Inner Harbor
Page 67
"Great." On a huff of breath, Sybill steeled herself to deal with the Quinns alone.
The kitchen was pandemonium. Aubrey was squealing, Seth was talking a mile a minute. Potatoes were frying, with Grace manning the stove since Cam had Anna trapped against the refrigerator with a gleam of pure lust in his eyes.
"You know how I get when I see you in an apron."
"I know how you get when you see me breathe." And she hoped it would never change. Nonetheless, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Hands off, Quinn. I'm busy."
"You've been slaving over a hot stove. You really ought to take a shower. With me."
"I'm not going to--" She spotted the movement out of the corner of her eye. "There you are, Sybill." In a move that looked very practiced, and very effective to Sybill, Anna shifted and jammed her elbow into her husband's stomach. "What can I get you to drink?"
"Ah… the coffee smells wonderful, thank you."
"I'll take a beer." Cam snagged one out of the fridge. "And go clean up." He aimed that look at Sybill again, then strode out.
"Seth, stay out of those bags," Anna ordered as she pulled down a mug.
"No gifts yet." She'd made the decision to keep him from opening Sybill's gifts until after dinner. She calculated that his aunt would make her excuses and run as quickly as she could manage it after the little ritual was complete.
"Man! Is it my birthday or what?"
"Yes, if you live through it. Why don't you take Aubrey into the other room? Entertain her for a while. We'll eat as soon as Ethan gets here."
"Well, where is he, anyway?" Grumbling, Seth stalked out with Aubrey on his heels and didn't catch the quick grin Grace and Anna exchanged.
"That goes for you dogs, too." Anna gave Foolish a nudge with her foot and pointed her finger. With canine sighs, both dogs clipped out of the kitchen.
"Peace." Anna closed her eyes to absorb it. "Momentary peace."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
With a shake of her head, Anna passed over the mug of coffee. "I think we've got it under control. Ethan should be here any minute. In the big surprise." She walked to the window to look out through the gathering dark. "I hope you've brought an adolescent appetite," she added.
"Tonight's menu consists of pepperoni-and-sausage pizza, peanut-oil fries, homemade hot fudge sundaes, and Grace's killer chocolate cake."
"We'll all be in the hospital," Sybill commented before she thought it through. Even as she winced, Anna was laughing.
"We who are about to die salute you. Uh-oh, there's Ethan." She'd lowered her voice to a stage whisper. At the stove, Grace dropped her slotted spoon with a clatter. "Did you burn yourself?"
"No, no." Chuckling weakly, Grace stepped back. "No, I'm, ah… I'm just going to run out and… help Ethan."
"All right but--hmmm," Anna finished when Grace hurried past her and out the door. "Jumpy," she muttered, then hit the outside lights. "It's not quite dark yet, but it will be by the time we finish this." She salvaged the last of the fries and switched off the stove. "Cam and Phillip better put a fire under it. Oh, God, it's cute! Can you see?"
Too curious to resist, Sybill joined her at the kitchen window. She saw Grace standing on the dock, caught in the last light of the day, and Ethan just stepping onto it. "It's a boat," she murmured. "A little sailboat."
"A ten-footer. They call it a pram." Anna's smile nearly split her face.
"The three of them have been building it over at Ethan's old house--the one he rents out? The tenants let them use the shed over there so Seth wouldn't know about it."
"They built it for him?"
"Whenever they could steal an hour. Oh, he's going to love it. Well, what's this?"
"What?"
"That," Anna said and stared hard through the glass. She could see Grace talking, her hands locked together, Ethan staring at her. Then he lowered his head to hers. "I hope there's not any…" She trailed off as Ethan drew Grace close, buried his face in her hair and rocked. And her arms came up around him. "Oh, oh." Tears flooded Anna's eyes. "She must be--she's pregnant! She's just told him. I know it. Oh, look!" She gripped Sybill's shoulder when Ethan scooped a laughing Grace up into his arms. "Isn't that beautiful?"
The two of them were wrapped around each other, making one silhouette in the last light of day. "Yes, yes, it is."
"Look at me." Laughing at herself, Anna yanked off a paper towel and blew her nose. "I'm a mess. This is going to get to me, I know it is. I'm going to want one." She blew again, sighed. "I was so sure I could wait a year or two. I'm never going to be able to wait that long now. Not for that. I can just see Cam when I--" She stopped herself. "Sorry," she said with a watery laugh.
"It's all right. It's lovely that you're so happy for them. That you're so happy for yourself. This is really a family occasion, especially now. Anna, I really should go."
"Don't be a coward," Anna said, pointing her finger. "You're here, and you're going to have to face this nightmare of indigestion and noise just like the rest of us."
"I simply think--" All she could do was close her mouth when the door burst open. Ethan was still carrying Grace and the pair of them wore huge smiles.
"Anna, we're having a baby." Ethan made the announcement with a catch in his voice.
"What, am I blind?" She brushed Ethan aside to kiss Grace first. "I've had my nose to the window. Oh, congratulations!" Then threw her arms around both of them. "I'm so happy."
"You have to be godmother." Ethan turned his face to kiss her. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."
"Oh, that does it." Anna burst into tears just as Phillip walked in.
"What's going on? Why's Anna crying? Jesus, Ethan, what happened to Grace?"
"I'm fine. I'm wonderful. I'm pregnant."
