“Mom, look,” Jace said and jerked on my hand.
I looked to where he was pointing. A woman with a patrician nose, massive black sunglasses sitting on her face, and an actual fur coat was walking behind two tiny dogs. Yorkies, I thought. She looked like a Hollywood star. I had no idea if she was actually a celebrity or just very wealthy.
“You can’t pet them,” I told him.
“But they’re so cute,” he complained.
“No, Jace. Those aren’t the kind of dogs you can pet.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Come on, let’s go get breakfast,” I told him.
We decided we preferred to explore the swanky hotel a bit. I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to leave the hotel, but it was big enough to keep us busy for a while. We walked into the restaurant.
“Hi.” A young woman wearing a white shirt and black tie greeted us.
“I’m sorry, was I supposed to make a reservation?” I asked. The restaurant was very upscale. Jace and I were wearing our summer, touristy outfits. Everyone else was wearing designer clothes.
“Are you a guest at the hotel?” she asked.
I nodded. “We are.”
“Then you don’t need a reservation. Would you like to charge the meal to your room?”
My plan was to pay for our own breakfasts, but I only brought forty bucks with me. I was worried about getting mugged. I had a feeling forty bucks wouldn’t cover even one meal. “Um, yes, please.”
“Your room number?” she asked.
I thought about it for a second. “Uh, I don’t know actually.” She raised an eyebrow. I pulled the cardkey from my back pocket. “This is our room key.”
She looked at it and then me and then Jace and then me. “You should have said so!” she exclaimed. “Please, come this way.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. She led us to a table in a corner of the restaurant with a reserved sign on it. “This is your table,” she explained.
“Our table?” I questioned.
“The suite includes a reservation for every meal,” she said. “But you are more than welcome to have your meal delivered to your room.”
“We’d like to eat in here if that’s okay,” I said.
She smiled. “Absolutely. Your server will be right over.”
Jace and I sat down and looked around. Even at his young age, he understood wealth. “This place is fancy,” he whispered.
“It is, which means you need to be on your best behavior.”
“Nash is super rich, huh?”
I nodded. “He is, but remember, we don’t talk about that.”
“I want to be rich like him,” he said.
“You can be. It takes a lot of hard work and time, but I have no doubt you can be just as successful.”
He laughed and picked up the small menu. There were no prices on the menu, which told me I was right to charge it to the room. The forty in my pocket would barely cover the tip. I let him order whatever he wanted. I knew Nash would tell him to do exactly that. I stuck with some fruit and another coffee.
“Do you want to go check out the pool?” I asked him as we walked out of the restaurant.
“There’s a pool?” he exclaimed.
“Yes,” I told him. The morning crowd had dissipated a bit. I let him walk beside me without holding his hand. We followed the signs to the pool. Jace pushed open the doors. The warm weather was a welcome surprise.
“It’s so big,” Jace said.
“That’s what she said,” I heard a male whisper close to my ear. I gasped and jammed my elbow back. I heard an oomph and knew I hit paydirt.
I spun around, ready to scream rape. Then I saw Nash. He had a hand pressed to his ribs. I slapped his arm. “You are lucky I didn’t knock you out,” I scolded.
He laughed. “I’m sorry. I heard what he said, and I couldn’t resist.”
“Nash!” Jace said and turned to run toward him. I watched Jace throw his arms around Nash. Once again, Nash looked uncomfortable.
“Hey, buddy,” Nash said. “What are you guys up to?”
“We ate breakfast at our very own table, and we were checking out the pool. We didn’t tell anyone you were rich.” He said the last with a loud whisper.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Sorry,” I said to Nash.
“It’s fine. Would you guys like to go see the city?” he asked. “We can check out the bridge and do a little shopping.”
“Do you want to explore the city?” I asked Jace.
He clapped his hands. “Yes! I want to see the bridge.”
“I need to go grab my purse,” I told him.
“I’ll stay with Jace,” Nash offered.
I almost said no thanks but stopped myself. “Thanks. Should I grab a jacket for him?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think he’ll need it. If he gets chilly, there are shops on every corner, and we’ll grab him one.”
I raised an eyebrow. I knew how much those would cost on the street. It was very hard to imagine a life that didn’t involve worrying about money. I couldn’t even begin to think what that would be like. I could buy Jace anything I wanted. I could buy a new car and a house in a better neighborhood. I could send Jace to a private school and get him away from those bullies.
“All right, I’ll be back in a flash,” I said. “Jace, be good and stay away from the edge of the pool.”
“I’ll try not to let him drown,” Nash said dryly.
“Sorry. Force of habit.”
I quickly walked away. I only looked back once. This would be a first for Nash. I knew damn well he’d never been alone with kids. Thankfully, Jace was a capable kid and would be able to stay alive for ten minutes without me watching him.
I grabbed my purse and rushed back out the door. When I got downstairs, Jace and Nash were in the lobby talking to someone. I slowed my pace and moved to stand next to Jace. I smiled at the older couple. The woman looked at me. “You must be mom,” she said.
I looked at Nash for guidance. Nash nodded. “Yes, this is Saige, Jace’s mom. Saige, this is Mr. and Mrs. Henry.”
I had no idea who they were or if I was supposed to know them. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said and shook their hands.
“I worked for Mr. Henry way back when,” Nash explained.
“Nash has done very well for himself,” the older man said. “We’re happy to see him home.”
That was a key piece of evidence I didn’t have before. I just smiled and nodded. I didn’t know what to say or not to say. Thankfully, Nash took over. “We’re on our way out,” Nash said. “I want to show them around the city.”
“Oh, how fun,” the woman exclaimed. “You get to show your son where you grew up!”
I almost choked. Nash handled it without missing a beat. “We’re excited to show him the city,” he said. “It was nice to see you guys again.”
He ushered us out of the hotel lobby. Once we were on the street, he turned to me. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“I should have corrected her, but it would have just kept us there longer.”