After Before and After

Phase 4: Chapter 20

Jack Merridew wasn't usually easily embarrassed, but when Evan Merridew stood next to him at the reception counter of the government hotel they'd been assigned to, exhibiting a level of rage that would've made Satan put his tail between his legs, Jack was feeling every level of embarrassment.

"I specifically requested that we have two rooms, I told that bastard on the phone that I'd pay for the upgrade myself" Evan harshly focused his vexation on the small, fearful woman behind the counter.

"I-I understand, sir" the woman stuttered, "but we can't take room requests from members of the court, the government arranges it so each family is entitled to one room so long as there are enough beds to accommodate everyone."

"I said I would pay for a separate room, I don't care how much it costs. The man I spoke with on the phone said he'd put in the request, don't make me file a motion to have that call reviewed" Evan, in what Jack knew to be all his financial superiority, declared rather loudly.

"Let me get my manager, maybe there's something he can do" the short woman mumbled almost inaudibly. She hurried through a door behind the desk rather quickly, disappearing from their sight.

Jack looked up to Evan, watching as the man let out a frustrated, heavy sigh. Jack could feel the eyes of the other hotel guests and staff in the lobby on them, and he was hoping that none of them were smart enough to piece together the reason Evan was so hell bent on getting a second room; so he wouldn't have to spend a second of his free time with Jack.

Before the receptionist returned, Paige got off one of the elevators in the lobby, and marched over to her family with the unmistakable click-click-click of her stilettos.

"The room's pretty decent, for a three-star hotel room" she declared with a huff. "I think space is going to be an issue though" she added with less confidence. The truth was, it wasn't the space itself, it was her family in that space that was the issue. The room was certainly big enough for three people, just not all the hostility the Merridews were bound to bring with them.

"They're going to upgrade us to two rooms" Evan flatly announced as he glanced away from her.

"That's great, they said they have something available?" Paige enthusiastically assumed.

"Not yet, but they will" Evan answered, his voice becoming gruffer and lower each time he spoke.

Jack and Paige exchanged a knowing glance, one that said they both knew Evan was in his picky, pain-in-someone-else's-ass mood. It was a side of him that reminded Paige of her mom before the woman up and left. Though, she'd never say it to Evan, only to Jack, who always responded with "tell him that when you get tired of living."

Jack and Paige suffered through several more embarrassing minutes of standing aside as Evan argued with the manager. Things got a little heated, and Paige was afraid they were about to get kicked out of the hotel. But to her surprise, the manager backed down and agreed to look through the registration to determine if any rooms were empty. The only ones that were available weren't on the same floor as the one they already had, and that was the only thing that didn't seem to bother Evan at all.

Jack started yawning and getting tired of standing on his feet as his father began negotiating with the manager a decent price for the long term rental of the second room. It wasn't that Evan couldn't afford the nightly rate, because he definitely could, but he would often point out that it wasn't anyone else's business how much money they had, and why should they have to pay more just because they can.

Evan requested that Paige stay in Jack's room to make sure he doesn't "fuck anything else up," but insisted that if she needed to get away, his room was always open to her. Jack, fully present in the conversation, rolled his eyes as he shook his head boredly. Evan said goodnight to the kids, kissing his daughter on the forehead quickly before abandoning them for the privacy of his own room. The two Merridew siblings made their way up to the original room, two floors above Evan's, where Paige had already brought most of their things.