That first morning, as Dad and Tracy and I drove away from Mimi’s, I kept telling myself the same things, on repeat: it’s only three miles. Not that different. But even as I did,I was aware of the visible transition happening outside my window. After we passed Conroy Market, the squat concrete motels began disappearing, replaced by bigger neighborhoods. North Lake Estates, Fernwood Cove, the Sunset. And that was before we even pulled into the hotel itself.
“Welcome to the Tides,” the young, cute valet—he looked familiar, making me think I might have seen him at one of the Campus parties—said as he opened my door. Two others, also both in white golf shirts and black shorts, were already helping my dad and Tracy out and getting the luggage. “We’re glad to have you.”
“Um, thanks,” I mumbled, sliding out of my seat. He immediately shut the door behind me, then jogged back to help one of the other guys as they unloaded the hatch.
“Wow, this is nice,” my dad said, looking around. “How long has this place been here?”
“The Tides opened in two thousand sixteen,” another one of the valets, who had dark, shoulder-length hair, told him. “It’s the vision of the Delhomme family, owners of the Lake North Yacht Club. They saw a need for a place where members could stay that allowed the same level of service. That’s our goal.”
He said this so easily I assumed the answer was company-dictated. “Well,” Tracy said, “it’s lovely. Although I guess I shouldn’t have expected any less, since itisGrace who planned all this.”
That would be Nana, who was already up in our suite, having been brought straight from the airport late the nightbefore. She didn’t drive either, but with her declining eyesight, she at least had a good excuse.
“Welcome to the Tides,” the woman behind the desk said as we approached. “Checking in?”
“Yes,” my dad said. “The last name is Payne. I believe my mother is already here.”
“I can’t wait to go for a swim,” Tracy said to me. “And eat something. Are you hungry?”
I was, although I hadn’t been aware of this until right at that moment. “Yeah, actually. I am.”
“The Channel Marker, our restaurant, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” the woman said, sliding some cards to my dad. “The hours are here on your keys. And room service is available twenty-four hours a day.”
“Room service it is,” my dad said, and Tracy grinned. He turned to face us. “Ready to go up?”
In the elevator, there was a screen showing a video, on repeat, of the highlights of the Tides. Here was the pool, blue and empty. The beach, with a clearly posed photo of a single child digging in the sand with a bucket. Even the lake, which I’d seen every day for weeks now, looked different in the sunset picture that appeared.
“Floor five,” the voice announced as the doors slid open. Like “Lake North,” it was all in the order you said it.
“Five fourteen,” my dad said, glancing at the key card in his hand. “So that’s—oh. Right here.”
It wasn’t hard to spot, as the door marked with these numbers was the only one on the short hallway where we werestanding. On the other side of the elevators was 515. So we basically had half of an entire floor? Was that even possible?
My dad waved his card at the door, which clicked, and he pushed it open, standing back to hold it for Tracy and myself. “Hello?” Tracy called out as she stepped inside.
“In here,” I heard Nana say. At the sound of her voice, I smiled.
I loved my grandmother. With her, everything was always, effortlessly, Just So, from the thin teacup she drank her coffee from every morning—in a matching robe and slipper set, hair combed perfectly—to the simple, but perfect, bouquet of seasonal flowers that always stood on her dining room table. Everything outside Nana’s apartment might have felt fragile and already falling apart, but with her, there was always a sense that things were as they should be.
“Emma,” she said when she saw me, holding open her arms. After all the foot dragging of the morning, now I felt like I couldn’t move fast enough. “You are a sight for these sore eyes! How are you?”
“Good,” I said, giving her a tight squeeze before she gestured for me to sit in the chair next to hers. “How was the cruise?”
“Oh, it was wonderful,” she sighed. “The pyramids must be seen to be believed. Are you hungry? I have a few things here, but we can easily order more.”
This was an understatement: I saw a pot of coffee and a plate stacked with pastries, as well as fresh fruit and berries, arranged beautifully in a bowl. There was toast, too, fourpieces perfectly browned, balls of butter dotted with salt beside them.
“Have some,” Nana said, seeing me notice this. She picked up the plate, putting it closer to me. “You look hungry.”
“Thanks,” I replied, reaching for a piece and putting it on the plate in front of me.
“It looks delicious,” Tracy said after also greeting Nana. “This place is amazing.”
“It’s lovely, I agree,” Nana said, looking around the room. Like the lobby, the floor was white tile, the room open, with a small kitchen tucked away in a corner and a living area to the right of where we were sitting. The real centerpiece, though, were the sliding doors, open now to let in the breeze, that framed both a patio and a gorgeous, wide view of the lake. “So,” she said. “How are Mimi and the rest of the family?”
“Good,” I said. “It was nice to get to know everyone. I just wish I’d had longer there.”
“I told her she’s only a couple of miles away,” my dad said. “Easy to visit while we’re here.”
