Daphne reached for her tote. “Do you need ponytail holders? I think I have some extras in here.”
“I want a bag of tricks too,” Doug said. “That thing’s like a damn Costco.”
“Do you have any Rollerblades in there?” Clay peered at the bag. “Or maybe a croquet set?”
Daphne laughed. “Don’t be knocking my tote bag. You know if we end up on a deserted island, I’m the one everyone’s going to be making an alliance with.”
Janine gave Daphne a grateful smile. “I’d love a hair tie, thanks so much.”
“Thanks,” her friend said with a shy smile of her own. Daphne didn’t recognize her, so she wasn’t the one who had been flirting with Scott the night before. She glanced around the boat and wondered if that girl was talking to Scott now. Scott was clearly all about talking to pretty women, despite the one he apparently had waiting for him at home.
Daphne handed them each a hair tie. “What’s your name? I’m Daphne,” she said to Janine’s friend. She also introduced the others.
“Becca.” The young woman set her drink down and pulled her long locks into a ponytail.
“We hear you’re on spring break?” KC said.
Janine nodded. “From Florida State.”
“What are you studying?” Skylar asked them.
Becca tucked a few remaining strands of hair behind her ear. “I’m a communications major with a minor in psychology. I’m thinking about applying to law school.” The words sounded rehearsed, as if she were trying to impress a potential summer employer rather than engage in casual conversation.
Janine also answered somewhat robotically. “I’m majoring in sociology. I think I might want to be a teacher.” She glanced downward as she spoke, essentially addressing the deck floor and not a group of actual people.
Skylar gave Daphne a look, and it was clear what she was thinking. Despite their outward appearance—sexy sundresses and lots of makeup—now that their hair was pulled away from their faces, Janine and Becca looked almost childlike, an impression punctuated by their obvious discomfort in answering such innocuous questions.
“I have a niece who wants to be a teacher too,” Skylar said. “She’s only fourteen, though, so who knows how long that will last? Last year she wanted to be an astronaut. My sister and her husband are convinced she’ll end up a general because she’s always telling everyone what to do.”
Everyone laughed, yet Daphne couldn’t help but realize that Skylar’s niece, not to mention her own daughter, were closer in age to these young women than she and her friends were. Daphne had already begun to dread the day when Emma would straddle that delicate line between adolescence and adulthood. Watching her daughter navigate the rocky waters of high school was difficult enough. She wasn’t ready for what was to come after that.
After a few more minutes of somewhat stilted small talk, Janine and Becca headed down below to use the restroom. As soon as they were gone, Clay spoke.
“Does anyone else feel old right now?” he said in a hushed voice.
Skylar pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “No kidding. My niece is more articulate than those two, and she’s in eighth grade.”
KC laughed. “Be nice now. They’re trying so hard to fit in. They’ve probably never socialized with actual adults before.”
“Hanson! Bates! Come hither, my henchmen!”
Everyone turned their heads. Perry, the groom, was standing at the front of the catamaran, holding up a drink with one hand, waving Clay and Doug toward him with the other.
“Sorry, ladies, duty calls,” Doug said.
Skylar held out her arm to let them pass. “By all means, it’s tough work being a bridesmaid.”
“We’ll catch up with you later,” Clay said. He smiled as he walked away, but he didn’t specifically make eye contact with Daphne.
“Sure,” Daphne said. She wasn’t sure if she believed him, but she was thrilled to realize that she didn’t really care all that much. She had other things on her mind. It’s a gorgeous day. It’s my birthday. I’m aboard a fancy catamaran in the Caribbean Sea—with my best friends in the world right next to me. However the day was unfolding, Daphne was feeling carefree, something just a few days ago she didn’t think possible.
A few minutes after four o’clock, the catamaran pulled up in front of the guys’ beach house, about a hundred yards out from shore.
“Do we have to get off?” KC frowned at the small motorboat approaching to ferry them back to land. “I kind of want to stay put.”
