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“Note, not the prince. He’s the king.”
“Can you take her?” Maggie asked. “I want to hold him.”
Dave and Maggie switched babies. She kissed him, holding him close to her body. “It’s perfect, you know. I had a girl, and you had a boy.”
“Where’s my brother. I have to say something to him about the pumpkin parade.”
“He got a truckload of those things from Spencer’s,” Maggie said.
“Let’s go sit on the dock,” Katrina said. “In honor of your mother.”
“Ha! Right. We haven’t had an alligator come up as far as I know since I’ve lived here.”
“Is anyone else coming?” Katrina asked as they sat down.
“Annie said Steve was being a raging asshole, and she didn’t feel like pretending all was well, so she declined. Calista said she hadn’t had any sleep in a week and felt like a zombie, so maybe next year, but she laughed.”
“I thought Austin was supposed to be such a great dad,” Katrina said, flaring her nostrils.
“She didn’t say a word about him. I got the feeling that he’s okay with them as long as they are sleeping, but the minute they cry, they’re hers.”
“Here, I’ll trade ya babies again,” Katrina said. “I need to nurse him.”
They switched kids, laughing. “I never in a million years thought this would happen.”
“In a billion.”
“But what are we going to do as an encore? You have your new job. My big thrill is trying to figure out how to take the baby in the boat.”
“Aw, just get her a floatation device,” Katrina said. “What are we going to do about Annie?”
“I’m introducing her to Harvey.”
“How old is he?” Katrina asked.
“Twenty-eight.”
“Perfect! Why did I think he was younger?”
“Vet school is five years. I’m inviting her to coffee and going to take her to the clinic, or try to get him to come into town. I’ll figure something out.”
“I’m so sorry Steve turned into such a jerk. Annie thinks he’s probably got another girlfriend, only this time she doesn’t care. She’s too involved in school. And by the way, that was a really nice thing you did to help her out.”
“It’s no big deal. She got grants she doesn’t have to pay back, and the rest I helped her with. I didn’t want her to be burdened with a lot of debt when she graduates.”
“It is a big deal. You’re so nice.”
“So that leaves the four of us this afternoon,” Maggie said, changing the subject.
“You mean the six of us.”
“Ha! You’re right! I forgot about the guys. I’m so happy no one else is coming.”
“Me too.” Reaching over, she took Maggie’s hand. “Let’s just take one day at a time, okay?”
“I can do that. I’ve been doing that,” Maggie said, whisking a tear away.
They stayed that way for a while, looking out over the bay, until Maggie heard Justin calling.
