“Please tell me that everything is going smoothly?”
“Uh… I could tell you that,” he replied. “But it wouldn’t be true.”
“Fuck,” I swore. “What is it now?”
He smiled. “I’m kidding, everything is fine,” he said. “You worry too much.”
“Can you blame me?” I asked. “Planning this thing has been a nightmare.”
“You should have let Emma plan it.”
“Oh sure,” I nodded sarcastically. “Brilliant idea, that would have gone down really well.”
“I didn’t expect to find you here,” he said. “I thought you’d still be with your mother.”
“Shit,” I said, jumping out of my seat. “I completely forgot.”
“You forgot to welcome her to your resort?”
“I got a call from Alfonso, okay?” I said. “I’d better head down there. Has she been checked in?”
“Of course.”
“Great, thanks.”
I ran down the hall and into the elevator. When I arrived at the lobby, I saw my mother standing by a huge bouquet of flowers, admiring the view while she sipped a cocktail. She was wearing an ivory skirt suit and high heels that looked painful.
“Hi, Mom,” I said, as I approached her. “Sorry I’m late.”
She embraced me with a smile. “Business meeting ran late?” she asked.
“Actually, no,” I said. “I was just sorting out some last-minute arrangements for the engagement party.”
“Really?” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“Uh…yeah,” I nodded. “Why?”
“I didn’t realize you had planned this party yourself.”
“Well, it was meant to be a surprise for Molly,” I admitted. “Except that she found out two days ago, so the surprise part didn’t work out. But I didn’t want her to have to do the work for this dinner. I just want her to enjoy herself; she’s been working so hard lately.”
Mom looked at me with surprise in her eyes. “Do you realize that it’s been a year since I’ve seen you.”
“That can’t be.”
“It is.”
“Wow, time flies, huh?” I said. “Let’s walk down to the lounge bar; we can sit and catch up there.”
She cast a critical eye over the resort as we moved through the wide corridors and the pillared halls. “It’s a beautiful hotel, son,” she said admiringly. “It’s different, though.”
“Dad liked modern architecture,” I said. “I prefer a mix.”
“I can see that,” she nodded as we walked into the lounge bar.
We sat down, and I ordered the finest champagne we had to offer. “So,” she said. “Where is Molly?”
“She’s finishing up a meeting,” I said. “She should be here any minute.”