***
“Thanks for everything.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she said. Then she lowered her voice.
“We’ll talk on the boat.”
“I wouldn’t normally say a word. But last night, when I pulled up the reservation, mother to mother, I discovered that your MIL’s ticket and package were added to your account three weeks ago by your husband.”
I felt the floor tilt beneath me.
“Three weeks?”
“Yep,” Nina confirmed softly. “I thought you should know.”
I looked across the lobby at Martin, still sitting alone at the breakfast table, and I finally understood what kind of trip it had really been.
I felt the floor tilt beneath me.
***
While we were getting ready for our day, someone knocked on the door.
Martin opened it, expecting housekeeping, but Clara burst in screaming.
“HOW DARE YOU?!”
I stayed still. I turned to the children, who stood frozen by the balcony door.
Just then, another knock came. When my husband opened the door, the babysitter from the kids’ club was waiting.
