A few of us pile into a van, and on the way, my phone vibrates with a message.
Dr. Delicious— I’m going to be delayed at least an hour, maybe more. Meet you in the room after while. There’s a surprise waiting at the concierge desk. Get it, enjoy it, and know how proud I am of you.
Mathis has no idea I changed his contact name to Dr. Delicious, and I inwardly giggle every time it pops up.
At the hotel, I break away from the group, promising to meet at six, and head to concierge. The woman greets me warmly and hands me an envelope explaining I’ve been booked at the spa.
When I get to the room, my phone rings, and Brinley’s face fills the screen. “Hey, Biz.” I plop down on the sofa.
“You done?”
“Yes, thank goodness. Today was grueling. Mathis has an admirer that was my lead today. She wasn’t too friendly.”
“Bitch?”
“Beyond bitch, she sky-rocked to uber-cunt territory in the first hour.”
“Oh, that’s the worst of the worst.”
“Yep, and the funny thing is I was completely prepared to deal with attitudes and competitiveness from my peers, but I lucked out with a great group. It was the doctor who made me want to bitch slap her smug face.”
She bursts into laughter. “All in all, this week was a good experience?”
“Outside of Dr. Sams, the absolute best. Mathis and I haven’t spent much time together; our obligations have taken us in different directions. One night, he did evening rounds and didn’t get into bed until three a.m. It’s been wild but awesome. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.”
“I have some time now.”
“I don’t, Mathis surprised me with an afternoon at the spa. I need to get ready.”
“I’m jealous. I’d love an afternoon at a spa with you.”
“Well, it’s really for him, too. His night will get very lucky if I’m relaxed and in a happy mood.”
“Gotcha there.”
“How are the kids?” I change the subject.
“Brinley’s first tooth broke through. Shaw thinks she’s growing too fast and is convinced it’s time to try for another baby. Brayden has a new obsession with dogs, so Shaw thinks we need a puppy. Basically, I’m trying to reel in my insane husband.”
“Tell him, if he gets a puppy, that’s one more distraction from sex and your newfound fascination with deep-throating.”
She cackles through the line, and I picture her blue-grey eyes sparkling. “Perfect! I’ll do that tonight.”
“Anything else happening at home?”
She pauses for a beat too long. “Actually, there is something.”
“What?” I tense at her tone.
“Brinley and I had an outing today. I met Nick and Grace at the hospital after her OB appointment, which by the way, she’s still holding out on finding the sex. But anyway, we did an impromptu visit upstairs.”
“I bet that thrilled the kids.”
“It did, but I couldn’t shake the vibe on the floor. Evie wouldn’t say anything, but her face was masked with worry and exhaustion. She took Brinley and bolted back to her office and left me to hang around. I saw a few kids and then went to the break room while Grace and Nick did their thing. That’s where it gets funny.”
“Funny like ha-ha funny, or funny like weird funny?”
“Eerie, sad, depressing funny. Tammy and Linda were in a deep conversation and didn’t notice me come in. I heard bits and pieces. Tammy slept with some new guy who totally ditched her the next day. She was pissed and hurt. Then Lora came in, and