“Come on up to the deck, we’ll introduce you to the crew.” Clay waved the three of them toward the house. A few of the guys were already drinking beers, but most were drinking bottled water. Clay raised his voice. “Everyone, this is KC, Daphne, and Skylar.”
An assortment of greetings filled the air as the guys waved back.
“Where’d you learn to throw like that?” Perry called to KC.
“I have brothers.” She held up three fingers.
Skylar put her arm around KC. “Don’t underestimate this one. She’s tiny, but she’s also not human. It’s only a matter of time before some government scientist shows up and hauls her away for research.”
KC leaned her head against Skylar’s shoulder. “Aw, thanks.”
Doug pointed to KC and Daphne, then to Skylar. “These two are going to join the game in the second half, and this one wants a beer.” He looked at Skylar. “That was an assumption about your wanting a beer, but a correct one I hope?”
“Very correct,” she said with a strong nod. “You’re good. If you ever want to get out of the radio business and explore the world of sales, give me a call. I’m always looking for talented people.”
Doug laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Now beer me, please,” she said.
Scott quickly leaned over the railing and handed Skylar a frosty bottle. “I gotcha. Skylar, was it?”
“Yes, and you are . . . ?” She looked up and took the bottle with a casual smile and a subtle bat of the eyelashes, again providing no hint that she was already well aware of his name. Daphne watched her friend in action and felt like she was taking a clinic in how to remain calm, cool, and collected in any social situation. I need to learn from her.
She glanced at her tote bag and again wished it didn’t look so . . . practical, if not downright maternal. At least it didn’t have a sippy cup and little plastic bags filled with Cheerios inside.
Doug clapped his hands together a few times and shouted. “Okay people, let’s get moving. Lactic acid’s a bitch; can’t let it build up.”
KC smiled up at him, her eyes bright. “You know what lactic acid is?”
He tapped his temple. “I’m a radio personality. My entire profession is based on knowing just enough to make people think I know a hell of a lot more than I actually do.”
She put her hand up for a high five. “My husband would love you.”
After a few minutes most of the players had come down from the deck to reassemble the teams and prepare to start the second half. Daphne, who was now standing next to Clay, bit her lip. “I hope I’m not too much of a weak link.” She pointed to KC, who was already on the beach, jogging in place and stretching. “If you haven’t already noticed, Mia Hamm over there’s the athlete of our trio.”
“Hey, don’t be stealing my nicknames,” Skylar said to her.
Daphne turned her head. “Have you already called her Mia Hamm this trip? I’ve lost track.”
Skylar took a sip of her beer. “Well, if I hadn’t yet, I would have at some point this week. That one’s definitely in my rotation.”
Daphne laughed. “You and your rotations.”
Skylar winked at her. “Don’t be knocking my systems.”
Clay gestured toward the rest of the group. “I don’t think you have much to worry about. Half the guys are still recovering from last night, and the other half are in terrible shape. We’re getting old.”
Daphne smiled to herself. That’s what you think.
Ignoring the last part of his comment, Skylar calmly took a sip of her beer. “What did your gang do last night that requires recovery?” She directed the question to Clay but turned her gaze to an approaching Scott, who was among the last to arrive from the deck.
“We went to the Castaway,” Clay said.
Skylar raised her eyebrows. “How was it? We were supposed to go, but these two pansies said they needed their beauty sleep.” She gestured to Daphne and then to KC, who was now jogging in place about twenty feet away.
“It was fun, definitely the most happening spot in this part of the island,” Scott said. “I’m sure we’ll end up there again tonight if you want to come check it out.”
“Then maybe we’ll see you there. Even if I have to drag these two by their ponytails, we’re going out tonight. They already promised me. Right, Daphne?”
Daphne protectively reached for the back of her neck, imagining what that would feel like. “Right.”
“Can I grab you another brew or some water before we kick off again?” Scott asked Skylar as he pointed toward the deck.
Skylar smiled at him. “A water would be lovely, thanks. I’ll join you.”
As Scott and Skylar made their way up toward the house, Clay watched after them for a moment, then looked at Daphne. “She’s a spirited one, isn’t she?”
Daphne nodded. “You have no idea. You do not want to get on her bad side.”
“Well, for the record, I think it worked,” he said.
She turned and looked up at him. “You think what worked?”
“The beauty sleep you got last night. Now come on, let’s go play some football.” He jogged onto the beach.
Before she could react, KC yelled and waved for her to join them. “Come on, Daphne!” Doug was standing next to her now.
Daphne kept her head down as she walked quickly toward the sandy field, hoping no one could see how much Clay’s comment had just made her blush.
Or how good it had made her feel.
Daphne and KC played the entire second half of the game, which lasted a hair over thirty minutes before everyone decided to throw in the towel and head back to the deck—and the cooler of beers sitting on it. Daphne successfully met her modest goals of (a) not getting hurt and (b) not embarrassing herself. She also had much more fun than she expected to. Once the game got going, she didn’t feel self-conscious about the age gap between her and KC and the guys, and she was surprised by how friendly the players on both teams were to her. She caught three passes and only dropped one, so for her, it was a resounding victory, even though her team lost.
