Lauren was the first one to speak.
“What did you do?”
Her voice came out louder than she probably intended.
Several people at nearby tables looked over.
I took another sip of water.
“I changed my reservation.”
Dad’s face hardened.
“Your reservation?”
“Yes.”
He pointed at me.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
I did.
I just wanted to hear him say it.
Mom stepped between us.
“Tessa, can we please talk somewhere private?”
I looked at her.
That familiar soft voice was back.
The one she used whenever she needed something.
I used to respond to it immediately.
Not anymore.
“I’m eating.”
Dad slapped one palm against the edge of the table.
“Enough.”
A server glanced toward us.
I remained seated.
Dad lowered his voice.
“You changed our rooms.”
“Yes.”
“You canceled the drink packages.”
“Yes.”
“The restaurants.”
“Yes.”
“The excursions.”
“Yes.”
Lauren crossed her arms.
“You ruined the whole trip.”
I looked at her.
“No.”
“I stopped paying for your whole trip.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It feels the same when you’ve never paid for anything.”
Lauren’s mouth dropped open.
Mom looked around.
“Tessa.”
“What?”
“Please.”
Dad leaned closer.
“You agreed to pay.”
“I agreed to take my family on a vacation.”
“We are your family.”
I stared at him.
“Interesting.”
He knew exactly what I meant.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
He remembered the text.
Dad wants only family.
Mom looked down.
Lauren did not.
She rolled her eyes.
“Oh my God.”
“It was one stupid message.”
“No.”
“It was a decision.”
“Dad said he wanted the trip to be family only.”
“You were angry.”
“I wasn’t angry when I paid twenty-one thousand eight hundred forty dollars.”
Dad’s face turned darker.
“Don’t make everything about money.”
For a second, I thought I had misheard him.
Then I laughed.
