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“I don’t know,” he said. And with that, he hung up on her.
Tears fell off the end of her nose, the realization that he’d wanted her to get an abortion but didn’t have the courage to say it at the time hit her. It made her so sad. She didn’t know what to do, feeling helpless. She picked up the phone and dialed Katrina’s number. Right then, knowing how happy Maggie was with Justin, her pride made it so hard to confess her relationship failures to Maggie. It was bad enough that she’d seen Steve’s behavior with her own eyes.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?”
“Are you free to drive me around after work?”
“Today? Sure. I’m headed back to Cypress Cove in about an hour. Will that help?”
“Yes. I’m calling Gus in a bit to come to get me, so I’ll meet you at the dock in an hour.”
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Katrina asked gently.
“I want to spy on my husband. I think he’s cheatin’ on me.”
“Oh, Annie, I’m so sorry. Yes, we’ll have plenty of time. I have a date with Alphé but not until later. He fishes until sundown, and then he sees his kids and his mother. Ha! I’m last.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not yet,” she said. “Right now, all I see is lots of freedom. My biggest concern about a real relationship was the threat of being suffocated.”
“Okay, well, thank you, Kat. I’ll see you soon.”
After they hung up, Annie called Gus to come to the dock at Bayou Cottage as soon as he was free. Sitting at the kitchen table working, Maggie saw her headed to the dock but didn’t run out to talk to her. There was too much going on, and getting involved with Annie and Steve felt like pushing things a little too much. With Justin getting an apartment, she had enough on her plate. Part of her wanted to reverse her advice that he move out of his father’s place, especially now that Katrina had found a love interest so quickly. Who knew?
The sound of Gus’s boat with its misfiring valve got louder, getting Brulee’s attention.
“What’s that, girl?”
In the middle of so much turmoil, the familiar sounds of the cove brought Maggie comfort and a reminder that, for once, none of the problems were hers.
Chapter 6
On Tuesday morning, Calista Beaumont left Saint Joseph Padua after listening to mass for Epiphany. Walking out into the cool, humid air, she removed the lace mantilla from her head and folded it neatly before sliding it back into her purse until next time. Weekday special masses were always in Latin, and she followed every word, their rich meanings normally feeding her soul.
But today, the peace and fulfillment she usually got from the liturgy had eluded her, and she knew why; Mae Beaumont had told her over a phone call last night that her brother-in-law, Alphé, was moving out of the house he’d shared with his ex-wife and children. According to his mother, after being aware of Lola’s infidelity for a long time, he would live in the cabin of the fishing boat he’d inherited from his father.
The boat was an irritant that she’d wrestled with since Rod died. If her husband hadn’t been killed on that boat, when her father-in-law died, it would have belonged to both sons, Alphé and Rodney. But because Rod had died first, the boat went to Alphé alone. She got death benefits for Social Security for her two children, but that was it.
Because they were her in-laws, she was advised not to sue their insurance company because of the animosity it would initiate. After old man Beaumont’s death, Alphé continued to support his mother, but never offered any of the profits he made from fishing to Rodney’s survivors. Although he was generous in other ways, it wasn’t enough, and the discontent brewed.
Now, there was something else amiss. She could feel it in the air, like a bad smell that no one else noticed. Mae had to know what it was, but refused to share her suspicions with Calista when she’d questioned her over Christmas.
“I can tell there’s something wrong,” Calista persisted. “Lola refused to allow her kids to spend any time with mine during winter break. When I asked Alphé about it, he said he had enough of his own trouble with her and to just let it go. Then on Christmas, she acted like I had no business being at Christmas dinner.”
“What did she say to you?” Mae asked.
“She asked me if my family was celebrating Christmas, why wasn’t I with them!”
“You took it wrong,” Mae said, in denial.
“I didn’t. What’s going on? I know you know!”
“The time isn’t right,” she finally said, Calista’s constant badgering breaking her down. “I’ll let you know when I can. When the time is right, all will be revealed.”
A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach told Calistaitwas something to do with Rod, something that should have been buried with him, but for some reason, was going to be resurrected soon.
“Why isn’t the time right?” Calista persisted, but gently, because Mae was a soothsayer, and Calista was afraid of her, of her power and what she was capable of.
