Page 13 of Storm over the Caribbean
“Niece!”
“Nephew!”
“Err…” I cleared my throat. “You two realize that neither of you is actually related to me, right?”
“Niece!”
“Nephew!”
“Niece!
“Nephew!”
It was so nice to have friends who always listened to you.
On the upside, I seemed to have underestimated the power of baby cuteness. For the last five minutes, Patsy had been trying her best to shove her way towards me. But every time she tried, she found herself rebuffed by Aunty Eve and Aunty Flora, who were busy oohing and awing over my little bulge.
I couldn’t help but smile.
Even before being born, my baby was already this awesome? Like mother, like daughter.
“What do you think it’ll be?” demanded Eve, who finally seemed to remember that I was here. “What is your female intuition telling you?”
I looked past her to where Patsy was trying her squeeze her way between the two other women, murder in her eyes. Unsuccessfully, so far, but she was increasing her efforts.
“My female intuition is telling me to skedaddle.”
“What? No! You can’t go yet! You’ve only just gotten here!”
And I’m regretting it already.
“Well, that’s the life of a working married woman for you,” I told her, smiling widely while I surreptitiously tried to start my retreat. “Always too busy, flitting from job to job. I’m just lucky my hubby is such a sweet, patient man, or else I’d be exhausted all the time.”
From behind me, I could feel a pair of icy eyes drilling into me. I was sure I would have to pay later for besmirching my dear husband’s reputation. But right now, I had more urgent matters to take care of.
“Like right now, for instance,” I continued to blabber, words coming faster and faster as Patsy managed to finally squeeze past my other friends. “I suddenly remembered that I haven’tinstructed the housekeeper back home yet.”Mostly because I doubt race track casinos have housekeepers. “I have to go! I have to attend to my domestic duties!”
That was probably not the smartest thing to say. The moment the word “domestic” left my lips, Patsy let out a low growl and made some very rude gestures at Mr Rikkard Ambrose. If feminism came in gun form, I was fairly sure he’d be nothing more than a smear on the wall by now.
Meanwhile, my dear husband was calmly sipping a cup of tea. God only knew where he’d gotten it from.
Cracking her knuckles, Patsy started to advance again.
“Ehem…” I hurriedly cleared my throat. “Yes, my housekeeper really needs to be urgently instructed. I think I’d better leave and—”
“Don’t you dare!”
Eve and Flora grabbed my arms. My gentle little sister Ella suddenly appeared behind me like some sneaky ninja, stopping me in my tracks.
Traitors!
“Let me go! I have to…the housekeeper…”
“Don’t worry,” Eve patted my shoulder. “There’s no need to instruct your housekeeper about lunch. You can eat with us. You can even stay the night.”
“Aren’t we generous?” Flora added, not showing even a hint of her usual shyness for some blasted bloody reason.
“Very…generous,” I forced a smile onto my face. “But I really think I should—eeep!”