Daphne raised her hand. “I second that motion.”
“Raising a hand is KC’s move,” Skylar said. “Could you be more original? Come on, ladies, time is a wasting. We’ve got to shower and get dolled up for Daphne’s birthday evening.” She gave both Daphne and KC a gentle shove from behind. Not enough to topple them into the ocean, but enough to let them know she’d had enough of the water.
Daphne looked over her shoulder at Skylar as she climbed into the motorboat. “Let me guess, you have a work call before dinner?”
“Perhaps,” Skylar said with a shrug.
“It never ends,” KC said as she took a seat in the boat.
For Daphne, the day had been glorious. When they’d reached the cove at the north end of the island, most everyone on board had donned a snorkel and dived into the water, which because of the cove formation appeared even greener than the water by their houses, if that was even possible. As promised, the crew expertly led the swimmers to a small group of turtles. After some prodding by KC, Daphne had reached down and gently grazed one with her fingertips.
Janine and her friends had also joined in the fun, albeit reluctantly, and once back on board all three of them quickly disappeared into the bathroom and reemerged shortly thereafter with their faces freshly painted. They were nice girls, but at the end of the day that’s what they were . . . girls. Scott had spent the early part of the trip chatting them up, but by the afternoon it was clear that even his interest level had waned.
Skylar carefully climbed into the small boat behind Daphne and KC, who were already seated, then pointed toward the shore. “Ladies, a fabulous evening awaits!”
“Are gentlemen invited?”
Daphne looked up and saw Clay looking down from the railing at them. She hadn’t spent much time with him on the catamaran, so she was taken off guard by his question. Not that she didn’t want to see more of him. Of course she did. But for her birthday dinner? Would Skylar and KC be okay with that? Would it be weird? Should they invite Doug then too? What does the guidebook say I should do? She didn’t mean to hesitate as her mind jumped about, but she did. A little too long.
“Daphne, say something to him,” Skylar finally whispered.
Clay held up a hand. “You know what? On second thought, I don’t want to intrude on a birthday celebration. Consider the question withdrawn, your honor.”
“I’m sorry, you just caught me a little off guard.” Daphne quickly glanced at her friends. “And Skylar already made reservations.”
“What about the Castaway?” Skylar whispered. “Maybe we could meet up with him and the guys there later?”
“The Castaway again?” KC looked less than thrilled. “I emptied that tank last night.”
Daphne gave Skylar a What should we do? look, and Skylar responded with one that said your call.
The boat started pulling away from the catamaran, so Daphne knew she had to say something. She looked back up at Clay as they pulled away. “Maybe we’ll run into you at the Castaway later?”
He nodded. “That works. Have fun at dinner.”
She waved good-bye. “Thanks!”
“Bye, Clay!” KC waved to him too. “Say good-bye to my bestie!” Scott and Doug were down below settling the bill with the crew.
The motorboat roared to life, and as it ferried the women back to sho
re, Daphne frowned and looked at her friends. “That was really awkward.”
Skylar leaned over and put her hand on Daphne’s thigh. “You did fine. Don’t stress.”
“Do you want to see him again?” KC asked.
Daphne sighed. “I’m not sure. I guess I do, or did, but I wasn’t getting much of a vibe from him today, so I was kind of thrown off just there.”
“That’s better than being thrown off the catamaran,” KC said.
Daphne laughed. “True.”
A few minutes later the boat pulled up to shore, and Daphne carefully climbed out, followed by Skylar. KC was the last to exit, but there was nothing careful about her descent. She leaped into the knee-deep water, then shrieked out in pain upon landing.
“Ouch!”
Daphne and Skylar, who had already reached the beach, immediately turned around to see what had happened.
“Are you okay?” Daphne called out.
“I think I just got stung by a jellyfish!”
