Her expression softens immediately. Not curiosity. Just warmth.
“That’s nice,” she says.
“He thinks he’s on holiday.”
“I imagine hotel breakfast alone is enough for a five-year-old.”
“That’s currently his life highlight.”
There’s a small pause after that. One of those quiet, comfortable ones that feels like it could end the conversation.
Instead I hear myself say, “Do you want to meet him?”
The words are out before I properly examine them.
She looks surprised, not in a bad way. Just caught off guard.
“Only if that’s okay,” she says carefully. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be intruding.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah,” I say. “As long as you’re prepared to listen to a detailed presentation on dinosaurs.”
Her face lights up slightly. “That depends. Are we talking Jurassic period or full Mesozoic era coverage?”
I blink.
“…you know what the Mesozoic era is?”
“I used to proofread science textbooks,” she says. “I am dangerously overqualified for dinosaur conversations.”
“That might be the most reassuring thing I’ve heard all day.”
“I can also confidently confirm thatTyrannosaurus rexhad one of the strongest bites of any land animal ever.”
I stare at her for a second. “You’re going to absolutely make his weekend.”
She smiles, a little shy now. “I take dinosaur credibility very seriously.”
I reach down without really thinking about it and pick up her suitcase before she can.
She doesn’t protest.
She just says, “Thank you.”
Like she understands it’s just a small kindness, not a statement.
We step into the lift together. I press two for her and eightfor me. The doors close with that quiet hotel hush that always makes everything feel slightly more private than it should.
“Just drop your bag off and come up if you still want to,” I say. “Room 801.”
She nods. “Okay.”
“We’re just ordering room service. Nothing fancy. Mum refuses to let Alfie eat what the team eats.”
“That bad?”
