“BUT I DON’T have time for this,” JJ’s mom said once she got off the phone. They were all in the kitchen: JJ’s dad was putting on his shoes, and JJ held the envelope while his mom was reading the invitation.

Again.

She sighed and let her fingers run over the heavyweight white paper. She flipped the letter over, even though it was blank. Maybe she thought there was a way out written on the back.

“But you owe me,” JJ reminded her. “You said anything I want, anytime, no questions asked.” This kind of IOU was only given out on those rare occasions when parents truly messed up.

His mom said, “I heard Mr. Barclay is allergic to peanut butter.”

“So?” JJ asked.

“He won’t like PB&Js,” his mom said. It was a weak argument, everyone knew that.

JJ tried to think of something to persuade his mom.

His dad spoke up. “The invitation says that there’s a hot tub. You love those, Jackie.” He winked at JJ. Despite all the bookishness, his dad could be pretty cool sometimes. Now JJ was feeling bad that he’d been ghost hunting around the house when he told his dad he was reading . . .

“I do love those,” his mom said. Most adults are suckers for hot tubs. It’s like going swimming without making an effort.

Jackie read the invitation again, but only briefly glanced over the fine print. If she’d read carefully, she might have noticed that she’d be cut off from the world. No cell phone service.

Plus, Jackie had a secret, one her family didn’t know about—not even her husband. And we all know what it feels like to keep a secret that big.

This invitation could be a way to honor that IOU and keep her secret, Jackie figured. So she said, “Okay.”

JJ smiled.

He would regret coming to the Barclay Hotel, especially Saturday evening, when everything went all wrong. When his own secret was out—the one he’d been hiding from his parents for a while now.

But right then, JJ was so excited, he high-fived his mom. He didn’t even mind going to Book Club—he might even try to read a few pages. That’s how excited JJ was to go to the Barclay Hotel.