AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And her first name is Mary,” she said, smiling. “We wanted to name her after you. My mother stopped speaking to me when I got divorced and moved to McCall, and you’ve been my rock ever since, especially after I got pregnant with her.”
“Mary Elizabeth Murphy,” Mary whispered the words as her namesake continued to clutch her finger with her tiny fist. A tear rolled down her cheek and disappeared as it hit the blanket. “I don’t think I’ve been so honored in all my life.”
“I don’t know if this is a good time,” Murphy offered sheepishly to the circle of heads leaning over the baby. “But would it be okay if me and Sam walked over to the Other Place and had a beer? I’ve been dying for one since about midnight when my wife was having a baby on our bed.”
“Oh, thank God,” Sam said, winking at Sara as Jennifer and Sara laughed and told them to get lost, then settled themselves comfortably into the couch.
“So how are you feeling?” Sara helped Jennifer shrug off her jacket and draped it over the back of the couch. “I can’t believe you’re just hanging out at the diner after you just had a baby.”
“I’m really sore, but the doctor said there was no tearing or need for stitches, so I’m honestly okay.” The baby stirred, and Mary held her a little closer, still not willing to take her eyes off her. “I think she’s more tired than I am. I really didn’t get the chance to do much pushing at all.”
Sara searched her face. She was holding something back; Sara had always been able to read her like a book. “So what are you worried about? I can tell there’s something.”
Jennifer laughed as the server brought their food, and Jennifer ordered two of the specials: roast beef and cheddar sandwiches. “I know you think I’m being nice and taking one of those to Brian, but I certainly am not.” She smiled at her little one still asleep in Mary’s arms and sank back into the couch with a sigh. “I’ve been ravenous since the moment she was born.”
“I think I remember you telling me you wanted to breastfeed, right?” Mary finally looked from the baby to Jennifer. “That’ll be why. I went through enough food to feed myself and my husband with all four of my girls.”
Jennifer nodded with a look of relief. “Mary, didn’t you say your daughter Catherine is a midwife?”
“She’s actually the most in demand midwife in Seattle. She even has a waiting list, which I still can’t wrap my head around, and also works as a lactation specialist.”
“I guess that’s the only thing I’m having trouble with,” Jennifer said, smoothing the blanket over baby Mary Elizabeth’s tummy with gentle fingers. “I don’t think she’s latching well, and I’m worried she’s not getting enough milk.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that for even a second,” Mary said, pulling out her cell phone. “I’ll text Catherine and get her to do a video call with you this evening. She’ll be able to tell you right away if everything looks the way it should and give you advice on whatever else you’re wondering about.”
“Thank you so much, Mary. That makes me feel better already.” Jenn reached for Mary’s hand and squeezed it. “Which brings me to my next question.” The server brought both her sandwiches, and Jennifer picked one up before the plate even hit the table, drizzling it with horseradish sauce and taking a huge bite before she continued. “Ordinarily, I’d ask my sister to do something like this, but she has Moxie at home right now and—”
“And I wouldn’t be much help anyway since I haven’t actually had a baby.” Sara laughed, reaching out to touch baby Mary’s downy blond hair. “It would just be the two of us calling Mary every five minutes.”
Jennifer laughed and leaned into Sara as she looked over to Mary. “Do you think you might be able to come help me for the first few days? I’ve had the guest room made up for weeks, and I promise not to take up too much of your time. I just already feel overwhelmed and it hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet.”
“Well, it’s nice of you to invite me,” Mary sniffed, “But I was coming anyway.” Mary smiled at her namesake, who had just opened her beautiful dark blue eyes, blinking up at Mary for just a moment before they fluttered shut again. “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
Chapter Eleven
Lily stepped onto the patio of the Other Place to find Alex sitting at one of the tables with two whiskeys already waiting on leather coasters and a brown suede duffel bag at her feet.
“Well, that’s a relief.” Lily sank into the chair across from Alex and held her whiskey up to the fading evening sun, letting the light shift through it like molten amber. “I was worried when you said to pack for the weekend that it was just a ruse to get me the hell out of your cabin.”
Alex laughed and picked her hand to kiss, squeezing it before she let it go. The late June heat was dry and intense but lightened by the first of the evening breezes shifting through the trees, loosening a scatter of pine needles to float through the air and down to the patio. Alex’s black T-shirt and faded Levi’s made her look like she’d just walked out of a 1950s ad for Cuban tourism. The sleeves clung to the definition in her arms, and the swirling smoke gray tats underscored the mysterious vibe Lily had yet to be able to wrap words around.
“Well.” Alex lifted her glass and took a leisurely sip. “As much as I loved coming home with you to find random women in our cabin, I thought it was about time to take you on a real date.”
“Ah! My little plan worked.” Lily laughed, picking up her glass. “So where are we going?”
She didn’t wait for an answer before she closed her eyes, taking the first sip of the intensely peated scotch Alex had chosen. The smoke of it rose through the roof of her mouth as if it weren’t there and filled her nose, softening quickly to ash and smoothing the edges of the caramel bite of the scotch itself. She drew in the last of the vapors with the cooling mountain air and opened her eyes to find Alex watching. She was biting her lip.
“This was a dangerous choice.” Lily raised her glass and clinked it to Alex’s, then sat back in her chair. “You’re lucky I love Lagavulin Islay.”
“Jesus.” Alex shook her head, then raked her hand through the dark layers of her hair. “I chose that because I thought it was the one remote scotch you wouldn’t be able to identify. How do you do it?”
“Well, the official answer is that I’m not telling.” Lily laughed when Alex rolled her eyes. “But the real answer is they use peat to dry the malted barley for the whiskey. Every peat bog has slightly different organic components, but each distillery also throws a few secret herbs into the fires. Not that they’d tell anyone this, especially an American.”
“So how do you know?”
“When I spent a month in Scotland last summer, I visited Islay and the Isle of Skye, and everyone loves to tell a writer their secrets.”
“Ah…the Queen of Scotch and Secrets.” Alex’s eyes sparkled over the edge of her glass as she drew in the scent. “Obviously, I concede defeat.”
