The Best of Us

by Sarah Pekkanen

  “And I love it that we’re being so pampered here,” Savannah said. “But it would be fun to just kick back and play quarters like we used to and act like idiots, instead of having everything be so fancy. When Gio burped last night, you should’ve seen the look on her face.”

  “Well, she said she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night at the earliest. The staff is gone, too,” Tina said. “And I used to be really good at quarters.”

  “Is that a challenge, Ms. Antonelli?” Savannah asked.

  “No, this is: I’m going to kick your ass in quarters.”

  Savannah laughed and took another sip of margarita. She was already a little buzzed from the pineapple drink by the pool and all the wine with dinner, but she’d always had a high tolerance. Lately she’d been anesthetizing herself with a couple of drinks at the end of the day, but she was confident it was a temporary routine: If having your husband dump you for a big-assed, jailbait nurse wasn’t enough to justify tossing back a few, then what was?

  “Let’s get the guys,” Savannah said. “Where are they, anyway?”

  “The game room, probably,” Allie said.

  “Someone go get a quarter,” Savannah said as she poured the rest of the margaritas into a pitcher and Tina scurried off to find her purse. “It’s party time, ladies.”

  Downstairs, they found Gio bent over the pinball machine, hitting the flippers with more force than was necessary.

  “Damn it,” he said, smacking the side of the machine with an open hand.

  “You okay, honey?” Tina asked.

  “Crap!” Gio jerked away from the machine. He didn’t answer Tina. “You’re up, D-man.”

  He reached for his beer and swigged while Dwight took his place at the game’s controls. The machine pinged and lit up and shook as the numbers rolled forward: 3,450; 5,200; 8,500 . . .

  Savannah glanced at Gio’s score: 1,250.

  Men, she thought. Gio was getting all pouty, crossing his arms and glaring as Dwight trounced him in a ridiculous game meant for junior high school boys, and Ryan looked half-asleep as he watched a baseball game on the big-screen TV. This wouldn’t do at all.

  She reached over and flicked on the iPod attached to speakers. Dwight had already downloaded the CD she’d made him onto the iPod, and she blasted the first song: Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.”

  “Hey,” Ryan shouted as she reached past him and grabbed the clicker. “Be careful with that man-tool!” She ignored him and turned off the television, then hid the clicker behind a sofa cushion.

  “Dwight, that’s your last ball,” Savannah shouted. “It’s time for quarters!”

  She saw Tina approach Gio, put a hand on his arm, and whisper something in his ear. He pulled away and shook his head.

  Somebody give that big baby a pacifier, Savannah thought. At least Ryan was getting up off the couch and Dwight was clearing the glasses off the bamboo bar.

  “Here are the rules, in case you old fogies forgot,” Savannah said, sharply clapping her hands so everyone would listen. “The quarter has to bounce once before landing in the cup. The cup starts half-full of beer, and we add an inch every time someone misses.”

  “Who’s first?” Tina asked.

  “You’re holding the quarter, so you are, hot mama,” Savannah said.

  Tina missed the cup completely, as did Allie. Dwight tapped the rim on his turn, but the quarter fell back onto the table. By now the cup was almost completely full of foamy beer.

  “Not off to the best start.” Savannah flicked the quarter against the table, and it splashed into the beer. “Allie,” she said.

  “Me!” Allie squealed. “Why are you picking on me?”

  “You just seemed a little tense earlier in the kitchen, like you needed a drink.” Savannah winked.

  “You mean other than the margarita I’m holding?” Allie laughed, but she still picked up the cup and chugged.

  “That’s my girl,” Savannah said. She took aim as Allie refilled the cup, and the quarter plopped in again.

  “Christ,” Ryan said. “I think she’s a ringer.”

  “Sorry, Ry, I didn’t catch that. Did you say you were thirsty?” Savannah asked, handing him the cup.

  Savannah glanced at Gio, who was leaning against the back of the couch, watching the game. He was still smoldering as intently as if he was posing for a Calvin Klein ad. Why had Tina let him get away with dismissing her? Savannah wondered. She wouldn’t have put a meek little hand on his arm. Guys like Gio didn’t respond to that sort of thing. How come Tina didn’t know that, after all those years of being with Gio?

