So did Jayne’s parents and aunt and uncle, all there to say goodbye and wish us well. Jayne’s aunt also had a container of eggnog fudge for us, something Jayne immediately took possession of.
We said goodbye with lots of hugs and handshakes, then I helped Jayne get situated in the back seat with the cats in their carriers. As she kept them occupied, Ezreal and I got the rest of the luggage loaded, a job we easily handled ourselves. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the footmen—they were great guys—but there weren’t going to be any footmen on the road.
Something I was totally okay with.
Ezreal drove us to the portal, which was about an hour outside of town. The magical doors existed in several locations, but this one was the most used. It opened into Anchorage, Alaska, which wasn’t exactly the most convenient of locations, but it was a lot easier to walk into Anchorage wearing a parka than it was Miami. Although, as far as I knew, there wasn’t a portal in Miami, either.
The crawler had to stay on the North Pole side, however, so we each took some luggage and carried it through.
Jayne took a cat carrier in each hand, while Ezreal and I dealt with the heavy stuff.
I stared into the back of the crawler. “We’re going to have to make two trips.”
Ezreal nodded. “Good thing I parked the RV close by.”
I couldn’t wait to see it, but I tried to keep my excitement on an even keel.
We followed him through, coming out in an empty alleyway. There was snow on the ground, but blue sky peeked through the clouds overhead. Temperature felt about the same.
I hadn’t lived in the North Pole that long, but I could sense we’d entered the human world again. Don’t ask me how, but the difference was palpable. The energy just wasn’t the same. That’s the best I could do to describe it.
“This way,” Ezreal said.
Jayne went behind him, then I came along, rolling the two suitcases.
We turned a corner and came onto a deserted street. Whether that was because of magical reasons or the town just wasn’t busy, I couldn’t be sure. The RV was parked across from us. It was enormous, and the navy-blue metallic paint and tinted black windows glittered in the winter sun.
“Son of a nutcracker,” Jayne whispered. “Is that the RV?”
“It is,” Ezreal said. “Custom Prevost Motorcoach.”
My mouth was open, and I didn’t care. The beast parked in front of us was deserving of a little awe. I found my voice again. “Good choice, Ezreal.”
He turned to grin at me. “Wait until you see the inside.”
I was itching to. “Let’s get Jayne set up and then we’ll get the rest of the stuff.”
“Very good.” He set down one of the bags he was carrying to dig a key fob out of his pocket. He pressed it. The lights flickered on in the big rig, then he tossed the fob to me. “Here you go.”
I caught it and tucked it in my pocket before taking hold of the luggage handles again.
“Is there more than one key?” Jayne asked.
“There’s not actually a key,” Ezreal answered. “You’ll see. Come on.”
He led us to the door of the coach, which was how this beautiful piece of machinery really should be referred to. Calling something this impressive an RV seemed like a disservice. He pressed his hand to a pad by the door that looked like it also had a camera in it. A second later, with a soft exhale of air, the door opened, welcoming us aboard.
“Okay,” Jayne said. “That’s cool.”
“Princess,” Ezreal said with a smile. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Chapter Six
Jayne
I set the two cat carriers down. I felt like an idiot for all the bad thoughts I’d had about this vehicle. “This is stunning. I can’t believe it. I take back everything I ever thought or said about this camper.”
The interior looked more like a fancy modern apartment than a motorhome. The floor was white marble tiles veined with black, the cabinets were all high-gloss white, and the trims were in black and deep blue with touches of aqua and natural wood. Wherever there was fabric, like on the couches or the captains’ chairs in the front, it was all textured navy leather.
The backsplash in the kitchen was done in a mix of glass tiles in all shades of blue and marble tiles that matched the floor.
“RV.” Sinclair and Ezreal said the word at the exact same time, making me hold my hands up in surrender.
I laughed. “Okay, RV.”
“Actually,” Sin said, “a vehicle this nice should be called a coach.”
Ezreal nodded as he positioned our bags off to one side of the living area. “The Prince Consort is right. This is definitely a motor coach. As you can see, we’re in the living-room area, and this behind me is your kitchen.”
“I love the little booth.” I could see us sitting there, having breakfast.
Ezreal patted the tabletop. “This folds down, and the booth turns into a bed, actually. Not that you’ll probably need it with the master bedroom in the back, but it’s good to know you have it.”
“Yep,” I said. “Good to know.”
“So you like it?” Sin asked.
“I love everything I can see.” The whole thing was gorgeous. And it felt like a home. A very chic, upscale home that a Hollywood celebrity might live in. I had no idea a camper could be this fancy. RV. Coach. Whatever.
Ezreal gestured behind him. “The bedroom and bathroom are in the back. There’s a litter box for the cats in the bathroom as well.”
I couldn’t wait to see that space. The human part, anyway.
He pointed past Sin. “The main entertainment center is there, but there’s another television in the bedroom and one in an exterior compartment designed for use outside. There’s also a grill and two camp chairs, all in their own compartments. I’ll show you how to open and close the awnings as well.”
“Is there satellite?” Sin asked.
“Yes,” Ezreal answered. “On the move, satellite will provide your television and internet services. There’s also a backup snow globe in the bedroom just in case.”
Magical snow globes had been our main form of communication before Ingvar and his tech team had gotten us up and running with sturdier landlines.
“Your uncle even designed a small Santa’s Bag for the coach. It’s in one of the master bedroom closets. Just in case you need something from home in a hurry.”
One of the master bedroom closets? Suddenly, I was a lot more excited about this trip than I had been. “Let’s get the rest of our stuff. I’m eager to get the cats settled and get unpacked.”
“Speaking of the cats…” He pushed on a narrow panel that ran floor to ceiling. It popped out, then he turned it around and pushed on it again, locking it into place.
On the other side was an attached scratching post with three platforms set at intervals that I knew the cats would be all over. I smiled. “You did a great job with this coach, Ezreal.”
He beamed as he came past me. “Thank you, Princess. I hope you and the Prince Consort and the cats are very comfortable.”
Sin started down the steps. “We’ll be right back, Jayne.”