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“It’s hard to see him go,” Katrina said, pointing at the boat disappearing from sight.
“You’ll see him soon enough.”
After they ate lunch, Maggie and Katrina hiked to the rescue to see Annie. Kelly was there, a little forlorn after her discovery about her father’s antics, but eager to forget about it and happy to see the friends reunited.
“Did you three grow up together?” she asked.
“We were in the same neighborhood, went to school together through high school.”
Annie made a fresh pot of coffee, and they went into the living room to sit with the rescue dogs and reminisce.
“Now that you’re here, Annie, I want to move here, too.”
“Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard. It’s sort of slow moving for a single gal though.”
“The singles scene isn’t hopping, that’s for sure,” Kelly said, agreeing.
“She already has a date tonight,” Maggie said, winking.
The women looked at her in concernment. “You do? Who’s single around here?”
“He’s not exactly single yet, but on the trajectory,” Maggie said. “He’s a fisherman. Alphé Beaumont?”
Kelly almost choked on her coffee. “He’s definitely married, but for how long is another story.”
“Oh my God. She knows something,” Annie said, sitting up. “Tell a girl. You can save her from getting her heart broken.”
“It’s not about that,” Kelly said, shaking her head.
“What do you know?” Maggie asked. “You’ve got to tell us now.”
“I should keep my mouth shut. Yep, me and my big mouth,” Kelly said, grimacing.
“No, you shouldn’t. It’s girl code. Tell what you know,” Annie persisted. “You could be saving a girl from making a horrible mistake.”
“I’m doin’ a lot of saving, it seems. Okay, but you didn’t hear it from me. My father is having an affair with Alphé Beaumont’s wife. I just found out today.”
“Your father, Alfonso Casson?” Annie stammered.
“Ah, yeah, the last time I looked at my birth certificate.”
Annie looked at her, shocked. “Wait, the same guy who judged me for ‘getting pregnant out of wedlock’ is being unfaithful to his wife?”
“Yep. Sorry about that, sweetie. Steve had a fight with our father about his holier-than-thou response. We suspected something was amiss when I noticed my father had cleaned up his appearance, and just today, I followed him right to Lola Beaumont’s front door.”
“How’d she look?” the women chorused, and then looked at each other, embarrassed.
“She’s a knockout. You know those naughty cartoons, Little Annie Fanny?”
“Ugh. I don’t know them, but I can just imagine,” Maggie said, grimacing when Katrina poked her in the ribs.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Kelly,” Annie said. “That must have been awful. I thought you seemed a little quiet today.”
“You know, my folks have their share of issues like every marriage, but to see my father humiliate himself like this, it’s so obvious.”
“In what way?” Maggie asked. “I mean, I think I know.”
“The older, desperate guy whose wife is a drunk, hooking up with the mistress half his age.”