  She took aim at the cup a third time, but she made sure to look up at Gio just before she released the quarter. She heard the gentle plop that told her the coin had landed in liquid, and she reached for the beer, still holding Gio’s gaze.

  “Let’s see . . .” she said. “I think a caveman type might need a drink. I wonder where I can find one?”

  A smile tugged at the corner of Gio’s mouth.

  Savannah danced across the room until she was directly in front of Gio. “You must be parched,” she said, handing him the cup.

  He made her wait a few seconds, then he took the cup and swallowed the beer in one gulp.

  “Now get your ass over here,” Savannah told him. “These amateurs are boring me. You’re the only one of this group who could ever play quarters.”

  Gio shrugged and followed her back to the bar. But instead of walking around it to stand next to Tina, he squeezed in next to Savannah.

  “Hurry up and miss,” he said. “It’s my turn next, and I think you’re about three drinks behind everyone else.”

  “Oh, I’ll catch up.” Savannah laughed.

  “Go ahead, Van,” Tina said. “It’s your turn.”

  This time Savannah missed, but Gio didn’t. Not the next two times, either. And all three times, he made Savannah drink.

  “Remind me again why I made you join us?” Savannah said as she reached for the cup again. She swallowed the beer—she’d never really liked the taste of it, so she always drank as quickly as possible—and felt warmth spread throughout her body. Screw Gary. She was having an amazing week, and she’d managed to make plans with the crewman from the catamaran, whose name she couldn’t remember. He was going away on a chartered trip, but when he got back on Wednesday night, they were going to meet on the beach. She might not even say a single word to him. Maybe she’d just reach for his red bathing suit—she imagined he’d be wearing it, and absolutely nothing else—and slowly tug it down over that brown, muscular stomach . . .

  Ryan made his shot and handed the cup to Tina, who gulped it down, then Dwight got one in and made Allie drink.

  The iPod changed to a new song—“3 AM” by Matchbox Twenty—and Savannah began dancing to the music. Tina came around from the other side of the bar and joined her.

  “Not bad, Ms. Antonelli,” Savannah said. At first they were just swaying back and forth, but Tina began getting into it, shaking her hips and dropping to the floor, then swiveling back up.

  “You took one of those pole-dancing exercise classes, didn’t you?” Savannah asked.

  Tina shook her head. “Video,” she gasped. “I only did it once, though.”

  “Nice!” Savannah said. “I took the class. Want to see the Fireman?”

  Without waiting for an answer, she wrapped her hands around an imaginary pole and mimicked sliding down it. She could feel her dress hiking up as she tossed back her hair. None of the guys were playing quarters anymore.

  “Show me that move!” Tina shouted.

  “It’s all in the hips, baby,” Savannah said. “Watch me.”

  Tina tried to twist around the imaginary pole and promptly fell over. “Oh, God,” she said. “I’m drunk. I haven’t been drunk in forever! I love being drunk!”

  Savannah reached down to help her up. “That’s because you’ve been either pregnant or nursing for the past fifty years.”

  “True,” Tina gasp
ed. “Once I was pregnant and nursing. Can we dance on the beach? Please?”

  “Sure,” Savannah said. “Who’s up for it?”

  “Everyone grab a drink or three,” Gio said, “and let’s go.”

  “Let’s make another round of margaritas first,” Savannah said. “Is there any more mix under the bar? We finished off the one we had in the kitchen.”

  Gio opened a cabinet and peered inside. “Yup.” He tucked two bottles under his arms and handed the third to Savannah. “Let’s hit it, Red. Follow me to the kitchen.”

  “Meet you on the beach!” Allie called.

  Savannah could hear Allie and Tina giggling as they stumbled past the kitchen to the outdoor stairs leading down to the water, with Dwight and Ryan right behind them. “God, I hope the girls don’t fall,” Savannah said. “It’s a long way down.”

  “They probably wouldn’t even feel it,” Gio said. He pulled the ice maker’s bucket out of the freezer and dumped the cubes into the blender while Savannah added the tequila mix.

  “I’m sure Pauline has a doctor on standby anyway, circling the house just in case she summons,” Savannah said.

