I turn toward her, wondering what this has to do with Sequim.
“It’s about this couple, Buck and Jennifer, who sailed a rickety old sailboat to Palmyra Island, a deserted atoll smack in the middle of the Pacific, in the seventies. They meet a wealthy American couple on the island, and Buck murders them so that he and Jennifer can steal their sailboat and take it back to Hawaii.”
Gigi and Emma exchange confused glances, apparently wondering the same thing as me.
“In the book,” Beth says, “Bugliosi explains the difference between nautical twilight and civil twilight.Nauticaltwilight is an hour before sunrise when the fifty-three stars used for navigation at sea are no longervisible.Civiltwilight is a half hour before sunrise, when you no longer need artificial lights, like headlights, when outdoors.”
Clearly bored, Emma looks down and picks a piece of fuzz off her shawl.
“Anddawn,” Beth continues, “actually describes a time somewhere in between these two.”
Gigi scrunches her nose as much as her Botox allows. “And you’re telling us this because ...?”
Beth shrugs. “I just thought it was interesting.”
Gigi flicks Emma a look of annoyance, taking me back to the start of our hike twenty years ago, when Beth rattled off facts about cougars: how they hunt, stalk, and kill. Freaking us all out until Courtney ordered Beth to shut up.
Gigi extends her wineglass toward Emma. “Emma was just telling me about her new boyfriend.Andher housewares line that she’s launching next month.”
Gigi shifts to face Emma. “What’s it called again?”
“Poppy.”
“Congratulations,” Beth says.
“Yes, that’s incredible,” I add.
“Thank you,” Emma beams, tucking a short blond curl behind her ear. “It’s going to be a lot of bright colors, very eclectic. I’m really excited about it. I’m technically not supposed to say anything yet, but I’m very close to signing an exclusive distribution contract with Target.”
“Wow,” Beth says.
“That’s wonderful.” Gigi clinks her plastic wineglass against Emma’s.
“Yes,” I add. “Congratulations.”
“But enough about me.” Emma lifts her glass toward Beth. “Did I read that you’re the first female university president in the history of Elliott Bay University?”
Beth clears her throat. “Yep. And the youngest. By over twelve years.” She grins. “But who’s counting?”
I laugh along with the others.
“But, seriously,” Beth adds. “I’m really grateful for the appointment. You guys know it’s always been my dream to become a university president, but I didn’t know if it would ever actually happen—especially not this soon. Some days I still have to pinch myself. I’ve even already been approached about a Senate run in the next election.”
We all know Beth is politically connected, which helped her get the appointment in the first place. But I’m surprised that she’s sharing this news of her potential Senate run with the others after she swore me to secrecy about it. Although maybe she feels a need to impress, for which I can’t blame her.
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Emma says.
I smile at Beth, proud of how successful she’s become after the trauma of returning home without Courtney our senior year.They all have,I think, as my gaze drifts to Emma and Gigi.Except for me.
“Yes, it is.” Gigi sits tall. “Well, not to brag, you guys.”
“But. . .” Beth drawls.
I chuckle.
Gigi rolls her eyes. “ButI just got a message from Alex who told me that, as of today, I now havethree millionfollowers on Instagram.” She runs a hand through her long blond waves that still manage to look perfect despite the wind. “He said he has a surprise for me when I get home to celebrate. He’ssosweet.”
At the mention of Gigi’s husband, Emma looks down for a moment, and I recall Emma’s divorce, right after my twins were born, following her short-lived marriage to her college boyfriend. I’ve always wondered if it was the result of Emma’s temper. Thinking of my own failed marriage, I’m struck with a pang of guilt for judging her. What will people say about me when they learn of Matt’s leaving?
