“Have you packed for me, too?” Michael asked with a grin.
“Nope. I don’t dare rifle through your closet. I’m scared something might bite me.” She carried the plates to the sink, rinsing them.
“Where is it you’re going again?” Sam asked the boys. It was one of his rare evenings off. Which was good, because she hadn’t told him yet that she wasn’t going to be around this weekend either. She’d tell him once Michael and Josh were upstairs.
Sliding the plates into the dishwasher, she bit down a smile as she thought about Cam’s message.
Our flight is at ten on Friday night. We’re going somewhere warm. Bring a bikini and sunscreen. C xx
So you’re not telling me where we’re going? You realize I’ll find out as soon as we check in at the airport, right? M xx
Yeah, I know that. But I like to keep you guessing. C xx
You haven’t told me to bring my passport, so it has to be in the US. And there aren’t that many places where I could wear a bikini right now. Is it Miami? M xx
Nope. C
Savannah? M
Still no. C
You’re driving me crazy, you know that? M
That’s what I’m here for. Now leave me alone. I’m trying to get my body beach ready. C xx
“Mom?” Josh asked, crouching down beside her in front of the dishwasher.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“If I take my Nintendo Switch do you think it’ll get wet?”
“Not if you don’t take it into the waterpark.”
“But the whole hotel is a waterpark, right?” He frowned. “Doesn’t that mean the bedrooms are, too?”
She bit down a grin. “No, honey, the bedrooms will be dry. You don’t sleep in the waterpark itself. The hotel is just attached to it.”
“Oh.” Josh’s face fell. “I didn’t know that.”
“It’s okay. I’d have thought the same.” She ruffled his hair. “Are you looking forward to going?”
“Yeah, I think so. Michael seems excited. And Dad says we’ll have fun.”
“You definitely will. It’ll do you good to spend time with your dad.”
“And Gemma, too,” Josh added. “She seems nice.”
“That’s good. Now go pack, okay? You need to get a good night’s sleep. You won’t get to the hotel until late tomorrow, and the weekend will be full of fun. So get all the rest you can.”
“Okay.” Josh nodded. There was still something on his mind. She could see it from the way his brows were crunched together. “Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Will you be lonely without us?”
Her throat tightened. “No, my darling. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be fine. I just want you to have a good time.”
“We could ask Dad if you can come?” he said hopefully. “You like waterparks, don’t you?”