The Best of Us

by Sarah Pekkanen

  Tina’s brow wrinkled. “Pauline? Is everything okay with your mom?”

  Pauline looked up and met Tina’s eyes. “She’s fine,” Pauline said. “A little . . . tired, but that’s to be expected.”

  “Are you sure?” Tina pressed. “Because I can tell you’re still worried. And if there’s one thing I learned working in the hospital, it’s that our instincts can warn us when something is wrong.”

  “Should we send someone to check on her?” Dwight asked. “A visiting nurse? Or I could get a doctor there. Tonight, even.”

  Pauline was looking down at her plate and blinking. “No, no,” she said. “But . . . thank you.”

  “You sure?” Dwight said softly, but Pauline just shook her head.

  There was a brief pause, then Allie changed the subject. “What were we talking about? Oh, right. Dwight, what’s your guess—is Gary coming?”

  “I think the better question is, Does Savannah want him to come?” Dwight asked.

  “Ah,” Savannah said. Since when had Dwight gotten so sensitive? she wondered. The stutter that had plagued him during college seemed to have mostly disappeared, too. Maybe all of his success had cured it.

  “Well, yes, I’d like for him to come,” Savannah said in a soft voice, looking down. She pretended to wipe away a tear. Then she looked up and flashed a wicked grin. “So I can send his ass back home. But Gio and Allie are right. He won’t come.”

  She wasn’t going to sit around anticipating his arrival. She wouldn’t even be back from the beach when he showed up.

  If he showed up, she reminded herself, hating the way her heart betrayed her and sped up at the thought of walking in the door to find Gary here. But of course she had complicated feelings about him. They’d been married for seven years. Maybe seeing him one last time would be what she needed to finally wipe away the thoughts of him for good.

  Chapter Thirteen

  * * *

  Passion

  “WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?” Allie asked. “It seems like the house emptied out all of a sudden.”

  “Well, Tina’s right there,” Dwight said, motioning to a sofa in the living room. Tina was curled up, her head resting on a cushion and her long curls covering most of her face. She was snoring softly. Allie and Dwight exchanged a smile.

  Poor Tina, Allie thought as she walked over to remove her friend’s shoes and cover her with the chenille throw from the back of the couch. Tina might be mad that she’d missed out on the night’s fun, but she needed to catch up on her sleep.

  “And Savannah has . . . other plans for the next hour or so,” Allie said.

  She could hardly believe that Savannah was meeting the guy from the catamaran on the beach, but Allie certainly wasn’t in a position to judge. At least Savannah and the guy were both single. “She said she’d be back by eleven or so. But Ryan and Gio . . . where are they, anyway? In the game room?”

  Dwight shook his head. “They went down to the beach. To look for Ryan’s watch.”

  Fury enveloped Allie. Her husband had lied to her. She’d told Ryan not to go, and he’d acted like he wouldn’t! He was a fool; he was risking his life to save face with Gio. He made such horrible choices—how could he ever handle taking care of the girls alone if it came to that? She felt so distant from her husband. He kept failing her, again and again.

  “Pauline’s resting in our room,” Dwight was saying.

  “Is she okay?” Allie asked. “She’s acting strange.”

  “I don’t know,” Dwight said. “I’m not sure if she’s going to come back out tonight.”

  “Should we go out to the pool again? We can talk more there,” Allie said.

  She and Dwight stepped outside and, as if by unspoken agreement, walked around to the far side of the patio. The little waterfall at the edge of the pool made enough noise to cover the sound of their voices, and although the stars shone brightly in the clear sky, it was dark enough that Allie and Dwight couldn’t be easily seen from the house unless someone knew they were there.

  “I’m not sure what’s wrong with Pauline,” Dwight said.

  “You don’t think she knows about . . . what happened between us on the beach, do you?” Allie asked.

  “No,” Dwight shook his head. “That’s impossible.” But he frowned.

  “Have you asked her what’s wrong?” Allie asked.

  “About ten times. She keeps saying she has a headache.” He looked away from Allie, toward the door. “Maybe I should go check again . . .”

