Page 49 of River
CHAPTER 13
Preparing
River
We received the keys to the Tropical Oasis on Wednesday and got to work. Maximum and I had to take shifts staying with the children and pretend that nothing was different.
I’d hired a team of cleaners and gardeners for the day, and Peter and Noah were kind enough to help out as well.
I’d bought new bed sheets with cartoon figures and was in the laundry room folding them after washing and drying them in the large machines.
Peter popped his head in. “Oh, there you are. I’ve checked all the TVs in the rooms, and they’re all working except one that has a loose connection, but Parker is fixing that one and should be done in a few minutes.”
“Great. I’ve made an extensive grocery list. Would you mind helping with that?”
“What? The list or going to the market?”
“The latter. I’m paying, of course, but I want Maya to arrive to a fully stocked pantry.”
“Alright. I’m on it.”
Peter gave a small whistle when he saw how long the list was. “I can’t carry all of this.”
“Then take a taxi back here or ask if they can deliver.”
“Okay, I’ll figure it out.”
“Thank you, Peter.” I rose to my feet and kissed his cheek.
“Hey, hands off my woman,” Noah said from the door opening as he came toward us with a confident smile.
“We’re going grocery shopping.” Peter held up the list to show Noah.
“Okay.”
“Here, let me give you money.” I reached for my handbag.
Noah shook his head. “That’s okay. You’ve paid for the house. We’ll pay for the groceries.”
I had taken out a lot of cash and held it out to Noah. “That’s kind of you, but you don’t have to.”
“But we want to,” he said in a firm tone and pushed my hand back.
“Speak for yourself,” Peter muttered. “I’m happy to help out, but I’m kinda broke at the moment, so I can’t chip in.”
Noah led Peter out without taking my money and gave me a reassuring smile over his shoulder, and it left me with even more respect for the man than before. Noah was proud, funny, and generous.
Folding the last bedsheets, I carried the basket up the stairs and distributed it to the rooms where Maximum and I imagined the kids would stay. Each room had either two queen beds or a king. We had placed them according to who their friends were. Most of the rooms had two kids, but in one of the rooms with a king-sized bed, we were putting Ana and her two best friends. The girls were used to sleeping bundled up, and we figured they would be happiest together.
One of the cleaning ladies was in that room when I entered. “Here, I have the bedsheets.” I handed her a Hello Kitty set and we exchanged a smile.
“The children will love it,” the woman said in broken English. “It’s good thing you do for them.”
“Thank you. I can’t wait to show them on Saturday.”
After a bit more small talk, I continued to the other rooms, placing colorful bedsheets picked out for the kids in each one.
Once that was done, I checked up on the gardeners, who were cleaning up the outside area. The garden had been tranquil before, but now that they were bringing it back to its prime, I felt a bubbly feeling inside from the vision of this house being the safe haven of happy children running and playing.
