Page 95 of A Nantucket Wedding

David smoothly slid Canny into Ethan’s arms and joined Alison.

“Hello, Esmeralda. This is a surprise.”

“It was a spur of the moment decision.” Esmeralda leaned forward and air kissed both sides of David’s face. “I’m sure that if anyone can understand, you can, David. You and I, we are both extremely busy people.”

Alison rolled her eyes at her daughters and quietly retreated to her chair.

David put an arm around Esmeralda’s shoulders and introduced her to the group. Scott and Noah both stood, trying to hide schoolboy grins.

Jane stood too, and met Esmeralda’s eyes.You don’t scare me, lady,Jane messaged with her eyes. She shook Esmeralda’s cool, smooth hand.

Both Luke and Alice had climbed into Felicity’s lap, acting as if some kind of ogre had entered the room, so Felicity only waved hello. “Hi, Esmeralda. So nice to meet you. These are our children, Alice and Luke.”

Alice piped up. “I’m going to be a flower girl!”

Esmeralda said, “Really.”

David pulled her attention away from the little girl. “Sit down, Esmeralda. Join us. Would you like a drink?”

Esmeralda slithered across the room and descended gracefully onto the sofa in the empty space between Noah and Scott. Again Felicity’s and Jane’s eyes met as they held back laughs at the sight of their husbands’ faces. The men looked thrilled, but also slightly terrified.

“I’d love a drink,” Esmeralda said.

“What can I get you?” Alison asked.

“Oh, David knows. He always makes it exquisitely delicious.”

Everyone in the room seemed to be in some kind of state that rendered them incapable of speech.Honestly,Alison thought.She’s only human!As David left the room to prepare Esmeralda’s exquisite drink, Alison focused on Canny, who was sitting on Ethan’s lap.

“Hello, Canny. You and I have spoken on the phone several times when you were in school this past year, staying with your father in Vermont. Is it fun to be back in Lima?”

Canny was turning a ring around and around on her finger, and she kept her eyes on the ring. “I don’t know,” she said quietly.

“Of course you know,querido,” Esmeralda said. “You love it there with Mommy. And you have so many friends.”

“I miss my horse,” Canny mumbled.

Esmeralda laughed. “Ahh, horses!” With a wave of her hand, she dismissed that subject. She smiled at her sister-in-law. “Poppy, you are going to haveanotherbaby! Are you excited about this?”

Poppy put both hands on her belly protectively, as if warding off evil beams from Esmeralda. “Very.”

Esmeralda lifted her gaze to Ethan’s face. “And, my darling, how are you?”

“Doing well,” Ethan answered, giving her a private smile.

Esmeralda stretched voluptuously. “Oh, I’m so tied up in knots from traveling. I wish I could have a nice long massage. Ethan, you were always so good at relaxing my muscles. Will you take me to your room and relax me, after I have my drink?” She aimed her gorgeous face at Alison. “Don’t be shocked, dear Alison. Ethan and I are still technically married. We simply haven’t gotten around to signing the divorce documents. So we can sleep together without offending anyone’s beliefs.”

Ethan winced. “Um, I’m sleeping on the foldout sofa. I mean the sofa you’re sitting on becomes a double bed.”

“How uncomfortable! It makes my poor back ache to even think of trying to sleep on such a thing.” Esmeralda looked around the room, her eyes like a hawk’s scanning for the weakest creature in the room.

Alison spoke up. “Esmeralda, you and Ethan can have our room. David and I will take the foldout bed.”

“No, that’s not right,” Jane cried. “Scott and I will move. Esmeralda can have our bed.”

“Don’t be silly,” Felicity says. “Scott has his arm in a cast. He shouldn’t have to sleep on a foldout bed.”

Everyone talked at once. Esmeralda sipped her drink and watched, like a cat licking her chops. After everyone in the room was babbling in confusion, Esmeralda said, “Please don’t trouble yourselves. I have a reservation at the White Elephant for me and Canny. I’ll need to conduct some business by email and text from my room. Maybe Canny can spend the day out here.”

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