  Jealousy twisted Allie’s stomach so sharply she almost felt ill. “I’m sure she’s sleeping,” she said quickly. “I bet she’s completely drained. I saw her rubbing her temples earlier. Sleep would be the best thing for her. You shouldn’t bother her.”

  “You’re probably right,” Dwight said, but his voice still held doubt.

  Who was she becoming? Allie wondered with more awe than alarm. She hadn’t seen Pauline rubbing her temples; she’d lied about that to manipulate Dwight. To keep him with her, so she wouldn’t have to be alone with the terrifying thoughts she found harder and harder to keep at bay.

  Allie looked back up at Dwight. He was glancing toward the house again, and she couldn’t see the expression in his eyes. She didn’t want Dwight thinking about his wife. She needed him more.

  “Follow me,” she said. She stood up and walked to the edge of the patio, then stepped into the yard. There was a cluster of palm trees ahead, past the spotlights that illuminated the flowers surrounding the patio. Passionflowers, Allie remembered Savannah calling them.

  Allie looked around once, to make sure that no one was coming up the steps from the beach and that Tina and Pauline were still inside. Then she moved behind a tree and pulled Dwight closer to her. She reached up and wound her arms around his neck, sighing as his warm mouth moved down to cover hers, and everything else finally, blessedly, disappeared.

  * * *

  Tap . . . tap . . . tap.

  One of the kids was jabbing her in the shoulder, trying to wake her up, but Tina didn’t move. After all, sometimes playing dead worked for possums when predators targeted them.

  Tap. Oh, leave me alone! she thought. She was so tired.

  Tap. God, this was like Chinese water torture. “Come on in,” she murmured, lifting up one edge of her covers and waiting for the kid to snuggle up.

  “Tina?”

  She felt as if the voice was pulling her out of a deep, dark well. She blinked a few times, then yawned. She was completely disoriented until she remembered she was in Jamaica instead of in her queen-size bed at home.

  “Is Savannah here?”

  Suddenly Tina was wide awake.

  “I won the bet,” she said.

  Gary peered down at her, and she almost laughed. He looked so ridiculous, in his fancy gray suit and white shirt and red tie, like he was a politician off to woo voters at a rally. Actually, that wasn’t too far from the truth, she realized. He was definitely going after a second term.

  “What time is it?” Tina asked.

  “Ten-fifteen,” Gary said without looking at his watch.

  She’d been asleep for only a half hour or so. It had felt much longer.

  “Impressive,” Tina said, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. “You really made it here.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” Gary said. He lifted a shoulder. “Or cheap.”

  “Did you check her room?” Tina asked.

  “I don’t know which one is hers,” Gary said.

  “Right,” Tina said. She stood up. “Follow me.”

  She smoothed her skirt and ran her index fingers under her eyes to swipe away any wayward traces of mascara. Being around Gary made her feel a bit frumpy—he was one of those guys who always had creases in his slacks, and she suspected he even had his eyebrows waxed. They’d been much bushier when she first met him, verging into unibrow territory.

  “Here we go,” Tina said, gesturing to Savannah’s door, which was open.

  Gary p
oked his head into the room. “Van?” he called, but there was no answer. The bathroom door was open, but the light was off. It was clear the space was empty.

  Tina’s eyes were drawn toward the bed, where a few pairs of lacy panties and a black sheer teddy were laid out, as if Savannah had been debating which to wear.

  Was Savannah putting on sexy lingerie for Gary’s benefit? Tina wondered, remembering her friend’s tough talk about sending her ex back home.

  “Where else could she be?” Gary asked, a touch of impatience in his voice, and Tina suddenly was reminded of why she’d never liked him. Tina knew doctors had a reputation for being arrogant, but the ones she’d worked with rarely hewed to that stereotype. Most of them were busy, sleep-deprived, and had to turn off their emotions in order to do their jobs effectively. But Gary was an ass, out of the operating room and in it, too, she suspected.

  “I have no idea,” she said sweetly. “I was asleep, remember?”

  “I guess I’ll put my bag here,” Gary said, setting his overnight case on the floor by the bedroom door.