Daphne and Skylar began to rush back into the water to help, but KC held up an arm to keep them at bay. “Stop. I don’t want it to get you too!” She hopped on one leg toward the shore, then collapsed onto the sand. Her right thigh was red, blistered, and swollen. “Oh my holy hell, this hurts.”
Daphne kneeled next to her and took a good look. “That’s a jellyfish sting all right. Looks like it got you pretty bad.”
KC made a strained face. “Holy frick, this hurts more than when I tore ligaments in my ankle.”
Daphne held out her palm. “Grab my hand. You’re going to be fine, just try to stay calm, okay? Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.” She spoke in a soothing voice and began to examine KC’s leg. “First we need to get the stinger . . . Okay, here it is. Now don’t move, I’m going to get a pair of tweezers.” She dug around inside her tote bag for her first-aid kit, then pulled out a tiny pink sleeve containing the tweezers.
“Such a mom,” KC said with a grimace. “Who carries around tweezers?”
“I do sometimes,” Skylar said. “But for my eyebrows, not for treating jellyfish-attack victims.”
Daphne carefully removed the stinger, then slid the tweezers back into the sleeve. “I wish I had some vinegar.”
KC laughed weakly. “If you did, I would be worried about you. Maybe you should have bought that candy striper dress. How do you know so much about jellyfish stings anyway?”
Daphne paused to think. “I saw a documentary about them once.”
KC and Skylar exchanged a glance.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Skylar asked her.
“That episode of Friends?” KC said.
Skylar nodded.
KC put a hand on Daphne’s arm. “Are you planning to have someone pee on me?”
“Not it.” Skylar took a step backward. “Get Doug to do it. God knows he drank enough rum punch today to donate some urine to his bestie.”
“Is Doug going to have to pee on me?” KC asked Daphne.
Daphne grabbed a fistful of sand and began to rub it over KC’s thigh. “Not to worry, no urination necessary. If I remember correctly, this should do the trick.” She scooped up some saltwater with her hands and washed it off several times, then reached into her tote bag, pulled out a pink silk scarf, and tied it around KC’s upper leg. “The sand should remove any other tentacle stingers, and this pressure will help stop the venom from spreading.”
KC looked at her. “Venom? That doesn’t sound good.”
Daphne shook her head. “It’s just a toxin. Your leg will be itchy and sore for a while, but you’ll be fine. They were clear about that in the documentary. This is actually quite common.”
“Will I be able to play in my tournament next weekend?” KC asked.
“I don’t think they mentioned soccer,” Daphne said with a smile.
“Did they mention that KC is insane?” Skylar said.
Daphne laughed, and both she and Skylar looked at KC, expecting a witty comeback, but she didn’t make one.
“Are you feeling okay?” Daphne asked her.
“I’m . . . having a little trouble breathing,” KC said, her face now a bit pale.
Daphne put a hand on KC’s shoulder. “Okay, they definitely mentioned that in the documentary. It probably means you’re having an allergic reaction to the sting, so we’ll need to get you to the hospital. But I don’t want you to worry, because you’re going to be fine, okay? You’re going to be fine.” She looked up at Skylar, who was still standing a couple feet away. “Can you go flag a cab while I work on this a bit more?”
“We have a car we can use, it’s in our garage,” Skylar said. “I’ll go get it, will meet you right there, okay?” She pointed to the street behind the sand dune near Clay and Doug’s place, then turned and ran toward the beach house.
Once Skylar was gone, Daphne turned back toward KC. “This is nothing to be concerned about, okay? I know I’m not a doctor, but I totally remember that documentary.”
KC smiled, but she looked a bit frightened now. “I thought I was only allergic to beets,” she said in a near whisper.
Daphne put her hand on KC’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Do you trust me?”
KC nodded her head. “I trust you. And yes, I realize that we just quoted Leo and Kate in Titanic.”
“Skylar, seriously, will you stop tailgating those poor people? You’re going to kill us all, assuming this stupid jellyfish venom doesn’t do me in first,” KC called from the backseat. “Damn this hurts,” she added.
