Also, Riley has been your unpaid family assistant since college. Maybe leave her alone for one Christmas.
Linda responded privately to Riley instead.
So now you’ve turned Carol against me too.
Riley stared.
No.
She would not spend the Bahamas arguing.
She muted the conversation.
That day she swam.
Read.
Took a boat excursion.
Saw dolphins.
She sent Emma a picture.
Emma replied from Jason’s phone with approximately forty dolphin emojis.
Jason and Stephanie had taken the children to the cabin.
Their romantic trip became chaos.
The portable crib barely fit in the bedroom.
Oliver spilled hot chocolate on a white rug.
Emma insisted everybody go sledding.
Sky woke twice the first night.
And something unexpected happened.
They had fun.
Not the vacation they booked.
Not the rest they wanted.
But theirs.
On Christmas Eve, Jason called Riley.
She answered from the resort balcony.
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
He looked exhausted on video.
Behind him Oliver ran past wearing one boot.
Riley smiled.
“Going well?”
“Fantastic.”
“Define fantastic.”
“The baby slept four consecutive hours.”
“Luxury.”
Jason laughed.
Then became serious.
“I owe you an apology.”
“You already apologized.”
“No.”
He sat.
“I mean a bigger one.”
Riley waited.
“For years.”
Her smile faded.
Jason continued.
“I didn’t realize how much Mom used you to make our life easier.”
“That sounds awful.”
“It is awful.”
“I should have noticed.”
Riley looked toward the ocean.
“You were busy.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
“No.”
“But it is a reason.”
Jason rubbed his face.
“Steph and I started listing all the times you helped us.”
“You don’t want to do that.”
“We stopped at twenty-seven.”
Riley blinked.
“Twenty-seven?”
“In three years.”
“That seems low.”
He laughed.
Then sighed.
“We never asked why you were always the one.”
“Because Mom asked me.”
“Exactly.”
“We thought you wanted to.”
“Sometimes I did.”
“Sometimes.”
Jason nodded.
“Next time we ask you.”
“Directly.”
“And if you say no?”
Riley looked at him.
Jason raised his hand.
“We figure it out.”
“That simple?”
“That simple.”
Riley felt something loosen.
“Thank you.”
Then Jason hesitated.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“Mom came to the cabin.”
Riley sat straighter.
“When?”