There were a couple of older guys at the bar, watching baseball on the ancient TV. They spared me just a passing glance as I stepped inside. I didn’t see anyone else at first; I assumed that Jude, if she was here, must be back in the kitchen. Or maybe her son was in charge today, and Jude was at home with her handsome husband, relaxing.
But then I saw her across the restaurant, sitting at a table with another woman. They had their heads together, obviously deep in conversation.
I almost turned to leave, unwilling to interrupt them. But then one of the men at the bar called out.
“Jude, you got a customer.”
My cousin looked up, her eyes meeting mine. For a long moment, she didn’t move, and then, with an easy smile, she rose to her feet.
“This is no customer, boys. This is my cousin, Peyton.” She began walking toward me. “Ron, you remember Peyton. You used to fish with her dad back in the day.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ron wagged his head. “Didn’t she run off, though?”
Jude rolled her eyes. “Peyton, come over and sit down. I want you to meet a friend of mine.”
Since I didn’t seem to have a choice, I followed my cousin to the table, where she dragged over a chair for me. Her friend was younger than me, I guessed, but not by much. She smiled, shifting in her seat, and I saw to my surprise an unmistakable baby bump.
“Peyton, this is Naomi Portman. Naomi, Peyton is my very favorite cousin. She lives in Savannah, but she’s been visiting this weekend for her high school reunion.”
“Oh.” Naomi grinned. “Class of Eighty-Nine, huh? Y’all kind of invaded the Cove. I couldn’t walk down the street without seeing a bunch of your classmates.”
“Yeah.” I wrinkled my nose. “Sorry about that.”
“Oh, don’t be. “She waved her hand. “It’s good for business. Or so I hear.”
“Well, I guess there’s that.” I paused, not sure where to take the conversation, which was probably why I blurted out, “So when are you due?”
Naomi patted her middle to my relief. If she’d said she wasn’t actually pregnant, I would have been mortified.
“End of the year, or early January. The doctor swears the dates say it’ll be around January tenth, but I’d be surprised if I held out past Christmas.”
“Ah.” I sat down, resting my purse on my lap. “Is it your first?”
“Lord, no.” Naomi shook her head. “I have two kids in college. Which is actually why I’m pregnant now.”
My face must’ve reflected my confusion, because Naomi laughed. “Sorry. The baby isn’t mine. I’m a surrogate.”
“Ohhhhh.” I nodded. “I’ve heard of that, but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who did it. That’s very cool, that you’re helping out a couple who can’t otherwise have kids.”
“It’s not a good fit for everyone, but I like it. I’m good at being pregnant, and my births are quick and easy.”
“Naomi’s carrying Alex and Cal’s baby,” Jude put in. “Do you remember me telling you about them, Peyton? The couple who run our bed and breakfast?”
“Sure.” I recalled them vaguely. “How lovely.”
“Yeah, I was a surrogate for their little girl,” Naomi sighed. “Such a sweetheart! So when they decided to go for number two, I came out of retirement for this one time only. Once this one lands earth side, I’m officially out of the baby business.”
“I hope everything goes well.” I really didn’t know what else to say, so I turned to my cousin. “Jude, I’m sorry to interrupt. I really just stopped to say goodbye on my way out of town.”
“Don’t be silly. Naomi and I . . .” Jude slid her a glance. “I think we’re done for now. Right?” She skewered the other woman with her sharp gaze.
“Yeah, I think we, um, solved my issue.” With a soft groan, Naomi stood up. “It was nice meeting you, Peyton. And Jude, I’ll see you around. Thanks for the advice.”
“Anytime.” Jude stayed silent until Naomi had left the Tide, and then she shook her head. “Man trouble. There’s a guy, and he is so in love with her, but she’s being so stubborn. So I had to talk a little bit of sense into her. Hope it took.”
“Seems like a lot of that going around,” I observed. “The need for talking sense into people, I mean.” I hesitated and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jude, for the way I acted on Thursday when I first came into town. I was shook up and nervous and so scared to be back.”
“I know.” Jude smiled. “I didn’t take offense, Peyton. You were skittish. I knew once you realized that no one was going to stare and point at you, you’d settle down and have a good time.”
