Page 27 of Hearts Aweigh

S PENCER SCANNED THE LOBBY, BUT there was no sign of his pint-size employee.

He switched the bulging canvas bag he carried from one hand to the other.

The addition of his laptop to the pile of supplies he’d packed for Madeleine made it heavier.

His daughter sat on a purple velvet couch and lightly kicked her sandaled feet.

He dug in his pocket for his cell phone. They’d promised to meet at nine o’clock, and Abby was three minutes late. He surveyed the room again.

“Here I am!” Abby waved from a side hallway. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt with a cartoon kitten on the front, she carried a polka-dot bag. She raced across the open expanse, swerving around passengers in her haste.

Madeleine hopped to her feet and held out her arms.

Abby skidded to a stop and dropped her bag. She picked the little girl up, squealed, and swung her in a circle. “Oh, I missed you so much. Are you ready to have a blast?”

Spencer observed the enthusiastic welcome with envy. He might as well be invisible. When was the last time anyone had been that happy to greet him?

“You’re late,” he said.

“What?” Abby set Madeleine down and checked her watch. “Three minutes? I’m not late. I’m fashionably delayed.”

“Good thing you’re not a lawyer. I doubt that excuse would work on a judge.”

“Guess what?” Abby was talking to his daughter again as if he didn’t exist. “I saw your grandma at breakfast this morning. She’s going to play with us.”

“She’s what?” Spencer’s voice rose.

Madeleine’s shoulders bunched, and Abby threw him a warning look.

She squeezed the child closer. “I’m sorry, Mr. Masterson. I didn’t think you’d mind letting Daisy spend time with us.”

“I … I don’t mind.” He searched for the right words. “It’s fine if she comes along. It’s just … unexpected.”

“Oh good.” Her smile reappeared. “Aren’t you excited, Maddie? We get to hang out with Grandma Daisy today.”

Grandma Daisy? Spencer could imagine the wince if his mother heard that description. She’d always been careful to maintain a youthful persona with frequent trips to the Botox clinic.

“Good morning, Spencer.” Daisy’s genteel voice sounded from behind.

He turned to find not only his mother but her entire coterie of friends.

Emily, the frizzy-haired one who approached them at the Trafalgar, wore the same khaki pants with a blue-striped shirt and aviator sunglasses.

Her tall friend with her hair slicked in a severe bun wore a gauzy ankle-length skirt and top.

And his mother’s roommate sported a red scarf over her silver hair to match her outfit.

The large woman gathered Spencer in a hug and pounded him on the back.

“Hello, hello, hello!” her robust voice sang. “I’m Althea, in case you forgot.”

“Yes.” He gave her an awkward double pat and extricated himself from her soft hold. “Althea, thank you for the reminder.” He acknowledged his mother. “Daisy, I understand you’ll be joining us at the pool.”

Althea grinned. “We’re all coming, baby.” She passed him a leopard-print bag. “My sacroiliac’s been hurtin’. Can you carry this for me?”

Daisy handed him a similar-sized black one. “Mine too, if you please. Thank you.”

The group stared at him with cheerful expectation, except for the tall one, whose stoic countenance remained unreadable. The four senior citizens began to move, and Abby added her own tote to his ever-growing collection. “Let’s head to the pool.”

Spencer examined the bags. Since when had he become the porter? Abby was his employee, not the other way around. Who was the boss in this relationship?