“Mom…” Yvonne called, waving at me from a short distance away. She was holding a bucket and a shovel, wearing a little yellow duck swimsuit. “Mom, I’m over here!”
It wasn’t a dream. They were really here, right in front of me.
“You guys…” I said, still in disbelief.
Jared explained, “Yvonne said she wanted to see the ocean, so since I had some free time, I decided to bring her here.”
I let out a dry laugh. “You sure have a lot of free time, Mr. Holcomb, always running all over the place.”
Jared picked up on my sarcasm but just smiled, unfazed. “What can I say? She’s my only kid. When I’m not working, I want to spend all my time with her.”
“Then go ahead and play with her. I’m tired, and I’m heading back to the hotel,” I said, turning to leave.
Suddenly, Jared reached out and grabbed my wrist. “Victoria, don’t you want to join Yvonne and play in the sand?”
I frowned and shook his hand off my wrist. “I’ve got a meeting in thirty minutes. I don’t have time for this. Wasn’t it you who came all the way here just to play with her?”
Jared could only give me a resigned look.
Yvonne rushed over with her bucket full of sand. “Mom, I’ll build you a sandcastle!”
I looked at Yvonne’s beaming face and murmured calmly, “Alright, go ahead. But I can only stay for ten minutes before my meeting.”
“Okay!” Yvonne immediately started scooping sand into her bucket.
Jared stood off to the side, glancing at us every so often, but I didn’t engage with him.
A few older women wandered over to hang out, and one of them asked Jared to take a photo for her.
Jared helped her out, and the woman said with a smile, “You’re such a handsome guy. Are those your wife and daughter over there? They’re both gorgeous, too. I guess what they say is true. Good genes make good-looking kids.”
Those ladies were real chatterboxes, and since Jared was easy on the eyes, they just kept talking to him.
After chatting with them, Jared came back, looking cheerful.
I checked the time. “I’ve gotta head back to the hotel. You two have fun.”
“Mom. Dad and I are staying at the same hotel. Can I come play in your room tonight?” Yvonne asked, unusually polite for once. She’d been asking me first about things like this lately.
“Sure,” I said.
The meeting didn’t wrap up until six, and after that, the rest of us had dinner together. Jared didn’t show up. He was probably out with Yvonne, having some fun.
By 9:30 p.m., I had finished my shower, slipped into my pajamas, and was sitting on the balcony to finish up the rest of my work for the day.
That was when Yvonne called me. “Mom, which room are you in? I can’t come over!”
I told her the room number, and not long after, Jared and Yvonne arrived together.
When I opened the door, Jared looked a little surprised.
Yvonne skipped inside, grinning from ear to ear. “Mom, Dad and I played for so long. We even brought you snacks and fruit!”
Jared’s eyes lingered on me for a moment as he walked in, carrying the bag of fruit and snacks.
I was wearing just a spaghetti strap nightgown with no bra underneath, and the way Jared looked at me made me feel a bit awkward.
Sure, we were married and had seen it all before, but now there was this invisible barrier between us. It just felt strange to be so exposed around him.
“Why don’t you let Yvonne sleep here tonight? It’s not really convenient for her in my room,” Jared advised.
I nodded. “Sure.”
Jared ruffled Yvonne’s hair and reminded her, “Be good and listen to your mom. Don’t get into any trouble.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. You’re always so naggy, repeating yourself,” Yvonne said as she rolled around on my bed, clearly loving it.
Jared just shrugged, looking a little helpless. After he left, Yvonne asked for some ice cream and wanted me to change and take her downstairs to get some.
I was almost done with my work anyway, so I agreed.
After changing, I took her downstairs. There was a Häagen-Dazs store in the lobby, and when Yvonne saw it, her eyes lit up. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
I got her three scoops and grabbed one for myself, too. We wandered around, eating our ice cream and planning to take a stroll through the garden outside.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Jared sitting in the café next door, chatting with Tracy.