romi was one of the first names on it.

"Absolutely. I probably wouldn't have moved out here if I did, because I wouldn't want to take them far from their father. Assuming he'd want partial custody— I think he would, but you never know."

It's a mess she doesn't have to navigate, thankfully.

"Couldn't even dream t'see it all, but a few gems, that would be enough."

Her comment on Australia caught him off guard causing him to laugh. "Growin' up in the bayou, animals don't scare me none. Gators 'n water moccasins were an every day sight. Most things don't wanna kill ya unless ya pester 'em. 'Cept fer boars, them fuckers are nasty 'n mean."

Memories of skittering up a tree to avoid a goring weren't a rarity of his childhood, he often forgot that not as many people were exposed to as dangerous of animals as the people he grew up with were.

He nods his head at the mention of New Zealand, though he had only seen pictures and the Lord of the Rings movies, he could see the appeal. "What activities are ya thinkin'? Seems like a nice place t'hike."

And she hopes she never will. California has its own creepy crawlies, like scorpions and rattlesnakes, both of which she'd done plenty of research on before hitting the hikes. The one thing sticks out, though.

She tilts her head curiously, "What's a water moccasin? Sounds like a spider."

That of which, she does not like at all.

"White water rafting sounds fun, basic hiking around, heard about bungee jumping too. I think I'd really love to just see it above all else. You grow up in the outdoors, you can appreciate it anywhere."

"I tried a lavender lemonade, mostly because I'm a gin kinda gal, but then I had another, and one more, so for the moment, I'm on water, but I'm feeling it."

She holds her finger up to her lips with a soft 'shh' as if it's something to be kept more secret.

"I think it's a little calmer here, at least in my experience. Not to say it doesn't happen, but I don't hear about it as often. Are you a swimmer at all? I know it's not for everyone especially open water."

"I used to do more a mix of the gym and running, but I've sort of let the gym fall away. I like to play sports too, so generally be active. I sit a lot though when I'm working somehow, so it's sort of my way to try to do something so I don't let the desire to be glued to the couch that I constantly battle with take over. Do you have a set routine, or kind of see where your desire takes you in the moment?"

It is a great place for, as Luca mentions, skiers as well. Camryn hasn't gone before, but she's heard about it from plenty of tourists. And from work experience.

"Definitely had to answer a few calls to pluck some snowboarders that went off trail and gotten stuck before," she smiles, mostly because that had been a save with no death count. "And yes. First time in the ocean, feels more buoyant than river water, but the tide pull is something serious, that's for sure. I wouldn't test my luck when the red flags for rip currents is out."

Something she's fortunately not had the misfortune to witness, either.

"We were both there with a different group of people and then we partied together one night, hit it off, and got married." She pinched the bridge of her nose before peering towards Camryn with a tingue of red across her cheeks. Not her smartest move. "We had to leave and go back home and I think we both figured we'd get it worked out eventually, but time came and went and neither of us filed for it to get annulled. Now I'm here to finally handle it."

It was harder than anticipated given the complication of all their assets. "No, that makes a lot of sense. You can't read minds and if someone wanted to, they would have done it." She agreed with that.

Peering towards Camryn at the mention of almost getting married as well, she nodded her head. "See, I should have figured that the chapel in the middle of Vegas, no matter how cute it was, was the real deal. I should have taken another shot rather than go see Elvis." But she'd been drunk and stupid.

"I think that would have to make it easier on him, though. At least he knows it's not something he can change or potentially did. It puts a finality to the end rather than having the thousand of questions about what if and what could have been done differently, you know."

She isn't teasing Romina at her expense, only amused at the sheer absurdity of it all. Camryn isn't sure she understands how such a big event was treated like an impulsive single night adventure. Marriage is marriage, and when the legality of the union is involved, it gets complicated.

Not that Cam thinks Romi can't hold her own, nor will she judge her for where she's landed herself in terms of resolving the matter.

About her almost-husband, which she fortunately let down before there was a single drop of ink on the paperwork, she doesn't know if she can speak about the closure he was given. "Figure at least he has that, even if his time was wasted with me. I also stand by that it's better than having forced myself into it for his sake, and trapping us both in a loveless marriage."

She pauses, then adds as an afterthought, "And I say that like I’ve figured it out. I haven’t. Clearly."

Camryn leans back slightly, exhaling through her nose as she glances at Romi again. She tilts her head.

"When you manage people in your career, you need to be knowledgable about these things," she admits. Not just to be aware about fair workplace practices, but to also be sure that everything is done and more to keep them happy.

When your staff are first responders, it's very important to focus on the things that maintain employee retention.

She looks from the pick up counter to the guy's face.