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“So, it must come from the Fairfield side of the family,” Tom remarked, speaking for the first time after our initial hugs of greeting in the lobby of the restaurant. In a way, I was kind of surprised by his comment, simply because both he and my mother were very no-nonsense types, and my decidedly woo-woo outlook on life had always been a little uncomfortable for them despite the way they did their best to take it in stride.
But I supposed my track record of solving murders using less than conventional methods had proved to them that there was a whole lot more to all this psychic stuff than they could have ever imagined.
“That’s what I’ve been thinking,” Chloe said. “I guess I have a great-great-something grandmother on my father’s side who was supposed to be psychic.”
“Not that these things have to be hereditary,” I commented as I reached for my glass of water. By that point, I’d mostly gotten used to eating a steak without a glass of red wine to accompany it, but all the same, I really couldn’t wait until that blessed day six months or so from now when I could start drinking wine again. Swollen ankles and back pain were an unavoidable part of being pregnant, but I knew there was no way I was going to become a lifelong teetotaler. “I had lots of psychic friends in L.A. who didn’t have anyone in their families who had any kind of extrasensory gifts. But still, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both Chloe and I have some special talents in common.”
My mother smiled then and reached for the glass of wine at her place setting. She and Tom had offered to share their bottle of cabernet with Chloe, an offer she’d gladly accepted. I had to remind myself that she was of drinking age, even though she looked so young…and it wasn’t as if any of them had sworn off alcohol to keep me company the way Calvin had.
“Anyway,” she said after taking a sip of wine, “I feel like being here with Selena will help teach me lots of things.”
Calvin lifted an eyebrow, and I said, “Well, I don’t profess to be an expert, but I’ll do what I can.”
“I don’t think Selena is going to have a lot of free time over the next few months,” my mother put in. She leavened the comment with a smile, but I could tell she wanted Chloe to get the message that the baby I was carrying had to take precedence over a half-sister who’d appeared basically out of nowhere just before I was about to become a full-time mom.
Apparently realizing her misstep, Chloe said quickly, “Oh, I get it. Babies take a lot of time and energy. But I think just being around her shop and seeing how she set things up will be very educational.”
Those words appeared to mollify my mother, especially since she was just as glad as the rest of us that my sister seemed willing to shoulder the entire burden of running the store so I’d be able to focus on this next, all-important stage in my life.
“I hope so,” I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible, and the conversation moved on to other subjects, including the brunch my mother would be hosting at her house that coming Saturday. I’d told everyone that I didn’t want a baby shower, not when I was fully capable of buying everything I needed on my own and didn’t want to put a financial burden on anyone, but my mother had insisted on having a brunch “for the girls” — that is, Josie and Hazel and Victoria and Joyce, along with Josie’s niece-in-law Terry Woodrow and Sofia Barnes. At first, Sofia had wanted to demur, since Saturdays were often the busiest days at her new brewpub, but she’d decided that she could squeeze in brunch after all, as things didn’t really start to ramp up until after one or so in the afternoon.
“And of course you’re invited, Chloe,” my mother said. “You can just open the shop a little late on Saturday. Since everyone was expecting it to be closed altogether, I don’t think anyone will mind.”
Chloe’s gaze moved toward me. “Is that all right, Selena?”
“Of course it is,” I said, and scooped up a mouthful of baked potato. “I’ve closed the shop at all sorts of odd hours if I was tracking down a lead, so people are pretty much used to it by now.”
My reply seemed to cheer her up, because she leaned against the back of her chair, looking relieved. “Then I’d love to come.”
With that settled, we chatted some about the plans my mother had for the mansion’s gardens — they were already picture-perfect, but I knew she wanted something to occupy her during the months she would be spending here in Globe — and soon enough, the end of the evening rolled around. As Calvin helped me up from my seat, the baby kicked, hard, and I couldn’t help wincing.
“Everything all right?” my mother asked at once.
I could only smile. “Oh, I’m fine,” I assured her. “This one’s just getting restless.”
“But your doctor is still saying the sixteenth is the due date,” she pressed, and I nodded.
“No change in the big day,” I said. “Or at least, we don’t see any signs that he or she is ready to come into the world earlier than that. But babies have a mind of their own, so let’s just say I don’t have any plans to take off for the Bahamas in the near future.”
Everyone chuckled at my remark, as I’d hoped they would, but my mother still looked a little concerned. I couldn’t really blame her, not when I knew she must be thinking about my own early arrival. Her doctor had predicted I would be born at the end of June, which was part of the reason why she’d wanted to name me Selena, since I would have been a Cancer, or moon child.
But I’d had other ideas and had popped into the world right on the solstice, making me a Gemini. Despite my early appearance, she hadn’t changed my name, and I was glad of that. I really couldn’t imagine being anyone else.
We all walked out to our cars together, shared hugs all around, and got into our various vehicles so we could head home. Chloe had driven herself since her Airbnb wasn’t anywhere close to either Calvin’s and my house or my mother and Tom’s big place at the edge of town, but she drove off confidently enough.
Well, Globe wasn’t so big that it took very long to get acquainted with the town, and besides, she could always have her phone guide her back to the Airbnb if necessary.
Calvin and I were both quiet on the way home, although he held my hand as he drove, clearly wanting to let me know he was there for me. This was also his last week of work, as he’d already arranged to take six weeks off from his position with the tribal police. They really couldn’t spare him for any longer than that, but I told myself it would still be enough, that having him around for that first crucial month — not to mention my mother and all the rest of the Standingbear relations — would make it much easier for me to slide into motherhood.
After we went into the house and paused to give Sadie some reassuring pats and hugs after our absence, he said, “That went well.”
“It did,” I agreed. “Despite my mom saying it would all be okay, I still wasn’t sure how she and Chloe were going to be around each other. But it all seemed pretty relaxed, which is a relief. The last thing I need is the two of them not getting along, especially with my mother planning to be here for the next couple of months.”
Calvin helped me lower myself to the couch and then set a pillow just where I wanted it so I could elevate my feet. They weren’t quite as swollen as they might have been, mostly because I was being careful about my salt intake and also took whatever opportunity I could to raise them to a decent height, but still, I was looking forward to the time when I wouldn’t have to worry about those sorts of things.
“And Chloe being here…however long she plans to stay,” he said.
Something in his voice made me tilt my head at him. “I thought you were okay with all this.”
