Iâd last held her and she was ready to stranger-zone me. But once she was in my arms, I cooed at her and bounced her gently, and she relaxed.
âWhereâs Crystal?â I asked. Crystal was Michaelâs wife and Miaâs mother.
âSheâs checking us in.â He gestured toward the front desk. âShe always has a lot of specific demands, so Ilet her take charge.â He yawned. âIâm exhausted. Long flight. Someone didnât stop screaming the entire trip, and for once it wasnât me.â Michael was a tall, thin, wiry guy, who normally looked very handsome and a lot younger than his fifty-five years but tonight looked a little ragged.
âSheâs being a very good girl now,â I said. Mia was the cutest baby in the worldâbig dark eyes and a fuzzy brown tuft of hair on top of her head.
âSheâs just too worn-out from crying for six straight hours to cry any more.â He turned to George. âHey, Jonathan! Howâs it going?â
âFine?â George said uncertainly.
I came to his aid. âHeâs not Jonathan.â
âIâm his brother,â George added. âPeople get us confused all the time.â
âThank you for pretending Iâm not an idiot,â Michael said. âHey, Ellie, Iâve got some good news.â
âDo you?â I said, blowing gently down at the baby, who batted her long eyelashes against the slight breeze. âDoes your daddy have good news? Does he? Does he? Whatâshisgoodnews? What is it?â
âI really donât think sheâs going to answer you,â George said to me. âNo matter how many times you ask her.â
Michael said a little impatiently, âAaronâs coming to live with me!â
I looked up. âYouâre kidding!â
âNope. His motherâs husband got a job in Vermont, and Aaron said heâs not about to move to the middle of nowhere for his last year before college. He thinks LA will be a lot more fun. Crystal and I are thrilled.â
âYay! Does he know which school yet?â
âFenwick.â
I pouted. âI was hoping heâd go to Coral Tree with me.â
âDonât worry, you two will still see plenty of each other. Do we have a room?â
This last was to his approaching wife, who joined us and kissed me on the cheek. âThe baby looks so happy with you, Ellie. Would you minding holding her for the next fifteen or sixteen years?â She nodded at George. âHello, Jonathan.â She turned back to Michael. âMeganâs still in the bathroom.â
âMegan?â I said.
âOur nanny.â
âWhat happened to Tiana?â
âShe quit,â Michael said with a brief dark glance at his wife, who didnât seem to notice. She was wearing skintight yoga pants, high soft leather boots, and a long cardigan over a low-cut topâI guess in theory it was all comfortable traveling clothing, but she looked pretty incredible. She was a beautiful young woman with long, straight dark hair and large black eyes.
Mia reached her arms out toward her mother. Crystal heaved a sigh, handed Michael her purse and the key cards, then took the baby and propped her up on her hip. âMegan doesnât know which room weâre in, so someone has to wait for her.â Mia waved her arms and made some complaining sounds. Crystal rolled her eyes and thumped her on the back. âAnd here we go again. Youâd think sheâd be all cried out after that horrendous performance on the plane. Iâll take her on up. Michael, you wait for Megan. You know you want to. Sheâs very beautiful,â she explained to George.
âNot as beautiful as you,â Michael said wearily. âAnd sheâs standing right over there, near the elevators. Letâs go to bed. Weâre all overtired. Good night, Ellie. And good nightââ He stopped. âIâve forgotten