  “You’re wicked,” Gio said with a laugh. He flicked the switch on the margarita machine as Savannah hoisted herself up to sit on a counter. She caught Gio glancing at her and realized the strap of her dress had slipped off one shoulder. She didn’t fix it; she wanted to feel his eyes on her. She’d never do anything with a friend’s husband—well, technically she’d kissed the spouse of one at a party, but she hadn’t known that woman nearly as well as she knew Tina. But a little flirting with Gio was definitely allowable. It wasn’t as if it was the first time; she’d sensed a little heat between them in the past.

  Her eyelids felt heavy from the alcohol and the sexual tension suddenly infusing the room. She gazed at Gio, watching the muscles flex in his arms as he turned off the machine and reached for her glass. Their fingertips brushed as she handed it to him.

  He filled their glasses and reached out a hand to help her down from the counter.

  “Gary has no idea what he’s missing,” he said all of a sudden, still holding her hand. Savannah looked at him out of the corner of her eye. What did he mean? That Gary was missing out on Jamaica . . . or missing out on her?

  “Tina told you everything, didn’t she?” Savannah said.

  Gio shrugged and released her hand. “He’s a fucking moron.”

  Somehow, those rough words made her feel better than any soft expression of sympathy ever could.

  “He’s already in my rearview mirror,” she said.

  “Just don’t put your car in reverse,” Gio told her. “Actually, do it. I never liked that prissy little fucker.”

  Savannah laughed, even though she felt a little twinge in her chest: She’d always suspected Gio and Ryan weren’t fans of Gary, but hearing it aloud didn’t feel like vindication.

  “Haven’t we talked about him long enough?” Savannah said. She took a sip of margarita and slowly licked the residue from her lips. “Ready for the beach?”

  “You going to do the Fireman again?” Gio asked, grinning.

  “Maybe,” Savannah said. She walked out of the room, adding a little sway to her step, knowing his eyes were fixed on her ass.

  The others were already clustered around the fire pit, and Dwight was lighting the logs by the time Savannah descended the stairs.

  “Who makes a fire when it’s eighty degrees out?” Ryan asked.

  “Who cares!” Tina shouted. “I want to run through the flames and dive in the waves!”

  “Oh, jeez,” Allie said. “Tina, take this bottle of water. Come on, give me your margarita.”

  “Nope!” Tina ran away and promptly tripped over her own feet. She lay in the sand, giggling. “You can’t take my drunk away. It’s mine!”

  “If you can’t beat ’em . . .” Savannah said, reaching for the fresh pitcher of drinks that Gio was holding and filling up Allie’s glass. She blinked to clear her vision, which suddenly seemed blurry. “Dwight? You empty?”

  He drained his glass and held it up. “Look at that! I am!”

  Savannah stared at the leaping gold and blue flames. The air was moist and heavy, and the cool water beckoned. She felt a little dizzy, and it had been an effort not to slur Dwight’s name. What sorts of idiots named a kid Dwight anyway? She extended a middle finger toward the sky.

  “What are you doing?” Tina asked. She’d crawled forward to fill up her glass again.

  “Flipping off Dwight’s parents,” Savannah said.

  “Oh,” Tina said. “They’re not here, are they?”

  “What?” Savannah blinked. “Who?”

  “Never mind,” Tina said. “What were we talking about?”

  “I feel like swimming,” Savannah said.

  “Oh, no!” Tina looked at her with big eyes. She was trying so hard to seem serious but was undercut by the fact that she had a big patch of sand covering her right cheek and had developed a lisp. “There aren’t any lifeguards. You could drown!”

  “Na-nuh. Na-nuh.” Ryan chanted the theme from Jaws.

  “Screw all of you,” Savannah said. “I’m going in.”

  She walked to the end of the floating dock. There were enough tiki torches to bathe the beach area in a soft light—not enough for everyone to see her clearly, but they could probably glimpse the outline of her body. She lifted her dress over her head. She was wearing a lacy lavender thong and matching bra underneath. She paused, keeping her back to the rest of the group, then slowly descended the steps into the water.

  “Oh, this feels good!” she shouted. “Who’s joining me?”