  Ruh-roh, Tina thought. That would definitely piss off Savannah. “Great idea,” she said, hiding a smile.

  She turned around and walked back to the living room as Gary silently followed. Dwight was now sitting in a chair adjoining the couch where she’d been napping.

  “Have you been studying at Hogwarts?” she asked. “I swear you weren’t here ninety seconds ago. You must have apparated.”

  Dwight just blinked at her.

  “Hi,” Gary said, crossing the room in a few long strides and sticking out his hand. “I’m Gary McGrivey. Savannah’s husband.”

  Tina turned her laugh into a cough. Gary truly had no idea what he was in for if he thought one extravagant gesture could erase the months of pain he’d caused Savannah and he could just go back to being her husband.

  “Dwight Glass,” Dwight said, standing up. The two men were almost the exact same height. “We’ve met a few times.”

  “Of course, I remember,” Gary said.

  Liar, thought Tina.

  “So where is everyone else?” she asked.

  Allie came through the door from the kitchen, exhibiting the perfect timing of an actress waiting for her cue. “Hey, guys,” she said, “would you mind coming in here for a second? The chef wants to talk to us . . . Oh, my gosh! Gary! When did you get here? I didn’t even hear a car pull up.”

  Something was off in Allie’s reaction, Tina thought. She seemed to be trying too hard to convey surprise. But there was no way she could have known Gary was coming. Tina shook her head to clear it; Allie was probably just worried that Gary’s presence might mar the trip for everyone and her voice was revealing her strain.

  “I just got in a couple minutes ago,” Gary said. “I took a cab from the airport. Nice to see you again.”

  “You, too,” Allie said, then she blushed, as if the words had escaped without her permission.

  “Wow, this is some place,” Gary said, glancing around.

  “What were you saying about the chef?” Tina asked.

  “He’s worried about the storm,” Allie said. “He’s been through a few hurricanes before . . .”

  “Wait, it’s a hurricane now?” Tina asked.

  Allie nodded. “They upgraded it from a tropical storm a couple hours ago. They still don’t expect it to hit us, but—”

  “No one can predict this stuff,” Gary interrupted. “It could swing around at the last second.”

  “Crap,” Tina breathed. “When is it due?”

  “Not for at least twenty-four hours,” Allie said. “Patrick has the Weather Channel on in the kitchen.”

  Gary turned and strode into the kitchen and, after catching Allie’s eyes and rolling her own in Gary’s direction, Tina followed.

  The chef had clearly been prepping for breakfast the next morning: an empty egg carton, a gallon of milk, and small bowls of cheeses and herbs were scattered on the counters.

  “This is no good,” he said, shaking his head.

  “It looks like the wind is going to carry it north of us,” Dwight said, watching the swirling colors on the television screen. The bright reds and blues made the image seem like something a preschooler might’ve finger-painted.

  “I have a family,” Patrick said as he began to untie his apron. “Three kids. I need to go to them. I quit.”

  “You’re leaving?” Gary asked. “Seriously?”

  Allie frowned at him and stepped forward to put her hand on the chef’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said. “Go take care of your family. And don’t worry—we won’t tell your boss you left. It’s only a few more meals, and we can easily cook them.”

  Patrick nodded. “Thank you. Get somewhere safe, okay?”

  “If the hurricane changes course, we will,” Allie said. “But I think we’ll be fine.”

  “Check the house for plywood,” he said. “You need to board up the windows and secure the awnings if you’re going to try to stay here.”

  “Seriously?” Gary asked again.

  “Better be safe,” Patrick said. By now he’d taken off his apron, neatly folded it, and removed his poufy hat. Without it, he looked younger than Allie had thought. “Go inland, is my advice. We lost so many in Hurricane Gilbert. One of my uncles was among them. He was standing on a cliff and the storm surge swept him away.”

  “We’ll move away from the water if it starts to get bad,” Allie said.

  Patrick began to reply, then glanced out the window over the sink. “My wife is here to bring me home,” he said. “Good-bye.”

  There was silence in the kitchen after he left. Allie finally broke it.

