Read Online The Good Provider by Debra Salonen - Free Book Online Page B

girls. Have a good stay,” he called once Hailey and Miranda were standing safely under the tall, open portcullis.
    William picked up his bag and two others, only half listening to the sisters talk.
    “He was nice,” Hailey said.
    “Dad wouldn’t have given him that much,” her sister replied.
    “Why not?”
    “Because of his turban.”
    “Daddy doesn’t like turbans?” Hailey asked. “I do. They remind me of Aladdin.” Hailey looked up to find William watching them. “I know the words to the song from the movie by heart. Want me to sing it for you?”
    He couldn’t think of anything he’d rather hear, but her mother intervened. “No singing. Not right now. It’s freezing. Come on, slowpokes. Let’s get inside.”
    Since there were no other guests in the lobby, William was able to get them registered in a matter of minutes. He handed Daria the small envelope that contained her plastic key. “Room 242,” he said. He pointed toward the elevator. “Second floor, turn right. You can go on up if you like. I’m going to coordinate a time to meet in the morning with Lucas.”
    His copilot was standing near the door, cell phone to his ear. He ended the call when he spotted William. “My aunt’s pretty excited to see me. She only lives a couple of blocks from here. I offered to walk, but she said she was just leaving to pick up my uncle from work, so she’d stop here first.”
    William was glad the unplanned stop was working out well for someone. “Shall we meet in the morning for breakfast? I noticed a restaurant across the way.”
    They were still deciding on the best hour to leave when a bright red Jeep with oversize tires pulled up. “There’s my aunt,” Lucas said, heading for the door. “I’ll call you in the morning around seven.”
    William made his way up in the elevator, fingering the plastic key card as he walked to his room. Right beside Daria’s, he realized when Daria and Miranda suddenly stepped into the hallway. “Do you know which way the ice machine is?” Daria asked.
    “Directly across from the elevator,” he said. “I noticed it when I got off.”
    Miranda spun around and charged down the hallway without waiting for her mother’s okay. Daria sighed. “Everything is a power struggle with her. Not surprising, I guess. She learned from a pro, but still…”
    William pushed open his door but didn’t walk inside. “Is your room adequate?”
    She seemed surprised by his question. “It’s perfect. There’s even a microwave. The girls are going to make popcorn and watch a movie. We don’t have cable at home, so they’re in hog heaven.”
    Hog heaven. The phrase made him smile. He might have argued that putting a couch in a too-small room and adding a microwave and noisy minirefrigerator did not a suite make, but he kept his opinion to himself.
    A loud, clinking sound from the far end of the hallway told them Miranda had found the machine and was accomplishing her task. Daria brushed back a lock of hair from her face and said, “By the way, I wanted to apologize for jumping all over your lovely compliment about the girls being marketable in Hollywood. I really need to stop responding to every comment by worrying about what Bruce would say. Old habits, you know.”
    “Nothing to apologize for. It simply struck me that both embody an innocence and grace that Hollywood would jump at the chance to exploit. You are wise to avoid going that route, regardless of the reason behind your decision.”
    “Mom,” Miranda called, poking her head around the corner. “The juices are only a dollar. Can’t we each get one, instead of sharing?”
    Hailey burst out of the room, brushing past her mother’s legs like a small animal breaking from the bush. “Yeah, Mommy, can we? I want grape.”
    “I want cran-apple,” Miranda yelled.
    Daria fished a crumpled bill from her front pocket. “Okay, but that’s it for the day. Water with dinner. Don’t ask for anything else. Got it?”
    When