Eloise wiped at her eyes and rushed away.
Mom shook her head. “That went well.”
“You were right.” Dad sighed. “We shouldn’t have brought it up today.”
“Brought what up?” I asked.
“We had a conversation with Mateo this morning. He’s moving.”
“What?” I sat up straight. “Where? Since when?”
Mom dabbed the corner of her eye. “He’s been looking for jobs in Alaska. He came over this morning to tell us he was hired as a pilot.”
Shit. We were finally all in Quincy and now he was leaving.
“Mateo’s a pilot?” Memphis asked.
I nodded. “He got his license in college.”
“We came to tell Eloise,” Dad said. “She said she knew. He told her about it but asked her not to say anything. I got frustrated and might have said something I shouldn’t have said about her communication skills.”
“It digressed from there,” Mom muttered.
And in it all, they’d told her that they’d asked me to take over the hotel.
“Come on, Anne.” Dad stood from his seat. “Let’s go home before I get myself in more trouble.”
Mom stood and followed him away from the fireplace, but he stopped before he could go too far, turning to look at Memphis.
“We’re so glad you’re here. I don’t know if Eloise has told you that or not.”
Memphis nodded. “She has. Almost daily.”
Dad glanced over at my sister, who looked as happy and cheerful as she did any day. Like this argument had never happened. Later, when the guests were gone, she’d let down her façade. But right now, she would smile for the guests because this was her place.
“I think maybe I haven’t been in here enough,” he told Mom but his gaze was locked on Eloise.
“I think we’ve both missed a few things.” She took his hand, then pulled him toward the door.
“Damn.” I rubbed my hands over my face. “Didn’t expect that today.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you made the right decision.”
“I do too.” I watched my sister hand the guests their room keys. “Are you done for today?”
“Pretty much. I’ll see what Eloise needs. Do you still want to stay here tonight?”
“Yes.” Maybe I wouldn’t wait until Christmas to give her this ring. Maybe I’d just do it tonight. “See if Eloise will let you go home early. I’ll skip out too. We’ll go to the house and pack for tonight. I haven’t talked to Mom about babysitting yet, but I think after all this, I’ll call Talia instead.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “We can postpone it.”
“I’m sure.” I stood and retrieved our coffees. “Roxanne is handling the restaurant tonight. I’ve got the wedding and dinner tomorrow. Let me just talk to my staff. Make sure everyone’s good.”
“Okay.” She walked with me to the counter, waiting to talk to Eloise while I returned to Knuckles.
Fifteen minutes later, we were outside and heading to her car. I stole the keys from her hand and opened the passenger door to the Volvo.
We’d be about an hour and a half early to pick up Drake, but that would give Memphis more time with him before we came back to the hotel. More time for me too. The chaotic holiday schedule had kept me from them both.
It wasn’t sustainable long-term. I wanted more nights at home than away, which meant I’d have to promote Skip and hire another line cook, but it would be worth it.
“How was Eloise?” I asked as I drove across town.
“Mad.” Memphis shrugged. “I would be too. She feels like everyone doubts her. But she won’t quit. She wants the hotel too much.”
“Good.”
“Will you do me a favor? I don’t want to tell her about my wedding planner thing. Not yet. I don’t want to quit the housekeeping crew. Especially now. What Eloise said . . . I won’t let her down.”
I took her hand. “I know you won’t. And we can tell people whenever you want to tell them.”
“But . . .”
“Oh, boy.”
She smiled. “I know we were waiting for Jill to piss me off again before we yanked Drake. But if your mom is still up for watching him, I’d like to pull him out of daycare.”
“Fine by me. Did Jill say something?”
“No. It’s just . . . her.” Memphis cringed. “I don’t like her. I’m tired of him crying when I pick him up. Maybe that won’t change with your mom, but that’s different.”
“Agreed.” If Drake loved Mom, it would be because she was his grandma.
“I feel guilty. I just . . . I don’t like it there. And he’s my son. Not hers.”
Actually, he was ours. But that was a correction I’d make once the ring in my pocket was on her finger. “I won’t argue. When I picked him up on Monday and he cried, it pissed me off. I get it.”
Memphis had been running late so I’d gone to get Drake before the daycare had closed. The moment I’d lifted him from Jill’s arms, he’d cried.
Something about the whole situation sat wrong with me. It was like Jill didn’t put him down all day. Like she intentionally spoiled him so that he’d want her. Maybe I didn’t have a damn clue what I was feeling, but there was something slimy about her. Something that had rubbed me wrong.
Like Memphis, had she been mean to Drake, it would have been easier to pull him away. But that boy adored her.
“We’ll ask Mom this weekend,” I said. Because the daycare was closed all next week for the holidays, Mom had agreed to watch Drake. “See if we can make this Christmas babysitting permanent.”
“I’m sure the daycare will make me give them a thirty-day notice.”
“Probably, but as soon as Mom is good to watch him, we’re switching.”
“Deal.” Memphis smiled. “God, I feel lighter already. This might be the last pickup.”
“The last jailbreak.” I pulled into the parking lot and left the engine running, then followed Memphis inside.
She walked down the hallway for the nursery, stopping inside the door to do a quick sweep of the room. “Hi. Um, where’s Drake?”
“Hi.” A woman who was not Jill glanced at the clock. “You’re early to pick him up.”
“So?” I stood behind Memphis and crossed my arms over my chest. “Where is he?”
“They, uh . . .” The woman swallowed hard. “She’s not back yet.”
“Back from where?” Memphis took a step closer. “What’s going on?”
“I need to get my manager.” The woman took a step, trying to pass us for the door, but I shifted and blocked her path.
“What the hell is going on?” My heart began to race. “Where’s our kid?”
“Jill, um . . . she just left about thirty minutes ago. She took him to her place for a little bit to change some laundry or something. She promised to be back by five.”
“She took him?” Memphis’s jaw fell open. “She doesn’t have my permission to take my child from this building.”