While Daphne was thrilled just to have made it through the game unscathed, KC, on the other hand, stole the show from the opening drive. Her athletic prowess impressed not just Doug, but anyone who knew anything about football. Not only did she throw multiple touchdowns from the quarterback position, but on the last play of the game she discreetly changed roles with Doug to move to wide receiver. Under normal circumstances she wouldn’t have been able to outrun anyone on the other team—except for Daphne, of course, whose job to that point had been to watch for a quarterback sneak. The surprising switch caught the other team on their heels, and Daphne on the wrong part of the field, or, more accurately, the wrong part of the sandpit. Terminology notwithstanding, the momentary confusion allowed KC to run down the beach unimpeded—and catch the winning pass unguarded. Once she was safely inside the end zone, she chucked the green Nerf ball high in the air, then plowed straight into the water, diving headfirst under a wave in celebration. Her team quickly followed, all of them splashing and hooting and hollering. The team began to pump their fists and chant: “KC! KC! KC!”
Clay and Daphne stood on the beach with their fellow teammates, watching the celebration erupt.
“She’s like a goddamn hummingbird,” one of the guys said.
“Amazing,” another guy said.
Clay nodded. “I get tired just watching her. Where does she get all that energy?”
Daphne made the universal “I’m clueless” shrug. “She’s been bouncing off the walls since the day I met her. Sometimes I think she has caffeine in her veins instead of blood.”
Clay laughed. “You and she have been buddies a long time?”
She nodded. “We lived in the same dorm freshman year. Skylar too.”
“Ah . . . so you’re all Northwestern brainiacs,” he said with a slow nod. “That explains a lot.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Explains a lot about what?”
He smiled. “I’m just messing with you.”
She swallowed and felt her neck get a little hot. “What about this group? How did you all meet? Or is it kind of a hodgepodge whose only connection is the groom?”
Clay put his arm around the guy standing next to him, the one who’d compared KC to a hummingbird. “The bulk of us went to business school together, and a few of the guys, like this chump here, are Perry’s buddies from undergrad at Rutgers,” he said.
“Do you have a fancy name too?” Daphne asked the friend.
“Hardly. I’m Steve. Doesn’t get much more common than Steve.”
She smiled. “I don’t know about that. What about John?”
He laughed. “My last name’s Johnson.”
She laughed too. “Okay, you win. I can’t help you.” I’m joking around with attractive younger men!
“She sure showed them how it’s done, didn’t she?” a female voice called.
Daphne turned her head and saw Skylar approaching them, gesturing toward the water. “Check out our girl,” Skylar said.
Daphne’s eyes followed Skylar’s arm. KC was now perched on top of Doug’s shoulders, horsing around and hollering like one of the guys.
“I want to be like her when I grow up,” Skylar said.
Clay laughed. “Me too.”
“Me three,” Daphne said.
As they stood there watching the revelry continue, Daphne realized that it had been a long time since she’d been surrounded by so much lightheartedness. It felt great.
Chapter Seven
After hot showers and lunch at a tiny beachside café, the three friends went window shopping along the main drag marking the center of town—a charming, picturesque area lined with winding cobblestone streets that didn’t appear to follow any sort of grid or structured pattern whatsoever. Most of the buildings were quaint one-story structures, with the occasional two-story unit housing an array of assorted businesses. Daphne noticed two law firms, two dentist offices, one accounting firm, and one sign for a shared chiropractic/acupuncture outfit. The rest of the storefronts dotting the sidewalks were a mixture of restaurants, boutiques, combination coffee/dessert shops, and nail salons, their white stucco facades freshly scrubbed and practically sparkling; each roof was topped by the rounded clay caps emblematic of the Mediterranean style, and many boasted matching ceramic pots full of brightly colored flowers on the windowsills.
As they wandered the free-flowing streets and explored the tiny alleys of the hamlet, Daphne felt like she was in another era, light years away from Grandview Heights. Had she really been out of Ohio for only two days?
Most of the storefronts they encountered presented modest, tasteful window dressings. A handful, however, featured bolder offerings inside. One shoe store displayed a particularly outrageous rack of boots.
“Check those out.” Daphne pointed to a thigh-high pair made with red, white, and blue snakeskin. The spiked heels looked to be at least four inches long.
Skylar held up a defensive hand. “Beyond tacky. They’re clearly going for the shock value.”
KC looked down at her midsection. “Those things would go up to my vagina.”
Skylar laughed as they moved away from the store. “That brings new meaning to the term shock value.” She pointed to a sundress on a mannequin in the next window, then spoke to KC. “I can’t picture you in those boots, but I bet that little number would look great on you. Let’s go try it on.”
“Do I have to?” KC asked. “Can’t we go in there instead?” She pointed to a store across the street called Ryan’s Sports Shack.
“You can’t possibly need more workout gear,” Skylar said. “C’mon, show some estrogen for once and try on a pretty dress for me?”
KC sighed. “Okay, fine. Will you at least work out with me if I try it on? A dress up for a workout?”
“Perhaps . . . definitely maybe . . . we’ll see.” Skylar opened the door to the boutique. “But first, let’s see that baby on you.”
