“Let’s get this table cleared,” Ava said, nodding toward Faith.
I blinked at her, mute.
“Yes!” Corinne said, jumping up from the table. At seven months pregnant she was incredibly agile, which I found quite endearing in that surreal moment. The dock lights haloed her hair; behind her, the marina clinked with halyards and low voices, normal sounds at odds with the panic thudding in my chest. I’d thought keeping the incident secret would be easy, but that was before I heard about the murder of a family friend that they’d tied tosmugglers. I didn’t want to be the next body found floating in a canal. Maybe I should go back to Minnesota.
I looked around, unsure what to do—both right now and in the near future. Right now I could follow the girls and give up my shield, or stay under Kai’s protective wing and silently continue to freak the fuck out? I was leaning heavily toward the latter when Corinne called, waving me with her hand as she scooped up plates.
“Jasmine, can you bring the platters, please?”
“Sure,” I said, grabbing the fish platter in front of me as I stood, somewhat relieved at not having to make a decision with my addled mind. Quickly I realized I’d be foregoing a conversation with the only other people who knew the danger we were in, and almost changed my mind. But questions about Kylie swirled among the panic that had hijacked my brain, and talking about it now might send me over the edge.
Following behind Corinne, I collected the other two platters. My stomach knotted at the thought of being alone with her and Faith and Ava. I had to calm myself down.
Just remember to breathehad always been my favorite mantra. Two deep breaths later, I was relaxed enough that trivial thoughts about the delineation of duties along gender lines and how it irked my feminist side, trickled in. Ted stood in solidarity, grabbing the silverware and piling it into the empty salad bowl, following along behind us, the lone penis-bearer in the parade. We filed into the kitchen, which was far too small for five of us to work together. Ted must have reached the same conclusion, but he knew exactly what to do and went straight to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine.
“Let me do that,” I told Corinne as she scraped food remnants into the garbage. “Go keep Ted company. We’ve got this.”
“Don’t be silly. I can’t even have a glass of wine,” she said, gesturing to her baby bump. “Sit down with Ted and entertain us.”
I wondered if an anxiety attack would be entertaining. But the Pinot Grigio might help keep me from becoming a full-blown nervous wreck. “If you’re sure… I feel like the very pregnant lady should be the one sitting, though.”
“Honestly, I feel great! I have more energy than ever,” she said while spraying down a plate over the sink. “I swam a mile and a half this morning.”
“That would explain why you’re the slimmest pregnant lady I’ve ever seen,” Ted said, holding up his wine glass as if to toast it. His bracelet clinked against the stem.
“I’m gaining weight at a steady, healthy pace,” Corinne responded with a tinge of bitchy. “I’m not skinny.”
“I didn’t say skinny. I said slim. You still have your waistline, for Christ’s sake,” Ted laughed. “Turn around,” he said, twirling his finger in the air.
Corinne gave a dubious look but let out a chuckle and complied. Even though Corinne’s back was to us and she couldn’t possibly see it, Ted flexed his hand like a crossing guard’s command and said, “Now stop.”
“See what I mean?” he asked no one in particular. Suddenly we were all staring at Corinne’s bubble butt. And sure enough, above it, was a contoured waistline.
“He’s right, you don’t look the slightest bit pregnant from behind,” I agreed. It really was remarkable.
“Anyway, that’s what I meant,” Ted said, flicking his wrist dismissively. “I wasn’t trying to slim-shame you.”
Ted looked at Ava, who’d turned to glare at him. “It’s a thing now,” he insisted.
“Well, you know, Ted,” Ava said dryly, “when in doubt,notcommenting on a woman’s body will never get you into trouble.”
“Alright, alright! I own it,” Ted said, throwing his hands up in the air more dramatically than was necessary. “I’m sorry, Corinne, for trying to give you a compliment. It was shallow and insensitive. Please forgive me.”
His passive-aggressive apology somehow seemed sincere. Corinne turned to face us, resting her hand under her perfect basketball belly. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m a little sensitive these days,” she said with an amused smile. Her gaze drifted to the glass of wine in my hand. “Can I taste a little?”
“Yes, of course.” I handed her the glass. She barely tipped it enough for the liquid to touch her lips, and surely no more than a few drops made it past, but she licked her lips and savored the flavor like it had been a satisfying sip. “God, I miss wine.”
“Can’t you have a little?” Faith asked as she wiped down the countertop around the sink. “My friend Maribel was seven months pregnant in the holiday season, and her doctor told her it was fine to have an occasional glass.”
“I’m happy just tasting it,” Corinne smiled, turning the glass up to wet her lips again.
“Honey, go to town. Lap it up like a cat does warm milk if you want.” Ted laughed as he handed me a fresh glass. “Let her keep that one.”
I’d sucked down more than half the first glass and it was startling how fast it kicked in. I finally felt myself relaxing as Faith dried her hands on a Conch Republic dishtowel and came over to join us.
Ted handed her a glass. “Congrats, ladies,” he said, raising his glass first to Faith and then to Corinne, “for locking down two of the hottest men in the Keys.”
I was mid-sip when he extended the toast to me. “And you, too, if you decide to lock Kai down,” Ted said with a playful glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.
