The look he gave me told me I probably wasn't far off.
"Just keep to the deal, Evelyn. Please."
"I'll do my best. Even ifyoudidn't keep yours. The agreement was that aside from a few social events and me leaving my job at the bookstore, my routine wouldn't change."
"Look, this is as tedious for me as it is for you, believe me. I'd love to go back to Los Angeles tomorrow."
"If you'dloveto, then why are we staying?"
"Because it's an opportunity I can't pass up."
"And why aren't we at a hotel, like we originally planned?"
"Because the Holloways insisted we stay here and wouldn't take no for an answer. You don't turn down an invitation from people like them."
I rolled my eyes, utterly exhausted by it all. But we were here now, and I had to see it through.
Logan seemed to read my mind, offering me an irritating half-smile at that very moment.
My God, I hated that man...
And I hated him even more because the son of a bitch looked even more handsome when he smiled like that.
"Shall we?" he said, gesturing for me to enter the apartment first.
I walked past him but stopped just inside the doorway to deliver one final observation.
"For the record," I said, turning back slightly. "Aurora didn't actually say 'daddy.'"
"No? What did she say, then?"
She called you... 'silly.'"
This time, I was the one who smiled. Then I turned on my heel and finally walked into the house, leaving him standing there.
*****
The Holloways—whose names I’d just learned were John and Carol—seemed genuinely thrilled to have us. Carol had laid out a full table of snacks, and after we ate, they gave us a tour of the apartment, which was, by the way, even more massive than I had imagined.
Although the property had six bedrooms, three were locked. John explained they were his adult children’s rooms, always kept ready for their visits.The grandchildren’s room, however, was open and also served as the guest room for visitors with kids.
“Daniel is eight, and Sophia is six,” Carol said proudly as she showed us the colorful space. “They’re our oldest son’s children. This is their room when they’re in New York. I do hope Anna and Aurora like it.”
The girls didn’t answer. They were already rushing to choose their beds in the most unconventional way possible: by climbing onto them and jumping on the mattresses, leaping from one to the other to test which was softer.
Logan tried to intervene. “Aurora, Anna, be polite.” He paused, but they ignored him completely. “Stop that now,” he reinforced, before leaning closer to me and whispering, “Evelyn, can you make them stop?”
Obviously, he didn’t want his future bosses to see that he had zero authority over his own five-year-old daughters—a fact that certainly didn't scream "leadership material."
John and Carol just laughed, watching the girls with sheer delight. “Oh, leave them be!” Carol pleaded. “Our grandchildren do the exact same thing. It’s so wonderful to have children in the house again, isn’t it, John?”
“Absolutely. We miss our grandchildren terribly. And our own kids, too. Once they’re grown and gone, the house feels so empty…”
I made a mental note that this was definitelynota sentiment my own parents would share. They’d raised me for eighteen years with the ultimate goal being the day I moved out. They were almost frustrated when I left for college instead of getting married, which had been their—especially my mother's—biggest dream for me.
We left the girls to their bouncing and followed our hosts to see our room. They opened the door to a bedroom, and I naively assumed we’d be shown another one next. Instead, they simply said, “You must be exhausted from your trip. Make yourselves comfortable and get some rest. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Then they just turned and walked to their own room, closing the door behind them.