The three of them ducked inside the pleasant yet slightly cramped shop, and Skylar and Daphne perused the jewelry display while KC took the dress to the tiny fitting room in the back.
“You doing okay today?” Skylar asked, her voice a bit hushed. “You seem to be, but I don’t want to push.”
Daphne picked up a dangly gold earring and held it to one ear in front of a mirror. “I’m doing much better than yesterday, but given where I was yesterday, that’s not saying a lot.”
“It’ll take time. I’m just glad you finally opened up to us. I knew there was something off with you, right from when we met at the airport, but I wanted to wait until you were ready to talk about it.”
Daphne looked at her. “You did?” She thought she’d done a pretty good job of concealing how she was really feeling. Maybe not a spectacular job, but a decent job.
Skylar nodded. “It was pretty clear something was eating at you.”
“How so?”
Skylar sorted through a rack of colorful beaded necklaces. “The best way I can think to explain it is that you didn’t seem like yourself. You seemed, I don’t know . . . vanilla.”
Daphne didn’t respond, but her eyes said, Could you elaborate?
“You know, a little bland, a little going through the motions, which is unlike you,” Skylar said.
Daphne frowned. Vanilla was the perfect word for how she’d been feeling. For way too long. And I’m supposed to be the one who’s good with words.
Skylar held up a necklace for inspection. “One of the things I’ve always loved about you is how engaged you are, Daphne. I don’t mean bouncing off the walls like KC, but that you have a spark about you, you know?”
Daphne nodded slowly. Skylar was right. What happened to that part of me?
Skylar returned the necklace and put a hand on Daphne’s arm. “I know the old Daphne is in there somewhere—I’ve seen little glimpses of her today. We just need to figure out how to get her back full-time.”
Daphne felt a few tears welling up in her eyes, but for the first time in a long time, they weren’t entirely tears of sadness. They were also tears of optimism.
“Please don’t give up on me, Skylar,” she whispered.
Skylar shook her head. “Never. I’m a bulldog, remember? I don’t give up on anything I care about, and I care a lot about you.”
“Thank you,” Daphne said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
“Okay, pals, what do you think?”
They both turned their heads at the sound of KC’s voice at the back of the store. She took off her baseball cap and flung it at her friends, then held out her arms and did a little twirl.
Daphne caught the baseball hat and carefully tucked it into her tote bag for safekeeping. She also removed a tissue and discreetly dabbed at the remaining tears.
“Well? Am I a Greek goddess?” KC shimmied her hips side to side, runway-style. The white dress she had on had spaghetti straps with thick horizontal pink stripes.
Skylar chuckled and covered her mouth with her hand. “I know I picked it out, so hate to say this, but you kind of look like a candy striper.”
KC looked crushed. “Darn. For real? I was kind of digging it. The stretchy material is supercomfy.”
Skylar turned to Daphne. “Back me up here?”
Daphne shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m with Skylar on this one. I feel like I’m in a hospital right now.”
KC held up her palms in surrender, then turned on her heel and mock-stormed into the dressing room with a laugh. “Okay, fine. But don’t say I didn’t try!”
“Now we know who to go to if we need some first aid, though,” Skylar
called after her.
“Wow, she really did look like a teenybopper in that thing,” Daphne said. “From the neck down she could have passed for one of Emma’s friends.”
Skylar began sifting through the dress rack. “We’ll find her something. I’m determined to put a little salsa in that señora if it kills me. So speaking of Emma, earlier you said she was in Utah. Is it her spring break?”
Daphne hesitated before replying. “Yes, she’s in Park City with Brian . . . and Alyssa.” All three of them. Together. Get used to it.
Skylar saw the strain on Daphne’s face. “I gather this is the first time she’s gone on a real vacation with Alyssa?”
Daphne nodded. “The first of many, I suppose. Alyssa’s got all kinds of money.”
“That might not be a bad thing. Sometimes traveling opens the mind a lot more than a textbook can,” Skylar said.
“I know. I just need to get used to the idea that there’s another mother figure in her life now. I hate that.”
“I’m sorry, hon. You know it’ll get easier, right?”
Daphne sighed. “I know. I just want it to get easier faster.”
Skylar smiled. “There’s that wit. But you’ll adapt. That’s the roughest part of anything difficult, getting used to it.”
KC appeared next to them. “Okay, my personal shoppers, have you found me anything else, or am I off the hook?”
Skylar held up another white sundress, this one strapless and embroidered with tiny blue-and-green flowers. “Try this one. It’s supercute.”
“You want me to try on a strapless dress?” KC asked.
“Did I stutter?” Skylar said.
Daphne reached for the dress. “Wait a minute. I think this is the same pattern as my duvet cover at the beach house.”
“It is?” Skylar held the hanger up and studied it. “My duvet cover’s white with blue swirls.”
Daphne nodded. “It’s exactly the same as mine. This dress could have been made from the same fabric.”
KC grabbed for the dress. “That’s awesome! I could lie on your bed wearing this and I would be completely camouflaged. Strapless or not, that alone is worth seeing if it fits.”
Wait for the Rain Page 13
