Cool Mom

64: Miami

"Feed Hazel three times a day and PLEASE make sure that she gets to school on time." I say as we stop a few steps away from the airport entrance.

"Don't worry. We're going to have fun. Aren't we Hazel?" Daniel smirks at Hazel who nods her head, a smile on her face.

Hazel's taking my departure better than I expected her to. I wonder what Daniel bribed her with before we told her about my trip to Miami last night.

"Take Vanessa for her walks. And you have your swim class at the club on Saturday." I remind Hazel.

"Yes, mommy." She nods again.

I turn to Daniel, "Please don't be careless about your medication. And no more office work once you bring Hazel home."

He wraps an arm my waist and kisses my head, "Please stop worrying about us. Enjoy your trip."

"Okay." I sigh and kiss him only to pull away to hear Hazel laughing.

"What?" I ask, kneeling down in front of her.

"Nothing." She smiles at me before throwing her arms around my neck to hug me. I hug her back and then it's time for me to leave.

"Bye, you two." I say as I kiss Hazel's cheek one last time, shrug my carry on onto my shoulder and give Daniel a hug.

My luggage is booked so I pass through the security line and then make my way to the right gate. There I find Jeremy and two other Aaron and Co. officials in the waiting lounge.

"Hey!" Jeremy says when he sees me and stands up to give me a hug.

"Ready to take Miami by force?" Jeremy asks, a smile on his face.

I greet the other men and then sit down with Jeremy. We go over the basics of the deal that Jeremy and Daniel already coached me on over the last few days.

It truly has been a long time since I held my own in a meeting. I sigh and think to myself as I lean back in my seat. Daniel is usually present at any lawyer related meetings or any others. Thinking of facing another party in Daniel's absence makes me feel a little nervous.

After an hour, the announcement of our flight boarding is made and we are one of the first allowed onto the plane. Jeremy leads the way to Business Class where there are four rows of seats separated by aisles. We find our respective seats and settle in.

I call Daniel to let him know that we're about to take off and that I'll call him again once we land in Miami. The flight passes without event and I sleep through most of it except when we're offered snacks and one of the food items on the menu is chocolate cake. Even though I've only been away from her for three hours, my heart aches to hold Hazel.

By the time we leave Miami airport, it's late afternoon. We are picked up by hotel transportation and dropped off at the Ritz Carlton. Jeremy checks everyone in and hands us our room keys.

"Dinner at seven?" He asks us all.

The others decline and choose to stay in to prepare for tomorrow's meeting but I take him up on the offer after he agrees to go out for sushi. Once I locate my room and close the door after me, I check the time on my phone, 5 p.m. I pull away the curtains from my window to find a breathtaking view of the beach.

I am too exhausted to explore, I barely take off my shoes and set an alarm to ring in an hour and a half. Sleep comes easily from the day of travel. I'm woken up right on time not by the alarm but by someone calling.

It's a video call from Daniel. I groggily sit up and answer the call.

"Hi Mommy!" Hazel appears on my phone screen.

"Hey Bunny." I reply, rubbing my eyes and smiling at her.

"Were you sleeping?" She asks.

I check the time, "No, I was about to wake up anyways. How was school?"

"Fun!" She exclaims and I laugh at her enthusiasm. We talk some more about her classes before Daniel appears behind her.

"Hey." I smile at him as he sits down next to Hazel. "How are you?"

"Not bad, actually. Back in a routine is definitely the best thing for me." He replies.

"Have you two had dinner?" I ask.

Daniel shakes his head, "No the table is being laid, we thought we'd check in on you in the meanwhile."

"What about you? Any plans for tonight?" He asks.

"Jeremy and I are going out for sushi. The others want to stay in." I tell him.

"Have fun, okay? Don't think about us. We're having lots of fun. Aren't we Hazel?" Daniel nudges her with his arm and she nods, a broad smile on her face.

"Okay. I better get ready." I tell them and we say goodbye before disconnecting.

The nap and talking to Daniel and Hazel have me recharged and ready for the night. I bypass dressing up and instead choose a white top and a pair of black pants and slip on a pair of sandals. My hair is blow-dried from the morning, so I touch it up, apply light makeup and head for the hotel lobby.

Jeremy isn't here yet so I find a sofa and sit down to wait for him. I'm replying to mom's messages about my flight when Jeremy calls out, "Shall we head out?"

"Yes." I say, returning my phone to my cross body bag. "What restaurant are we going to?"

"I inquired with the concierge before going to my room and he told me that there's a sushi place on the beach, a five minute walk from here. Up for a walk?" Jeremy asks as we head for the hotel limits.

"Sure." I say and we walk off hotel property, strolling along the beach. We soon reach a strip of various cuisines and locate the one that serves sushi.

We decide to sit indoors to enjoy the air conditioning. Once seated we decide on two different sushi platters to share and place our order. I ask for a Diet Coke and Jeremy gets a margarita.

"Still not one for alcohol?" Jeremy asks.

I shake my head, "Not since Hazel came along. It's kind of a silent pact for both Daniel and me."

"I was talking to Daniel which is why I got late coming down to the lobby." He says.

"Work?" I guess and he nods.

Our waiter comes back with the drinks as Jeremy is telling me about the confrontation he had with his mother about the yoga club that she's joined that Jeremy suspects to be an undercover cult.

"She made me sit in a room full of old ladies for an hour." The disgruntled look on Jeremy's face makes me lose it and a fit of laughter follows.

"And were you right?" I ask between my laughs.

"Some of the poses I saw these 60+ years old ladies do are going to scar me for the rest of my life." He solemnly declares.

"Good luck with that." I tell him laughing as the waiter brings our food to the table.