I had booked private dinners because she hated crowded restaurants.
I had scheduled spa treatments because she complained that she never did anything for herself.
I had even chosen the ridiculous master suite because it had enough living space for all of us to gather without sitting in a hotel restaurant.
I had intended to give Mom the best bedroom after the birthday dinner.
Nobody knew that.
I had wanted it to be a surprise.
Now I was grateful I had never said it aloud.
Chloe pointed at the folder.
“So the form didn’t go through.
Big deal.”
Mr.
Alvarez’s eyes moved to her.
“It became a bigger issue when you attempted to present yourself as an authorized guest with control over the suite.”
Chloe blinked.
“I never said I had control.”
“You asked for replacement keys before Ms.
Warren arrived.”
My mother closed her eyes.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“You asked for keys?”
Chloe shrugged.
“We were checking in.”
“You were checking into my suite.”
“Our suite,” she corrected.
That one word told me everything.
Not the hotel’s suite.
Not the family’s suite.
Ours.
Anything I paid for became ours the moment someone else wanted it.
I looked at Mr.
Alvarez.
“Were any additional keys issued?”
“No.”
“Were any changes made to the billing authorization?”
“No.”
“Can anyone besides me approve charges now?”
“No.”
Chloe gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Congratulations.
You won.”
But I did not feel like I had won anything.
I looked down at the schedule inside the folder.
Five days.
Private meals.
Spa appointments.
A beachfront dinner for Mom’s actual birthday.
Transportation.
Everything prepaid or guaranteed by my card.
Then I noticed another handwritten note.
Three additional spa services had been requested that morning.
Two were under Chloe’s name.
One was under Mom’s.
I pointed at them.
“What are these?”
Mom looked uncomfortable.
Chloe answered first.
