Page 17 of Ship Wrecked

5

She made it look so effortless.

Peter didn’t want to be watching Maria from across their plate-choked dinner table at the hotel, but he couldn’t help himself. Seated between Nava and Darrell on the long upholstered booth lining one wall of the hotel’s small but elegant restaurant, she glowed in a way that owed nothing to the candlelight and very little to her undeniable beauty.

No, that glow washer. Her charm. Her vivacity. Her humor. Her interest in others.

They’d only been on the island for three weeks, but from her easy chatter and seeming comfort in the crew’s presence, she might have known everyone for years. Right now, for instance, she was speaking to Nava as if the two women had attended elementary school together, helped each other move into their first apartments, and recently reunited after a too-long separation.

“So how did Carlie survive her first year of college?” After swallowing a healthy bite of butter-drenched local lobster, Maria took a sip of white wine. “Back in Belgium, you said she was worried about how she’d done on her finals.”

Nava smiled. “She aced them, to the surprise of absolutely no one but her. Now she’s already fretting about her fall classes, eventhough it’s only July, and Dottie took her to the Wisconsin Dells for a week to help the poor kid relax.”

Before his parents separated, his family used to visit the Dells. At least once a year.

Until this moment, he’d had no clue Nava was from Wisconsin too. And who the hell was Dottie? A friend? A partner?

He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated with himself.

Why couldn’t he do this? Why hadn’t he somehow managed to get past his social awkwardness after more than three and a half decades of suffering for it?

“She’s attending the University of Wisconsin, right?” When Fionn came to collect their plates, Maria patted him on the arm. “I meant to tell you, Fi, that scallop tartare is going to be starring in my dreams. There may well be a ménage à trois with the lobster, so please ignore any sounds of ecstasy coming from the suites tonight.”

When Peter’s brain helpfully provided a picture of Maria in the throes of a non-shellfish-induced orgasm, he pinched harder.

Both Nava and Jeanine chortled, and Fionn snorted loudly. “Thanks, love.”

“Thankyoufor all the incredible food, Fi. I can’t wait for dessert.” Maria turned back to Nava. “Sorry, Nava. What were you saying?”

“You’re right. Carlie’s going to college in Madison. Just like Dottie and I did”—she made a show of mumbling—“mmphmmmyears ago. Although I suspect Carlie consumes way less beer than we did, probably because she’d never think of getting a fake ID. I truly have no idea how we ended up with such a sweet, responsible kid, Maria. It’s bizarre.”

Unexpectedly, Maria turned her head and made direct eyecontact with Peter, and he flinched a little in surprise. Had she caught him staring?

“Peter,” Maria said, her wide brow creased in thought. “That’s where you went to university too, right?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Theater major. Born and raised in Madison.”

“I had no idea!” Nava leaned toward him. “I grew up in Janesville. I was a theater major at Madison too, although there’s no way our times there overlapped. You’re way too young for that.”

Most days, he didn’t feel like it. But saying so wouldn’t keep the conversation going, so he needed to find something else to discuss. Something to ask. But what?

He pleated the napkin in his lap, let it flatten, then folded it again. “Did—did you raise your daughter in Wisconsin?”

“Nah.” Nava’s nose wrinkled. “Dottie and I fled to LA as soon as we graduated. But after the divorce, she moved back to Janesville. When it came time to pick a college, Carlie wanted to stay near one of her moms and both of our families, especially since I’d be out of the country so often, so she chose Madison.”

“A fine choice, clearly.” Maria gestured toward both of them. “Just look at the exemplary graduates the institution has produced.”

“Honestly, we should be on all their brochures.” Nava reached across the table with her hand raised, and it took Peter a few awkward seconds to realize she wanted a high-five. When he gave it to her, she grinned at him. “I expect them to rename a building for us any day now.”

“Undoubtedly,” he said.

Why was Maria smiling at him like that?

“It’s a great place to go to college,” Nava said. “Although I think Carlie’s diet is eighty percent cheese curds during the school year.”

The fried version was his favorite, personally. Melty and excellent with ranch dressing.

He grinned. “I assume the other twenty percent is brats?”

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