  She treaded water as she watched Gio take off his shirt and shorts. He wore those hybrid briefs that were like formfitting boxers, which Savannah happened to be a fan of. He ran to the end of the dock and cannonballed in, making a huge splash.

  “Van? Gio? I can barely see you!”

  It was Allie, who’d come to the end of the dock. The others were following her. Savannah felt a surge of disappointment; she’d have liked to be alone with Gio in the water, brushing up against each other and teasing. Or wait—no! Gio was Tina’s husband. What was she thinking?

  If only he wasn’t so hot. If only she wasn’t so horny.

  At the sound of another splash, she jerked her head around. Tina had been standing by the corner of the dock a moment earlier, but now that space was empty.

  “Tina? Was that you?”

  Suddenly Allie jumped into the water, fully clothed. “Oh, my God! Where is she?”

  “I’m fine!” Tina surfaced. “I meant to do that! Well, sort of.”

  “You scared me,” Allie scolded, pushing her wet hair off her face.

  “You know, most people take off their clothes first,” Savannah said, paddling over to them.

  “I’m a little drunk,” Tina revealed.

  “You?” Savannah mock-gasped.

  “And I lost my shoes. But they were just from Target. Don’t you guys love Target? You can get everything there. I bet I could live there for a year, without ever leaving. Wanna dare me?”

  Allie took Tina’s hand and put it on the metal steps attached to the dock. “You hold on to this, okay? Don’t let go.”

  Savannah looked up as Gio climbed out of the water. A second later, there were two more splashes—he’d pushed in Dwight and Ryan.

  “Aw, shit, man,” Gio said, peering down at them as they bobbed back up. “I forgot about your watch. Did I ruin it?”

  Dwight unclasped it and reached up to put it on the dock. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Must be nice,” Gio said. He shook his head.

  “Mine’s waterproof,” Ryan said. He pumped his fist in the air. “The Timex trumps the Rolex again!”

  “Come back in, Gio!” Allie called.

  “Yeah, Gio,” Savannah said. She reached up, grabbed his ankle, and yanked. He almost fell in but caught his balance at the last moment and pulled away.

&nbs
p; “You are so going to pay for that,” he said. He jumped in and disappeared beneath the inky surface.

  Savannah stared at the ripples he’d created, waiting for his head to pop back up.

  “Where’d he go?” Allie asked. She looked around. “He’s been under at least thirty seconds.”

  “More like fifteen,” Savannah said, but she wasn’t sure. When had she crossed the line from tipsy into drunk? Maybe between the second and third beers she’d chugged. Her brain felt thick and dull.

  “Check out the moon,” Ryan said, floating on his back. “It’s huge.”

  “Gio!” Allie called.

  “I don’t feel so good,” Tina said and hiccuped.

  “Oh, God. Can you climb up the steps and sit on the dock?” Allie asked. “If you have to get sick, lean over the water.”

  “Don’t puke on Pauline’s dock,” Savannah said. “It won’t go with the decor.”

  She was surprised when Dwight laughed along with the others.

  “I don’t think I can climb those steps,” Tina said. “There are too many.”

  “Keep holding that railing,” Allie said. “Has Gio come up yet? What if he hit his head on something?”

  “Let me look around.” Ryan dove under the water and came up a few seconds later. “I didn’t see him. But the water’s so dark . . .”

  Worry cut through the haze surrounding Savannah. Gio had been under at least a minute. Suddenly she felt something brush by her leg, and she screamed. Then hands encircled her ankle, yanking her under the surface. She knew it was Gio, but it was still scary to feel herself being pulled deeper into the darkness as her lungs grew tight. And then Gio let go and she began kicking her way back up.

  “You asshole,” she sputtered.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing, babe,” Gio said. Savannah splashed him in the face, and he retaliated by splashing back.

  “Giovanni!” Tina called. Her voice was sharp. “I don’t feel so good!”

  “Come on, honey,” Allie said. “I’ll help you up the steps.”

  Savannah watched as the two of them made slow progress, with Tina nearly slipping off the steps and falling back in.

  “I just wanna rest awhile,” Tina said. “A little nap. Then I’m coming back to dance.”