“What is this place?” Reid said as we headed toward the entrance.
“It was an amusement park built back in the seventies, but it never really took off. It’s been abandoned for decades, and I think most people have forgotten it ever existed.”
“AWizard of Ozamusement park? Why wouldn’t that be huge? Especially if they had flying monkeys.”
“Maybe that was the problem. They didn’t.” I winked as we came up to the open brick archway, where a ticket booth sat dormant to the left, and a boarded-up gift shop took up the right. There were no gates, no locks to keep us out, and as we walked inside, Reid tugged on my hand.
“Is it considered trespassing if it’s abandoned?”
“Probably. You don’t mind breaking a few rules with me, do you?”
Reid pursed his lips, but didn’t resist as I led us toward the uneven path of bricks that had faded to a dull yellow. “You seem to be quite the rule breaker. Sneaking into old parks, sneaking into hospital rooms…”
I let out a loud belly laugh. “You’re not complaining, are you?”
“Not about the last one.”
“Well, you wanted to know more about me.” I stopped and gestured around.
“You’re trying to tell me you’re obsessed withThe Wizard of Oz?”
“No,” I said with a snort.
“Yeah, right. It was the ruby-red slippers that did it, right? That’s what sucked you in? Or maybe you just like the creepy vibe of abandoned places.”
“Bingo. But I don’t think of it as creepy. It’s more…”
“Spooky?”
“I was gonna say charming.”
“Charmingly spooky?”
I shook my head. “I think it’s kind of romantic.” I motioned up at the trees that rose tall on either side of us, their branches stark and severe, unlike the last time I’d been up this way, surrounded by the lush greenery of summer. Or the time before that, near Halloween, when the leaves had been changing and littered the ground. “Oh. Well…it’s nice any other time of the year, I suppose. I guess winter makes it take on a different feel. I didn’t think about that.”
Reid came to stand in front of me and grabbed a hold of my jacket lapels. “I think it’s awesome. Do I get a private tour?”
“Mhmm,” I said, as I zeroed in on his lips, and I couldn’t resist leaning forward for a taste. He leaned into me, deepening the kiss, but before my cock could sit up and take notice, Reid pulled away and let go of my jacket. Then he took a hold of my hand again.
“Off to see the Wizard, are we?” he said with a grin, as we set out on the yellow brick road, careful to bypass the bricks that protruded up at an angle. The last thing we needed was another ER visit but for a sprained ankle. “Maybe he can help me relocate my brain…”
“Why do you think we’re here?”
He knocked into me, pushing me off the path into the grass as he shook his head. “Smart-ass.”
As we strolled through, I pointed out the sights, which I’d looked up online after my first visit. The shack with a rusted bicycle lying against the front had been Dorothy’s family home, and the field in the back had served as a petting zoo for park guests when it was open. Farther down, there was a costume shop for kids and adults to dress up as their favorite characters from the movie. And then up in the distance on a hill, a towering castle with spires that represented the Emerald City.
“This is amazing,” Reid said. “How did you ever find this place?”
“One of the guys at work dated a girl once who was obsessed withThe Wizard of Ozand knew about this place. He’d mentioned it in passing one time, so I made the drive up.”
As we neared the Emerald City, the forest opened up to a large area that had been cleared out for families to picnic, and I led us over to a patch that hadn’t been overrun with weeds. The fence that had run along the perimeter was long gone, giving us a magnificent view of the hills below.
After spreading out the blanket I’d brought for us to sit on, I set out the lunch containers and drinks I’d packed that morning, and we ate our sandwiches while taking in the view.
When he was finished, Reid wiped off his hands and gave me a sly smile. “First date with Ollie: a creepy old park.”
“Hey, rude. And how do you consider this our first date?”