Page 193 of The Vacation Mix-Up
Mom delicately touches my arm. “You shared?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because neither of us wanted to downgrade.”
“You”—Roni points at me—“willingly shared with a stranger?”
I frown. “Why’s that so hard to believe?”
She scoffs. “Because you’re not exactly the sharing type.”
“I am so.”
“Uncle Riley?—”
“And you’re a messy pig.”
“I am not.”
“And you snore.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, apparently like a freight train of hogs, or something like that.”
Poppy positions her head into my line of sight. “Uncle Riley.”
“Just a minute, popsicle,” I say, moving to look past her. “I’ll admit the snoring was a problem at first, but I fixed it.”
“How? By smothering yourself?” my sister quips. “Because that’s what I would’ve done.”
I frown again. “I bought her AirPods.”
“You did what?” Roni facepalms.
“Hey! It worked.”
Shaking her head at me, she pushes off from the counter and turns on the coffee machine. “So what’s the other Riley like?”
“She’s—” Riles’s brown hair blowing in the breeze and her gray eyes shining as she smiles catapults into my mind’s eye. “—beautiful. And sweet.” A pillow slamming my face also surfaces from my memory. “And feisty.”
Mom’s brow furrows. “Feisty?”
“In a good way.” I pat her hand. “Let’s just say she doesn’t shy away from putting me in my place.”
“I like her already,” Roni says, winking. “So when do we get to meet her? Or was it just a vacation fling?”
I grin. “This weekend.”
“Oh.” Mom sits straighter. “So soon?”
“I wish it were sooner.”
Roni glances at Mom, lips pursed. “Someone’s smitten.”
I gleam; I am.
“You said she lives in Manhattan, dear.”
