"Okay, I've got it," Ryan announced triumphantly, entering the editing room. Gayle and Jaymee turned to look at him. "Our plans for the Fourth of July!"

"What are we doing?" Jaymee asked.

"Four day weekend, Lake Michigan...you, me, Gayle and Colin."

Jaymee smiled. The last three weeks had gone perfectly. Gayle and Colin had started over, getting to know each other as friends. The pressure was off, although Jaymee and Ryan both knew they wanted to be more. Gayle refused to say anything else about her suspicions about if she was pregnant. She said it caused too much strife.

"That sounds great!" Jaymee said,

"Perfect!" Gayle said. "Does Colin know?"

"No, you can go tell him if you want." Gayle jumped out of her seat and ran for the door.

"Great taping today, sweetie," Jaymee said.

"I tried." Ryan sat in Gayle's chair. "You know why I picked Lake Michigan?"

"Why?" Jaymee asked, holding Ryan's hands.

"I went there when I was seventeen...my family drove down from Canada...and we spent all day at the lake. We saw the fireworks that night. It was one of the most romantic spots I've ever been...the moonlight on the water, the beach...I figured it would be the perfect place to get Colin and Gayle together."

"We promised each other no matchmaking," Jaymee warned.

"I think the moonlight will be their matchmaker."

"They seem really close," Gayle said quietly, looking in the backseat of Jaymee's car.

"They are," Ryan agreed, glancing in the rearview mirror.

Jaymee had insisted that Gayle sit up in front with Ryan so they could have some time to talk. Colin sat in the backseat with Jaymee. After a while, the car had become quiet as they drove through the open country. Jaymee...prone to sleepiness in the back of a car...had fallen asleep. Colin had moved her onto his lap and draped an arm over her back, eventually falling asleep as well.

"Thank you for bringing us along, Ryan. It hasn't been an easy few months for me."

"No problem. I'm sure Jaymee will want a girl friend along."

Gayle looked blankly at him. "Why?"

"I have big plans for this weekend."

"What kind of plans?"

Ryan pulled into a rest area and smiled at Gayle. "It's a surprise."

Gayle and Ryan opened their doors, intending just to switch drivers and continue on, but Colin awoke. He groaned and tried to stretch, but he realized Jaymee was in his lap.

"Hey, a little help here," Colin whispered.

"You gotta go?" Gayle teased.

"Actually, yeah...I'm dying!"

Gayle laughed. Ryan leaned over and rubbed Jaymee's back.

"Hi, sleepy," Ryan said as Jaymee sat up.

"Where are we?"

"Some rest area in Missouri. Come on, stretch."

Jaymee got out as Colin ran for the bathroom.

"Wow," Jaymee murmured, taking in the view.

The rest stop sat on the edge of a man-made lake. There was a playground where children were playing. Jaymee and Gayle wandered down to the water's edge as Ryan went to go get some drinks.

Gayle lowered herself onto the grass and stretched out. She eyed Jaymee closely. She wondered what Ryan had in store.

"What?" Jaymee asked with a smile.

Gayle stole a look around. "You know what I wanna do? I wanna climb all over that playground."

"Last one there is a comedy hater!"

"No fair!" Gayle got up and raced to the playground. Jaymee sat on the teeter totter. Gayle hopped on the other end. As they bounced up and down, Gayle said, "J, I've gotta tell you something, but you can't tell anyone."

"That's great! When are you going to do it?" Colin asked, his hands full of cold sodas.

"When the time is right." Ryan bent to retrieve the last soda.

The two men turned to find Jaymee and Gayle climb off the teeter totter, hug tightly and run to the slide. Ryan paused on the grass as Gayle came down the slide. She jumped off and motioned for Jaymee to follow.

"Hold onto these," Ryan instructed, giving Colin the fourth soda. He walked over and climbed up on the playground complex.

Jaymee was still seated at the top of the slide, going a countdown. Ryan snuck up behind her, lowered himself down and slipped his arms around her waist.

Jaymee screamed and Ryan pushed them down the slide together. Laughing, the three made their way to Colin.

"Do you need help?" Ryan asked.

"Not unless you want my fingers to fall off from frostbite."

Ryan grabbed two of the bottles and handed one to Jayme. They started walking towards the car.

"Here, I'll take mine," Gayle offered, taking her drink. Colin sighed, rubbing his hands together.

"Damn. I could use my hands and disguise them as igloos."

Gayle laughed. "Go stand in the sun."

"There's no sun in Antartica!"

"Silly, we're in Missouri!"

"What's the difference?" Colin deadpanned, looking blankly at her.

Gayle laughed again and twisted the cap.

"I wouldn't do..." Colin started.

The soda bubbled up inside the bottle and exploded. Gayle jumped back as the soda flew all over her shirt and dripped down her hands.

Colin burst into laughter.

"You did that on purpose!" Gayle shrieked. Colin shrugged. "I'll get you for that, Colin Andrew!"

Colin turned and started towards the car. Gayle dug in her pocket, retrieved some coins, bought a soda identical to Colin's and shook it. Hard. Then she rushed to the car.

"Oh, wow," Jaymee murmured as she caught a glimpse of the shoreline of Lake Michigan from the car. "Ryan, can you drop me off at the shore?"

"You wanna go alone?"

"It only takes one person to check in. The hotel's only a few blocks away."

Ryan stopped the car. "Colin, Gayle, go with her. I'll come back when the hotel's settled."

"I'm starved. Are we going to eat before the fireworks?" Gayle asked.

Colin nodded, still rubbing his shirt fiercely with sticky, soda-covered hands. Just as the car was turning towards the lake, Colin had reached for what he thought was his soda, only to find it was Gayle's shaken one, and it had exploded all over him. "Most definitely we're gonna eat. But, on second thought...I think I'm gonna go with Ryan."

Gayle laughed. "Probably best." Gayle closed the door and turned away to see Jaymee already walking towards the water's edge. She'd seemed preoccupied since the rest stop in Missouri. Gayle wondered what was running through her head.

Part Ten (Reflections of Moonlight--coming soon)