The Hotel

Part Deux

"Yes, of course," she said, taking each boy's hand and leading them into the pool area.

*****

A few hours later, Roland and Henry slept on the couch in her suite as the TV played cartoons. It had gotten dark outside and rain pelted the glass of her windows as she covered them with a blanket from Henry's bed. She smiled at them before moving to make herself a quick sandwich for lunch.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal Bobby. His blond hair was dark with rain and he was definitely wearing a different shirt. She smiled at him. "Get caught in the downpour?"

"Yeah," he said, chuckling softly. "Don't worry, I changed before coming up here so I won't drip all over the place."

"You must still be chilled. How about some hot chocolate?"

His grin grew. "That sounds amazing."

"I also have a secret ingredient I like to add to my hot chocolate."

He raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"For children, miniature marshmallows. For adults--brandy," she said, pulling a bottle from the cabinet. "Really warms you up."

"I imagine." He smiled as she added generous portions to both their mugs.

They carried them over to the table, sitting there as they watched their children sleep on the couch. Bobby broke the silence first. "How was Roland?"

"Good as gold," Regina told him, smiling. "Very well-behaved and very knowledgeable about water safety. He even taught Henry a few things. Though I think your son might be half fish."

He chuckled. "Roland's loved the water since the first moment I put him in it. He was so thrilled when you invited him to the pool today."

"Henry's only recently gotten comfortable around the water. Perhaps Roland will continue to encourage him to like swimming."

"I'm sure. I'm hoping Henry continues to encourage Roland to read."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Roland's not a big reader?"

"He likes to be read to," Bobby said. "But when I try to get him to read on his own, he has none of it. He struggles with the words and gives up."

"You just have to be patient. And don't force him. If he starts to think reading is a chore, he'll never warm up to it."

He nodded, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Need any other parenting advice?" she teased.

"Not right now," he replied, leaning forward. "Tell me more about you instead."

Regina's cheeks heated up as she tapped her fingers against her mug. "I told you, there isn't much to talk about."

He leaned forward. "I don't believe that. So what do you do when you're not our mayor?"

"I'm Henry's mother," she replied.

"And that's important. But there must be more."

She chewed the inside of her cheek before replying: "I tend a small orchard of apple trees. They're right outside my house."

"That sounds lovely," he said. "I'd love to see them one day."

"I think that might be possible." Her heart beat faster at the thought of Bobby coming over to her house and spending time there. "So what about you? What do you do for fun?"

"When I can get a sitter for Roland, I like to go to the archery range."

That stirred something in the back of her mind but she ignored it. "Well, if you ever want to go, Roland has a standing playdate with Henry," she offered.