She slid the bagels onto a plate.
“That’s not breakfast food,” I argued.
Enola and Annie bounded into the room.
“It’s probably way better for you than pancakes,” Tess said, grabbing one. “They have veggies and protein. Plus, it’s pizza, and your day can’t go wrong if you start it off with pizza.” She looked up at me standing off to the side. “You don’t have any early-morning meetings. Come sit.” She handed me one of the bagel halves.
I took a bite. It was good. Actually, it was fantastic. But I wasn’t going to admit it.
“We have Friday-night dinner with your grandmother tonight,” I reminded the girls.
“That’s why we have a spa day scheduled,” Tess said happily.
“You’re taking them out in public?”
“No,” Tess corrected. “This tower has a spa. They have a hair stylist that you can book, and we’re getting mani-pedis and massages. I told the stylist that we need Enola to have a haircut like Erin from that showHome Town,and since Annie’s hair is a little longer, she’s going to look like Joanna fromThe Home Edit. Only then are we going out in public and going shopping. Because if you have short hair, you have to dress a little chicer.”
“You should come with us,” Annie said.
I ruffled her short hair. “I have to work. Besides I don’t think you want me to ruin girls’ day.”
“You can meet us for lunch,” Tess offered. “We’re having sushi.”
“I’ll have to see. I might be busy.” I stood. Tess leaned over to type a text message on her phone, and I used the opportunity to swipe another bagel pizza.
The car letme off at the high-end sushi restaurant at lunchtime.
I should have worked through lunch, but I wanted to see my sisters and Tess. I missed having her outside of my office. At least the girls were back in school on Monday.
I saw Tess and the girls through the window. And I saw my brother Mike.
“What the hell?”
He and Tess were laughing when I walked up to the table.
“And then the woman pulls this five-and-half-foot-tall sex doll out of her suitcase and is like, ‘My husband said he found this under the bed, and we want a refund.’ And I had to be like, ‘Ma’am, please look at the security footage. Your husband brought that thing with him.’”
“Oh my gosh!” Tess said with a laugh.
“There’s never a dull moment in the hotel industry,” Mike said, shaking his head. “The fact that she had enough wherewithal to show up at my office but didn’t make the connection that maybe the thing belonged to her husband and he was lying when she showed up at the hotel room to surprise him is beyond me.”
“You can’t come crash our lunch,” I said to my brother.
“Why? Is this a date?” He grinned at me.
“No,” I said quickly, though a part of me wondered what it would have been like if it had been.
“Oh right, I forgot you refuse to date.”
“Beck is a smart man and knows that dating is overrated,” Tess said, taking a sip of her tea.
“If you think dating is overrated, you just haven’t been on a perfect date,” Mike said, reaching for the kettle to pour her more tea. I beat him to it.
“You can’t hit on my assistant.” I scowled at my brother.
“It’s just light flirting!” He smiled at Tess.
“There’s no way I’m dating you!” Tess scoffed.
