Aidan jogged downstairs fresh from the shower and fixed a drink for himself and Rowan, while Bea finished up in the kitchen. Then the doorbell rang again.
Bea and Penny exchanged a nervous glance. It was going to be okay. Surely?
Aidan went to the door and brought Buck back with him. The older man had combed his grey hair neatly and wore a buttoned shirt with a pair of slacks. He glanced around the room, taking in everyone’s faces.
“Hi,” he said. “Thanks for having me. Don’t worry, I promise not to kill anyone.”
The tension broke and they all laughed together, even Rowan, which Bea was glad to see. Rowan had seemed so tense over the whole idea of Buck’s visit.
“Come on in and take a seat, Buck. Can I get you something to drink?” Bea asked.
He requested a beer and sat beside Penny. They immediately dove into small talk, while Bea opened the beer and carried it over to Buck, who thanked her. She didn’t want to pry, but she was curious to know what they were talking about.
“… won’t be working at the refuge for a while, with this little one coming.”
He glanced at her stomach as though seeing it for the first time. “I hadn’t heard you were expecting.”
“Any day now.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t get to raise any of my own children.” His face reddened. “As you know. You were my only biological child. Although I got to help raise Rowan, so that was … well, one of my proudest achievements, even if I didn’t do much.”
The entire room fell silent. Rowan stared at his own feet. Penny cleared her throat. Bea wrung her hands together. “I’ll bring the appetiser plates in. I hope you’re all hungry.”
She hurried back to the kitchen, and Aidan followed her.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, shooing him away.
“I’m helping you with the food,” he replied, perplexed.
“Didn’t you hear what’s going on in there? It’s a train wreck waiting to happen. They need you out there to interject if anything goes wrong. Our only job is to make sure no one yells at anyone else. If we can get through the night without that happening, I’ll be ecstatic.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to stop people from yelling. I’ve never managed to stop you.” He huffed.
She laughed and shook her head. “Off you go.”
“Not fair you get to hide in the kitchen,” he said as he wandered back to the living room.
Bea soon returned with two platters. They were heavy, and she wished she’d let Aidan help her, but she made it there without dropping them. By the time she sat down, the entire group was engaged in pleasant conversation and her anxiety eased.
They made it through the appetisers, then Bea and Aidan served the main course. The enchiladas were delicious; Bea had an old recipe she’d used for decades. It was one of her faithful favourites. Wherever she served it, people loved it.
There were more margaritas to go around, and the conversation had become easier. At that moment, Penny gasped. She set her glass down on the table, and slid her chair back, then stared at the floor.
“What is it?” Bea asked, jumping to her feet. “A spider? I’ll get the broom.”
“No, not a spider. My water broke.” Penny’s face went pale.
Bea grinned. “Well, how about that? Here comes the baby.”
The first time they called the maternity ward at the local hospital, they were told to wait until contractions were five minutes apart before heading in. So, Bea helped to clean up the water and found Penny a change of clothes. Then they all retired to the living room to eat dessert on their laps and play a game of Monopoly.
Penny said it would help get her mind off the occasional contraction and the impending birth. They had a great time. It turned out that Buck was quite the businessman when it came to fake money and pretend properties and soon became a real estate tycoon collecting exorbitant rent from the rest of them.
Penny couldn’t concentrate so continued to forget to roll the dice, or which character was hers, and where she was supposed to be. Rowan jumped in to help her and massaged her lower back when she needed it.
