The next few weeks were a whirl wind. Los Angeles had been opening up gradually as summer unfolded and everyone seemed to start to feel a level of normalcy. People were traveling again. For some, it was more limited in how they moved around often opting for old fashion road trips. But, of course, there were those who did not see the Pandemic as such a serious situation, more an extended vacation.  They were traveling to further destinations across country and south to the few remaining open resorts. Bette and Tina had a long discussion about traveling. Tina dug in regarding any air travel being dangerous. It was rather interesting the role reversal of their perspective that had taken place over the last few months regarding the Pandemic.  Bette was coming more from the position, that if precaution were taken, catching anything was remote. But Bette understood Tina’s concerns and opted to put the whole treasure hunt issue away for a while. It was not worth the disagreement as Tina’s motivation was only a concern for the welfare of their family.

Bette with a great deal of persuasion, convinced Tina that a road trip would be good for them. Although, they had managed to find comfort in their home, quarantine fatigue had taken hold of them all. Getting out into a new environment was greatly needed for their mental health. So, the Porter-Kennard family decided to spend a week in Palm Springs. They rented a house and invited Shane and Alice to come along. Shane was busy with her bar and grill, but Alice and Nat jumped at the idea of getting out of Los Angeles. Both Bette and Tina were glad they were coming along and thought this would be a great opportunity to gauge how Alice was doing. The anniversary of Dana’s death had come and gone. Neither had the opportunity to speak to her about Dana since Tina’s effort several months prior and Nat had not said anything about Alice’s mental state. So, with kids in tow, the two families escaped Los Angeles at least for a week.

The Porter-Kennard family left early not knowing what the Friday traffic would look like. Bette looked over at Tina with a loving smile as she directed the car towards the transition East on the 111, it was a steady, comfortable ride with the air conditioning running on a typical warm day for this time of the year. It was a beautiful morning and Bette felt a weight moving off her shoulders as each mile passed.  The stress from the Pandemic had been building over the last few weeks.  The treasure hunt added a whole other layer of worry, so it was nice to be letting it go for a while. She looked again over at Tina who was lost in thought staring out the side window.