Of course.I was finally starting to get it.I grabbed one of the kits and started heading for the checkout. On the way, I grabbed some chewing gum and a lip balm.
“Teri.” I leaned away from the counter to catch her eye as the cashier rang me up. “We have to go.”
“Coming,” she said.
I turned to pay the cashier and knocked my purchases over. The pregnancy test went flying across the floor. It stopped at someone’s foot, by the entrance of the store.
“Sorry,” I said, as I bent to retrieve it. “It just—” I came to an abrupt halt when I saw who it was.
Joseph Uncle. And behind him Rachel Auntie. And Fia. And George. And Kassia.
All staring at me and the pregnancy test in my hand.
“What’s the holdup?” Dolly stuck her head out behind the group. “Moti? Oh good, we were just about to head back to…”
Her face warped in a five-step, slow motion reaction. First, she blinked. Then her eyes rounded, eyebrows stretching up, up, to the heavens. Her mouth fell open slowly, as if catching up to the information her eyeballs were sending. Then, her chest swelled. This was the point that determined it all. She was either going to turn into a fire-breathing dragon or flip over like a fainting goat.
“Is that what I think it is?” Her eyes narrowed.
Shit. It’s going to be Day of the Dragon.
It didn’t help that the box in my hand had the universal pregnancy test logo emblazoned on the front—a bold blue plus and minus sign. Denying what it was, was useless. Explaining it would mean ratting Isabelle out. Confirming it would unleash a Greek tragedy of epic proportions on the stone-paved streets of Naousa. So, I stood, not blinking or breathing, like I’d been turned to stone.
“What does it matter?” Fia stepped between the Dragon-Formerly-Known-As-Dolly and me. “That’s Moti’s business, not yours.”
Dolly’s fiery gaze landed full blast on Fia. Instead of backing down, Fia got up in her face. I’m pretty sure they would have chest-butted, if Dolly’s bosom wasn’t so soft and cushiony.
“This is between my daughter and me.” Dolly’s voice burned with dangerous intensity. “Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“Itismy business. You know why? Because you never had the guts to live life on your own terms, so don’t go pushing your failures and resentments on your daughter. The least you can do is stand aside and let her do her own thing.”
There was a collective gasp from the rest of the group and Dolly’s mouth fell open. Fia had just verbally bitch-slapped my mother. The hair on the back of my neck stood. This was not good. Not good at all. I had to find a way to avert the oncoming disaster.
Think, Moti. Think.
“Ah, you found it.” Teri came up from behind and snatched the pregnancy test from my hand. “Thank you. My husbandloveskids. He can’t wait for us to have a little one. Wish me luck!” She flashed her teeth at everyone, breaking up the battle.
The fact I wasn’t having a baby (or sex, for that matter) should’ve appeased Dolly, but the tension remained high between her and Fia on the way back to the yacht. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, only a lot of muttering. The rest of us sat on the other side of the tender, excluded from their bubble of mutual spite.
As we came up to the Abigail Rose II, I caught sight of Alex on the swim platform. He was buying seafood from a fisherman who had brought his boat up to the yacht. My heart stumbled as his gaze settled on me. I expected judgment and disdain after he caught me stealing, but his eyes warmed as we approached. What was this feeling that curled up tight in my stomach? It wasn’t just attraction, making me squeeze my knuckles around my bag. It was something else—the kind of thing that grabs your attention and says,Wait. There’s something here…
The fisherman took off, grinning at us, his vessel many pounds lighter, judging by all the catch he’d managed to offload.
Alex moved the buckets out of the way and helped us off, one by one, until the only people left on the tender were Dolly, Fia, and Eddie—the deckhand who drove us back to the yacht.
I was following Teri into the salon when I heard a loud splash. Swinging around, I caught sight of Dolly flailing in the water, her blouse swelling around her like a purple puffer fish.
“Oh, my God.” I bolted toward the railing.
Dolly knew how to swim, and she was only a few feet from the swim platform, but she was sputtering and struggling. Fia held her hand out, but Dolly refused to take it. My heart sank as she went under. She came up for air with a great, big gulp, dismissed Fia’s help, and went down again. Eddie dove in and dragged her, face up, to the platform. I leaned over and helped her in. She crawled into the yacht on all fours, her clothes plastered to her body, bosom heaving like she just ran a marathon.
“Are you okay?” I asked, pushing the hair away from her face. Everyone gathered around, waiting for her response. “Ma?”
She turned to her side slowly, her head resting on my lap, and pointed at Fia. “She pushed me.”
“What?” Fia’s brows knitted together. “I did no such thing.”
“Liar.” Dolly coughed and wheezed. “You shoved me so hard, I toppled off.”