“You’re hardly dying if you still have the energy to mock me,” Skylar said.
“Worst. Driver. Ever,” KC groaned.
Daphne turned around from the passenger seat and gave KC a nod of solidarity. “For the record, I’m glad it’s not just me. I’m fearing for my life up here.”
“Did you hear that Skylar? You are the worst driver I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot for someone who has been in a car with teenage boys behind the wheel,” KC said.
Skylar rolled her eyes in the rearview mirror. “I live in New York City, okay? I don’t drive much. Plus, I’m trying to save your life, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“At least keep your eyes on the road, can you please do that?” Daphne looked at Skylar and pressed her palms together in prayer.
“Were you this bad of a driver in college?” KC asked. “I must have blocked it out.”
“Trying to save your life,” Skylar repeated.
“You should have let Daphne drive,” KC said. “The world would be a safer place with you in the passenger seat.”
“There it is!” Skylar pointed to the sign for the hospital, then jerked the car to the right and screeched through the entrance at nearly full speed.
“God help us.” Daphne closed her eyes.
“I heard that,” Skylar said.
“I hope God heard it too,” KC said.
After the nurse took KC inside, Daphne and Skylar settled into the small waiting room, which was nearly empty.
“I hope this means we won’t be here that long,” Skylar said. “A crowded waiting room is never a good sign.”
Daphne pointed at the door leading to the examination area. “Depends on how many doctors are here, or if there’s a pressing emergency ahead of you. I took Emma in once for a broken arm, and we were there for seven hours.”
“I wonder how pressing an allergic reaction to a jellyfish sting is.” Skylar pulled out her phone. “I’m going to look it up.”
Daphne stood up to peruse the magazine choice in a rack hanging on the wall. “Jeez, this is slim pickings. Some of these are older than Emma.”
Skylar didn’t look up from her phone. “I’ll stick with WebMD, thank you very much. Oh, bite me.”
Daphne turned around. “What’s wrong?”
“I missed an important call. They moved up the time, but I didn’t see the e-mail because we were on the catamaran.”
“Is that bad?”
Skylar stood up and reached for her purse. “It’s bad. I need to get back to the house right away. Take the keys, I’ll hop in a cab. I’m sorry about this, but if I want to keep from getting fired, it looks like I’m not going to be able to make your birthday dinner.”
Daphne gestured toward the door through which KC had disappeared. “No worries, I’ve had enough birthday excitement this trip to last me until next year. Plus, something tells me you’re not the only one who’s not going to make dinner.”
Skylar’s eyes followed. “Poor thing. I wonder how long she’ll be down?”
“If it were a normal person, probably a few days or a week. But given that it’s KC, she’ll probably be out running on the beach before you and I are even awake tomorrow morning.”
Daphne rushed toward KC the moment she saw her emerge from the hall with a nurse—and with a noticeable limp. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
KC smiled weakly. “You were totally right. Apparently I’m allergic to jellyfish. Who knew?”
Daphne put a hand on KC’s cheek. “Are you in pain? Can I get you anything?”
“She’s going to be fine,” the nurse said. “Sore and itchy for a few days, but fine.”
“More than anything I was worried about missing the tournament next weekend, but they said I should be able to play. Yeah!” KC half pumped her fist, then looked around the waiting room. “Where’s Skylar?”
Daphne held up the keys. “Something came up at work, so she went back to the house to make a call. The good news is she took a cab, so she won’t be driving us home.”
“Oh thank heavens,” KC said. “I can’t take any more Formula One action today.”
Daphne pointed to KC’s leg. “So Skylar’s most likely out for tonight, and you should probably rest that thing. I’m thinking we cancel dinner, get some takeout, and go home and relax.”
“For your birthday? Are you sure?” KC asked.
“Trust me, I’m sure. After all this activity, chilling on the couch for an evening sounds glorious.”
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