“I get the other side,” Jordan said, giving Delaney a kiss on her other cheek.

“Alright, alright,” she laughed. “I know I look good, but the two of you better behave yourselves, you hear?”

“I don’t know,” Theo teased.

“Where’s David?”

Delaney shook her head. “I wish you’d knock that shit off.”

“How can someone so smart be so dumb?”

“Stop it, Theodora.”

“I’m taking a picture of you and sending it to Doctor Nash,” Jordan told her.

“Take one of me and Theo by the tree,” Delaney told him.

Jordan took Delaney’s coat from her, and she and Theo stepped in front of the tree. They posed and Jordan took a photo.

“Perfect,” he said. He pretended to go through his contacts and Delaney raised her left brow at him.

“I’m not very big, tree man. I’ve had to come up with creative ways to fight. I’m not afraid to bite.”

“You know that threat might seem harmless coming from anyone else but you.”

“May I take your coat?”

Jordan handed over Delaney’s coat, and Theo eyed the front desk again. She half expected Hailey St. James to be there, her wheat-colored hair hanging smooth and soft around her smiling face.

“We should probably be inside before Patty shows up,” Delaney said.

“Actually, I thought maybe I’d wait for her. Patty expects all the hoopla we can conjure up, but she’s still going to be very self-conscious. I’d rather be here and have her tell me to go away than not be here on the slightest chance she needs me.”

“Sainthood,” Delaney declared. “I swear, we should get you fitted for a halo.”

“Well, that might be taking it a little too far,” Theo smiled.

“I’m gonna go sit down. I need a drink.”

“I wish Hailey was there, too, T.J.,” Jordan told her, putting his arm around her waist and bringing her close.

“Too many people have disappeared from our lives.”

“I know.” He kissed the side of her head. “Does it make you feel better to know that one has reappeared?”

He turned Theo so she could see Birdie pushing Cleopatra through the door in a wheelchair.

“Let the good times roll.”

Jordan couldn’t help but smile. “Literally.”

Theo smiled as she watched Jordan push Delaney around the dance floor.

“It looks like they’re having fun.” Theo looked up to see Yara Diaz walking toward her. Yara was the head of housekeeping and had been working at the hotel long before Patty bought it. She’d been one of the many people Patty had trusted with Indigo from the time the child was just a few weeks old.

“Yara,” Theo said, hopping out of her seat. “It’s so good to see you!” Theo wrapped her arms around the maid and gave her a tight hug.

“I came and said hello to Cleopatra some time ago, but you were taking your turn getting spun around out there.”

Theo stepped away and realized Yara was not alone. “Hello, Rafe,” she said to the young man escorting his grandmother to the party.

“Hi, Miz Theo.”

“You look very handsome tonight.” The boy was twelve and had gone through a bit of a rough patch after his dad succumbed to cancer. According to Yara, he’d stopped acting out, although he was still struggling with his grades.

“I appreciate that.”

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“The food is terrific.”

Theo smiled. “That’s because Molly is a magician.”

“What was that?”

“She’s also got bionic hearing,” Yara said with a laugh.

“I was wondering if you were going to come and say hello,” the chef told Theo.

“I promise I was,” Theo assured her. She glanced back and saw that Patty was surrounded by guests. “I just wanted to stick close in case I was needed. This is a lot for Patty. She’ll need to get some rest soon.”

“Let me hug on you,” Molly said, reaching her arms out and pulling Theo close to her.

Molly Michaels was the Madeleine’s head chef. Theo guessed that she was in her mid-thirties and had dark auburn hair. She was incredibly kind and made the best cinnamon rolls Theo had ever eaten. She was married and had two kids in elementary school. Hailey’s death had been extremely hard on Molly.

“I wish we got to see you more often,” the chef said. Theo knew Molly to be a genuine person and believed her when she said this.

“I know,” Theo agreed. “Me, too. This has been the world’s craziest year, you know?”

Both Yara and Molly nodded. They were well aware how crazy the year had been.

“Hey, Grandma, can I go get a sundae?”

“Make sure you get all the toppings,” Molly encouraged him.

“Yes,” Yara said. “Go.” She shook her head and laughed. “The kid’s growing so fast, I’m afraid he’s gonna eat me out of house and home.”