Although the gym did kind of smell like a day-old seafood platter. Probably the kelp. Hopefully the kelp.
“From what I know, everything is spot-on.” Wide-eyed and grinning, Athena lookedenthralled. “This whole freaking display is stupendous. I can’t even imagine how much time the committee spent getting everything just right. Not to mention money.”
Lise lifted a shoulder. “Victor won the lottery a few years back. Drives the same beat-up Honda. Lives in the same small house. I guess he needed to spend his cash on something?”
“And he chose lifelike nightmares of the deep.” Molly thought about that for a moment. “Huh.”
“Have you seen the cakes yet?” Karl asked Lise, his curiosity piqued to hell and back. “Got no idea what they look like, since I don’t do sculpted illusion shit. Told Janel she’d have to go somewhere else for that.”
Stationed next to those cakes—assuming Janel had found a baker to tackle them—and hidden behind crowds of former classmates, Charlotte, Bez, and Johnathan should have already set up the first round of refreshments. He’d check on ’em soon enough. No hurry.
During the last few days of working side by side, including at the picnic, they’d more than demonstrated their fundamental good sense and trustworthiness. Plus, they knew his cell number. Understood they could call if they needed him. Had urged him to forget about work and enjoy himself with Molly.
Normally, he’d help them anyway. But since Molly was maybe—possibly—leaving in two days? His catering team was on its own tonight, unless everything went to shit.
“There are two cakes on offer.” Lise held up a finger. “One huge barracuda. Its razor-sharp teeth are apparently very convincing sugar work and have already required the procurement of a box of bandages.” A second finger. “And one enormous eel. Complete with a mucus layer comprised of lime-flavored gelatinous slime. At least one alum has thrown up in a trash can after seeing the eel.” She paused, and the faint sound of gagging drifted from the far corner of the gym. “Make that two alums.”
Molly winced, while Athena gave a long, low whistle and Karl contemplated the possible flavors of the actual cake. If he’d baked it? White chocolate, maybe. Real cherry filling. Lime zest-vanilla frosting. Lime mucus on top, possibly made with either gelatin or sweetened, condensed milk, cornstarch, and food coloring.
Might have to make that next week’s cake special. Minus the goo.
“I can’t look away,” Matthew whispered, eye-to-terrified-eye with the nearest toothy demon-fish. “Athena, save me.”
Fuck. Karl had forgotten his best friend’s utter lack of chill when it came to scary shit. Before he could do anything to help, though, Athena sprang into action.
“Did someone say my—oh!” Startled out of her dazed wonderment, she whirled to face her husband. “Babe, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Are you okay?”
He opened his mouth. Closed it again. Offered her a weak smile.
“We’ll go.” With a gentle hand on his arm, she began steering him toward the door. “Say good night to everyone, Dr. Vine, because we’re leaving. I’ll send the limo back once we’re home.”
He gave their group a shaky wave but lodged a faint protest as he and Athena stepped out into the hall. “Sweetheart, we can stay. I know you wanted—”
“I know what I want right this second.” Her rapid strides didn’t falter, and her voice grew fainter as they moved farther away. “Namely, for my husband not to avoid every body of water larger than a toilet from now on. So we’re done here.”
“Well.” Lise watched the couple depart. “I’d ask if it was something I said, but there’s just no out-traumatizing unexpectedly bloodthirsty marine life.”
“They’re truly the GOATs when it comes to inflicting emotional damage.” Molly’s voice remained dead solemn. “Even though they’re not mammals.”
Lise giggled merrily, and Molly cracked a smile too before turning to Karl. “Remind me to text Athena later tonight to check on Matthew, okay?”
“Got it.” Fishing his phone from an interior jacket pocket, he set his timer and sent his own quick message to Matthew:Should’ve noticed your suffering sooner. Sorry, man.
Matthew wrote back immediately.No worries. Have fun tonight. :-)A brief pause.Athena says to—and I quote—“Pull up your big boy underpants and use your words, Special K.”Karl was halfway through typing his response when Matthew texted again:P.S. Please know that I will *not* tell my wife to go fuck herself, so don’t bother writing it.
Karl deleted his message-in-progress, grumbling all the while, and put away his phone. When he glanced up again, Lise was eyeing him.
“Why don’t you go admire the cakes and check in with your staff while Molly and I visit Janel?” Reading his mutinous expression correctly, she held up a hand. “I know you don’t want Molly too far away, but I was told to bring her by for a chat or suffer the consequences.”
“I did promise to talk with her tonight.” Molly patted his arm, looking faintly apologetic. “I’ll meet you by the cakes. I promise not to be long. Okay?”
“Fine,” he grumbled.
He hated crowds. Hated casual chitchat with near strangers even more. But Lise was right—he should go check on his crew and see if they needed help.
Lise’s neck twisted as she scanned the room. “Also, I see Sylvia near the DJ, taking photos for next week’s paper. In case you want to avoid her.”
Occasional pictures didn’t faze him. Getting grilled again about his nonexistent ties to organized crime and whether Sweeney Todd and Hannibal Lecter would’ve given Karl’s baked goods two severed-and-ground-into-burger-meat-thumbs up?Thatshit got annoying.