  “I’m sorry, Dwight,” she said. “It wasn’t my place to tell him that he could go . . . It’s just . . .”

  “He has children and you knew he was worried about them,” Dwight finished for her. “It’s okay. You were right to tell him to go take care of them.”

  Allie smiled at Dwight, then looked at the mess on the counter.

  “You know what?” she said. “This is the most beautiful kitchen I’ve ever seen, and I feel like cooking. Who wants to help?”

  “Sure,” Tina said. She reached into a bowl of herbs and took out a pinch. “Parsley,” she said, sniffing. “I can’t remember the last time I cooked with fresh parsley. Looks like all we need is a loaf of bread and we can assemble these suckers.”

  “You know what he was going to make?” Dwight asked, wrinkling his forehead.

  “Breakfast casseroles,” Tina said, sniffing the contents of another bowl. “Mmm . . . dried mustard. You layer in the ingredients, and let them blend together overnight. My mom used to make them every Christmas. Dwight, do you want to beat the eggs?”

  “Um, sure?” Dwight said. He opened a few drawers, finally finding the one containing teaspoons. Tina stifled a smile, removed the teaspoon from his hand, and replaced it with a whisk. Allie began greasing the casserole pans with butter as Tina soaked the bread in a mixture of milk and eggs.

  “Oh, I miss cooking.” Tina sighed. “After this I’ll rummage through the fridge and see what I can put together for dinner tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll help,” Allie said. “It’s Dwight’s birthday. We’ll make him something delicious.”

  “That’s right!” Tina said. “I make an awesome birthday cake. Well, if you like Batman themes.”

  Dwight laughed. “I’ve never had a superhero cake, but I always secretly wanted one.”

  “Just for that, you might get Robin on your cake, too,” Tina said. “I only do that trick for special occasions. I’ll just need extra icing, but we can make that. This kitchen seems to be stocked with everything.”

  “Mind if I grab a glass of wine?” Gary asked, selecting a bottle of red from the counter and examining the label.

  “Why don’t you pour us all a glass?” Tina asked. She watched as Gary lifted the wine bottle with his long, thin fingers and suddenly felt grateful for Gio. She got annoyed wit
h her husband so often lately, but she loved him deeply. She loved the way he wrestled with the kids and put a blanket over his head and chased them through the house, pretending to be a monster. She loved the way his eyes told her she was beautiful, even when she had baby spit-up on her shirt. The way he always wanted her.

  This vacation had given her the gift of a glimpse into their shared future: lazy mornings when she and Gio would linger in bed; evenings when they’d finally sit down together to a real dinner, times when they’d watch the sunset and realize their hands had found each other’s.

  If they could just make it through the next few years, she thought as she blended the spices into the egg mixture. When Sammy was in full-day kindergarten, she could go back to work. The wonderful thing about nursing was that she could do three twelve-hour shifts a week—maybe even overnight shifts, from seven p.m. to seven a.m.—and it would count as full-time. The extra income would be such a relief. And, thought Tina, so would it be to get to talk to adults again, to engage her brain, to wear work clothes. She and Gio just had to keep scrambling until then, and try to avoid murdering each other in the process.

  “So where is Savannah?” Gary asked. “Does anyone know?”

  “I, ah, think she’s down on the beach with the guys,” Allie said. “Ryan and Gio were going to take a walk. She probably joined them.”

  “Maybe I should go look for them,” Gary said.

  Tina looked down at his shiny wingtips. “Might want to change your shoes first.”

  “Oh, she’ll probably be back any minute,” Allie said. “And I don’t know which way they went . . . You might miss her.”

  Gary shrugged and poured another inch of wine into his glass. “She told me to be here at ten, so . . .”

  And you vowed to her that you wouldn’t screw other women, Tina thought. So you both made oopsies!

  “ . . . knew we’d find it . . . right where I thought . . .” Gio’s muted voice filtered into the room.

  “Guys?” Tina called out. “We’re in the kitchen!”

  The door swung open a moment later, and Gio and Ryan came in. Ryan was holding something aloft in his right hand.