“She calls me lazy?”
Dorah and Noah were already down there in the shallows, and Clara was sitting with Ben, watching them from her lounge chair as if she were a general reviewing troops.
Something in my chest unlocked. It was quiet, but final.
I turned back into the room, picked up my purse, and headed for the elevator. If nobody was going to defend me, I was going to defend myself. It was finally time for me to stand up for myself.
It was quiet, but final.
***
That evening, once all three kids had finally drifted off, I slipped out of the room in my flip-flops and rode the elevator down to the lobby.
The receptionist at the front desk smiled at me. Her name tag read, “Nina.”
“Trouble sleeping?” she asked gently.
“Something like that,” I said. “I need to make some changes to our reservation. It’s supposed to be under my name because my husband thinks that’s romantic.”
Nina smiled, pulled up the booking, and I watched her eyes flick across the screen.
I slipped out of the room.
“Yes, ma’am. You’re the primary guest. The reservation, all rooms, and all add-ons are on your account. You can modify any of it.”
I took a slow breath. I must have looked worse than I thought, because Nina’s face softened.
“My youngest is about the age of your little one,” she said quietly. “I recognize that look. Long day?”
“Yeah,” I said, and almost laughed. “Thank you. Really.”
She nodded, the small nod of one tired woman to another, and waited.
“You can modify any of it.”
“I’d like to move one of our guests to a separate room,” I said. “My MIL. Something smaller, down the hall.”
Nina didn’t blink.
“I can do that. Same floor, three doors down. I’ll have housekeeping move her things in the morning.”
“Also,” I said, “please remove her charging privileges from our suite. And cancel the spa and dining package that was added under her name.”
Nina’s fingers paused for half a second. Then she kept typing.
“Done.”
“I’d like to move one of our guests.”
“One more thing. I want to book a private boat trip for tomorrow. Just my husband, our kids, and I. And a kids’ club session in the afternoon.”
“Consider it booked,” Nina said.
I thanked her and went back upstairs, my heart quiet for the first time since we arrived.
