Page 45 of Coach Me
Clearing my throat, I grunt out, “Let’s go inside and get checked in then.”
I make it about three steps into the lobby before Miles shoots his head up with a squeal. “Lucie, look at the water fountain! They have a water fountain inside! Can we go look at it, Dad? Please, please?”
Miles wiggles in my arms. “I thought you were exhausted?”
“But it’s a water fountain!”
“I don’t mind taking him, Dex,” Lucie says next to me. “Unless you want to? I can try to get us checked in.”
This small tug pulls in my chest. It may seem like a small gesture, and while Lucie has given Miles pretty much all of her attention since this whole thing started, she always takes into account my relationship with Miles first.
I set Miles down. “I think I’ll have to be the one to check in, but you guys go. I’ll meet you over there.”
Lucie gives me a small nod, but if she wanted to say anything, it’s cut off by Miles grabbing her hand and pulling her away.
“Come on, Lucie, let’s go!”
I watch them walk hand in hand for a moment. It’salmost too damn hard to look away. I know I said I need Lucie, but in what capacity, is my next question.
Shit, what have I gotten myself into?
Forcing myself to the reception desk, there’s an older lady smiling. “Hi, welcome to the Marriott. What’s the last name?”
“Larsen.”
After clicking on her keyboard for a moment, she looks back up. “Okay, we have a double queen room ready for you.”
“Um, there’s supposed to be a conjoined room with that, right? It could be under a different name. Lucie Anderson.”
I told Shannon to make sure our rooms going forward were conjoined. I might need her close to help with Miles, but I also need walls between us. I glance at the receptionist’s name tag—Alice. Alice needs to find me some walls.
She continues to type and click on her keyboard, but then frowns. “Nope, I actually don’t have that name in my system at all, and unfortunately, there are no conjoining rooms available.”
Motherfucker.
“Okay, what other options are there for…” My sentence dies at the conversation behind me.
“Hey, if there’s not an extra room, Dex’s nanny can bunk with me,” Jordan says.
The fuck she can.
“I wonder what that blonde hair would look like wrapped around?—”
Spinning away from the lobby desk, I’m ready to jump down his fucking throat, but then Will smacks the back of his head. “That’s my sister. Watch it.”
“What, like you’re one to talk? Don’t be a fucking hypocrite, Anderson.”
Will takes a step toward Jordan, and, as the coach, I should probably step in, but I’d rather not.
“I’m not,” Will says calmly. “I’ll say this to anyone on this team, my sister is an adult, she can make her own damn decisions. I don’t need to know about them, but you will not disrespect her. Understood?”
Jordan's face is all too smug for my liking, but when Will doesn’t step down, he finally nods. “Understood.”
The receptionist clears her throat, bringing my attention back to her. “I’m sorry, Mr. Larsen, the only other options are the two king-bed rooms, or we have a suite that has two closed-off rooms and two baths. There is an additional cost?—”
“I’ll take it.”I just need walls.
After handing my card over to the receptionist, she returns with our new room keys. “Thank you.”
