“Are you sure you’re okay, Hope?” Daria asks for the hundredth time. She’s the only real friend I have in this little town. She’s a couple of years older than me, single and she’s saved my ass several times. She also loves Jack and he seems to love her. She watches him when I need her to and without her I’d be lost—especially on days like today. I got so upset after Aden left, I shouldn’t have—but I did.

He annoys me, but I haven’t been able to shake the hateful words he said about me on the phone the other night. Which is stupid. I don’t know him and his opinion of me matters not one damn bit. Still, I keep hearing the remarks and the hateful tone in his voice and every time I’m forced to interact with him, I get upset. I also decided to try and save a few dollars and do everything on the pool myself. Normally that would have been okay, but the pollen count is crazy today and being an asthmatic…

It all boils down to the fact that I’m in bad shape. So bad that I called Daria to ask if she would keep Jack tonight. I had to take my asthma medication which makes me extremely hyper and alert for all of two hours, and after that wears off… I crash. I don’t just crash a little, I crash a lot. A herd of elephants would probably not wake me up and it’s one reason I resisted taking the medicine as long as I did—which made the attack worse.

“Yeah. I’m just really tired. After all the medicine and the breathing treatments I crash hard. I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep it off.”

“If you’re sure. Maybe you should come over and stay at the house tonight…” she says, doubtfully.

“You’re a doll to offer,” I reply, though the last word is more of a yawn than an actual word. “But I have a guest in the motel, I can’t leave.”

“I thought you weren’t opening for like another week or so?” She asks, throwing Jack’s overnight bag onto her backseat and slamming her car door.

“I wasn’t, but this guy offered cash up front and I needed the money, to get everything ready for my real opening.”

“The place is looking great,” she says, offering me a smile.

“Yeah, but I can’t help but wonder if I will get any business. Not many people want to stay in Clancy, Idaho.”

“Well maybe not, but you’re right off the interstate so that might help?”

If I didn’t hear the doubt in her voice, that might make me feel better. Instead, I don’t respond and turn my attention back to my son.

“You be good for Aunt Dar and when you get home tomorrow we’ll go for ice cream,” I bribe him, doing my best to bite back another yawn before it can escape. I hug him and his little fingers tangle in my hair as he gives me a wet, sloppy kiss that instantly soothes my heart as only Jack can.

“Go get in bed, you look like you’re about to fall over on your feet.”

“I think one of the new medicines the doctor gave me is making me sleepier than usual,” I tell her yawning again because I can’t stop it. “I may have to talk to him about changing it back, or to something….” I stop to yawn yet again. “Damn it!” I growl, frustrated.

“Mommy said bad word!” Jack giggles. My baby is so smart. He’s starting to put together whole sentences. I don’t know if that’s normal for other two year olds, but I’m very proud of him. Now if I could just get him to pee in the toilet and not outside.

“Mommy is—”

“A stinky-butt!” Jack fills in before I can finish and I laugh along with Daria.

It takes a few minutes to click him into his seat and make sure Daria has it secured properly in her car. I give her a quick hug and watch as she heads back out of the parking lot. My eyes are getting really heavy and I’m yawning so much that my eyes are watering. I really just want to go crawl in bed and start over tomorrow. I start to do exactly that and I remember my guest from Hell. Who knew a man who looked that good could be that rotten on the inside?

My eyes zero in on room number seven. It’s getting dark and the street lamp seems to glow directly on it. I sigh in frustration. As much as I want to sleep off this damn medicine if I don’t change the asshole’s sheets I’ll never hear the end of it.

Accepting the inevitable, I trudge into the office, go directly to the supply closet and pull out another set of sheets. For a moment I think of just lying and saying I changed them if he asks me again, but lying is not something I do well. I always panic and screw it all up.

With each step I get sleepier and sleepier. My eyes keep trying to close and I have to force them back open. It’s not that I’m not coherent, I am. I just feel like I could sleep for days.

I use my pass key to get inside the room. Instantly, I smell Aden’s aftershave. It’s a good scent. It reminds me of winter days in Indiana, cool, crisp and outdoorsy. I shake off the thought and carry the sheets to the bed. The side effect of this new medicine said it would cause drowsiness, I probably should have paid closer attention to that.

I strip the bed and that’s a job, because I have the strongest urge to crawl on the bed and just nap. I ignore that impulse, then start putting the bottom sheet on. I get the bottom corners tucked and the corner at the top closest to me. The other corner is against the wall. I try moving the bed out, but I can’t get it to budge. Finally, I stretch out over it, extending my arms out over my head to try and force the corner in. I huff out in frustration and wiggle trying to get enough slack in the sheet. I know I pulled out the queen size, but maybe it shrunk in the wash. Finally, the sheet goes in place and I just lay there in victory. My eyes fall closed and I jerk them open.

Would it be so bad to take a quick break?

I can nap and be gone before Aden gets back…