"No kidding?" He plucked her out of Ethan's arms to kiss her lavishly.
The kitchen was pandemonium. Aubrey was squealing, Seth was talking a mile a minute. Potatoes were frying, with Grace manning the stove since Cam had Anna trapped against the refrigerator with a gleam of pure lust in his eyes.
"You know how I get when I see you in an apron."
"I know how you get when you see me breathe." And she hoped it would never change. Nonetheless, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Hands off, Quinn. I'm busy."
"You've been slaving over a hot stove. You really ought to take a shower. With me."
"I'm not going to--" She spotted the movement out of the corner of her eye. "There you are, Sybill." In a move that looked very practiced, and very effective to Sybill, Anna shifted and jammed her elbow into her husband's stomach. "What can I get you to drink?"
"Ah… the coffee smells wonderful, thank you."
"I'll take a beer." Cam snagged one out of the fridge. "And go clean up." He aimed that look at Sybill again, then strode out.
"Seth, stay out of those bags," Anna ordered as she pulled down a mug.
"No gifts yet." She'd made the decision to keep him from opening Sybill's gifts until after dinner. She calculated that his aunt would make her excuses and run as quickly as she could manage it after the little ritual was complete.
"Man! Is it my birthday or what?"
"Yes, if you live through it. Why don't you take Aubrey into the other room? Entertain her for a while. We'll eat as soon as Ethan gets here."
"Well, where is he, anyway?" Grumbling, Seth stalked out with Aubrey on his heels and didn't catch the quick grin Grace and Anna exchanged.
"That goes for you dogs, too." Anna gave Foolish a nudge with her foot and pointed her finger. With canine sighs, both dogs clipped out of the kitchen.
"Peace." Anna closed her eyes to absorb it. "Momentary peace."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
With a shake of her head, Anna passed over the mug of coffee. "I think we've got it under control. Ethan should be here any minute. In the big surprise." She walked to the window to look out through the gathering dark. "I hope you've brought an adolescent appetite," she added.
"Tonight's menu consists of pepperoni-and-sausage pizza, peanut-oil fries, homemade hot fudge sundaes, and Grace's killer chocolate cake."
"We'll all be in the hospital," Sybill commented before she thought it through. Even as she winced, Anna was laughing.
"We who are about to die salute you. Uh-oh, there's Ethan." She'd lowered her voice to a stage whisper. At the stove, Grace dropped her slotted spoon with a clatter. "Did you burn yourself?"
"No, no." Chuckling weakly, Grace stepped back. "No, I'm, ah… I'm just going to run out and… help Ethan."
"All right but--hmmm," Anna finished when Grace hurried past her and out the door. "Jumpy," she muttered, then hit the outside lights. "It's not quite dark yet, but it will be by the time we finish this." She salvaged the last of the fries and switched off the stove. "Cam and Phillip better put a fire under it. Oh, God, it's cute! Can you see?"
Too curious to resist, Sybill joined her at the kitchen window. She saw Grace standing on the dock, caught in the last light of the day, and Ethan just stepping onto it. "It's a boat," she murmured. "A little sailboat."
"A ten-footer. They call it a pram." Anna's smile nearly split her face.
"The three of them have been building it over at Ethan's old house--the one he rents out? The tenants let them use the shed over there so Seth wouldn't know about it."
"They built it for him?"
"Whenever they could steal an hour. Oh, he's going to love it. Well, what's this?"
"What?"
"That," Anna said and stared hard through the glass. She could see Grace talking, her hands locked together, Ethan staring at her. Then he lowered his head to hers. "I hope there's not any…" She trailed off as Ethan drew Grace close, buried his face in her hair and rocked. And her arms came up around him. "Oh, oh." Tears flooded Anna's eyes. "She must be--she's pregnant! She's just told him. I know it. Oh, look!" She gripped Sybill's shoulder when Ethan scooped a laughing Grace up into his arms. "Isn't that beautiful?"
The two of them were wrapped around each other, making one silhouette in the last light of day. "Yes, yes, it is."
"Look at me." Laughing at herself, Anna yanked off a paper towel and blew her nose. "I'm a mess. This is going to get to me, I know it is. I'm going to want one." She blew again, sighed. "I was so sure I could wait a year or two. I'm never going to be able to wait that long now. Not for that. I can just see Cam when I--" She stopped herself. "Sorry," she said with a watery laugh.
"It's all right. It's lovely that you're so happy for them. That you're so happy for yourself. This is really a family occasion, especially now. Anna, I really should go."
"Don't be a coward," Anna said, pointing her finger. "You're here, and you're going to have to face this nightmare of indigestion and noise just like the rest of us."
"I simply think--" All she could do was close her mouth when the door burst open. Ethan was still carrying Grace and the pair of them wore huge smiles.
"Anna, we're having a baby." Ethan made the announcement with a catch in his voice.
"What, am I blind?" She brushed Ethan aside to kiss Grace first. "I've had my nose to the window. Oh, congratulations!" Then threw her arms around both of them. "I'm so happy."
"You have to be godmother." Ethan turned his face to kiss her. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."
"Oh, that does it." Anna burst into tears just as Phillip walked in.
"What's going on? Why's Anna crying? Jesus, Ethan, what happened to Grace?"
"I'm fine. I'm wonderful. I'm pregnant."
"No kidding?" He plucked her out of Ethan's arms to kiss her lavishly.
