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“What do you mean?”
“You missed the boat ride. Yesterday, you skipped the market. You haven’t had one quiet afternoon.”
I hesitated.
Then I told him.
“Macy told me I was here as the nanny so I could repay you for the room.”
Daniel’s face turned red.
“She said what?”
“She said you paid, so childcare was how I would earn it back.”
He stared down the hallway.
“Did she say I agreed?”
“She made it sound as though you had agreed.”
Daniel hugged me.
His entire body felt tense.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take care of it.”
“Please don’t start a fight.”
“I’m not starting one.”
He released me.
“I’m ending something that should never have started.”
That night, Daniel confronted Macy.
Their voices carried through the wall long after the children should have been sleeping.
The next morning, someone pounded on my hotel door.
When I opened it, Macy stormed inside clutching Caleb’s tablet.
Her hair was unbrushed, and her face was pale with anger.
“Did you do this?” she screamed. “How dare you?”
“Do what?”
She spun around and shoved the tablet toward me.
“Did you help them send Daniel the video?”
Before I could answer, Daniel appeared in the hallway.
“She didn’t know about it.”
Macy turned toward him.
“You embarrassed me in front of your mother.”
“You embarrassed yourself.”
Daniel took the tablet and stepped into my room.
Caleb stood behind him with Emma and Noah.
All three children looked frightened.
Daniel closed the door.
“Mom, you need to see this.”
He pressed play.
The recording had been made on our first morning at the beach.
Apparently, Caleb had been filming the water when Macy walked toward me.
My voice came through the speaker.
“Could we split the childcare?”
Then Macy laughed.