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She laughed. “No, seriously, we had fun. I can come by and pick him up after lunch if you want. I’m going to grab something to eat myself.”
“I’d invite you to join us, but I don’t know how you feel about having lunch with an eight-year-old, his father, and three Neanderthals,” I joked.
She raised an eyebrow and looked over to the table. “I think I’ll pass, but thanks. I have to call my mother-in-law anyway about my husband’s birthday. She wants to throw a party knowing full well I have one already planned.”
I nodded. It wasn’t something I could say I understood firsthand, but it sounded bad enough. “Sorry.”
She waved her hand and brushed me off. “It’s nothing new.”
I looked at the growing line and gestured forward. “You should get something before it’s too late. I’ll leave you to it.” I already knew Corey ordered for all of us and it was just sitting there waiting for me, which I’d only give to Mason now that he was here, but still, I wanted to join them. I could see Mason was laughing up a storm and I wondered why.
She winked and stepped into line. “Thanks. I’ll see you later today.”
“Good luck with your mother-in-law,” I said and walked away to join the guys.
When I got to the table there was a stack of cards in the center and each one of them were holding up their hands filled with their own cards. “Anyone got two fours?” Corey asked, looking around the table.
“Go fish,” Mason said, chuckling.
“Uh, again?” Corey groaned. “I think one of you has my fours.” Then he eyed Tyler. “It’s probably you!”
Tyler held up his hands. “Hey, I’m a lot of things, but a cheater isn’t one of them.”
Hunter coughed and muttered, “Dakota.”
“Okay, that was a misunderstanding.” Tyler eyed him. “She broke up with me. Nutty b—” He stopped himself before finishing and smiled at Mason.
Hunter responded as though on behalf of Dakota. “No, she said she had to think things over.”
“Where’d you get the cards?” I asked, announcing myself finally and decidedly changing the subject in front of Mason.
“I borrowed them. Stephanie said I could.”
“All right, but you have to give them back after lunch, buddy,” I said, pulling the tray with my usual on it over. “And you have to eat something.”
“But Dad,” he whined, “I’m winning.”
I surveyed the table and his hands. It did appear he was indeed winning.
“That’s just because someone’s cheating and it’s one of those knuckleheads,” Corey insisted pointing to Tyler and Hunter.
I laughed. “You’re such a sore loser,” I said to Corey.
“Whatever,” he responded, rolling his eyes.
“Next round deal me in,” I said, taking a seat from another table and bringing it over. “I’ll show you boys how it’s really done, right, Mase?”
Chapter Six
Gemma
I held up the turquoise key card they gave us at the front desk and chuckled, thinking back to the last time I held one of these in my hand. “I remember when—”
Coco’s loud shrill cut me off before I could finish my thought. “Smell this.” She came up to the side of me and squeezed a mini shampoo bottle at my nose. Shampoo squirted out and hit my nose. “It wasn’t supposed to squirt out like that. I guess I squeezed too much.”
“It’s okay.” I wiped it off with the back of my hand and sniffed. “What exactly am I smelling?”
She sniffed it again and gave a content sigh. “Guava. It’s like heaven in a bottle.”
