Karla gave a small laugh through her nose.
“The executive block?”
Ethan looked at her.
She smiled without warmth.
“People think if they say corporate, we’re supposed to panic.”
Patricia tilted her head toward the doors. “We’re fully booked tonight. There are several budget options near the highway. They may be more suited to your… situation.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
Only slightly.
Lily stirred against him.
“Daddy?” she whispered.
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
“Are we seeing Mommy’s flowers tomorrow?”
“Yes,” he said. “We are.”
Her eyes closed again.
Patricia looked at the roses.
Then at Lily.
Then at Ethan’s scuffed backpack.
“You’re blocking arriving guests, sir.”
Ethan looked at the empty space behind him.
No one was there.
The lobby was quiet except for the piano and the soft hiss of the revolving doors.
He could have ended it right then.
He could have said his full name with the weight of every hotel deed behind it.
