Children of the Boss

Chapter 37: Kenneth

"Well if you're struggling through something with your mental health then it's an excuse."

She shook her head again. "No, it's really not. Just because I'm struggling doesn't mean I can't be held accountable for my actions, or even if I couldn't control myself I should still apologize. You make too many excuses for me, and you shouldn't, so I just want you to know that you did the right thing Kenneth. You really helped me. Sometimes I feel like I make you feel bad when you shouldn't feel bad, like if you're upset with me. So...I'm sorry, and thank you."

I looked at her as she looked down. Was she embarrassed? Worried? What was she thinking? "Do you...do you want to do something fun? For break I mean," I said.

She looked back at me. "Like what?"

"We can go into the city."

"And do what?"

I shrugged, smiling. "I don't know. Something stupid, something fun."

She gave me a pointed look. "I'm not going to take drugs if that's what you're thinking."

Laughing, I said, "No, like...dress up and just go...dancing or something. I don't know."

A smile formed on her lips. "Like dress in disguise?" she asked.

"Yeah, that would be fun. Go to a club. We both like dancing."

"Okay. When do you want to go?"

I shrugged. "Let me shower and pack and we can go today. I'll drive."

"And just stay in the townhouse?"

"Sure. Or we can get a hotel room."

She raised an eyebrow at me. 

"I mean, just to do something dumb and different. We can get a suite at The Plaza."

"The Plaza? I know Pop doesn't notice the occasional twenty bucks spent but he might notice...I don't know...five hundred dollars spent on a hotel room."

"I have money," I said.

"You're just a chef," she said.

"Yeah, and I haven't spent any money from my paychecks." I shrugged. "I just buy food sometimes. That's it."

"So how much money do you have?"

"I have about three thousand dollars of my own money I've made," I said. "I make somewhere between a hundred to one hundred fifty a week, and I've worked there for a few months. I got it covered."

She shrugged. "If you really want to spend your money on a hotel, then sure."

"Great, I'll go take a shower."

An hour and a half later we were driving to the city. We told Dad and Pop we were going to stay in the city for break, but didn't mention the hotel. They told us to be safe. We went to The Plaza, and I know the people there were probably looking at us like we were miscreants, but they would soon realize.

"Hi," I said to the concierge. "I need a penthouse suite."

"For when?"

"Tonight to tomorrow."

"Let me see what we have," he said slowly. He typed away at the computer, searching. "Our grand penthouse suite is open tonight to tomorrow check out."

"How much is it?" I asked.

"It would come to nine hundred and fifty-two cents after tax."

"Perfect, we'll take it." I slid my debit card to him, along with my driver's license.