“No, thanks.” Her tone is casual, like he’s offered her a stick of gum. Her eyes are on Allegra. Calan wonders if he should go to his cousin, maybe scoop her up, cause a distraction. She’s been very quiet lately, which isn’t uncommon for Allegra: she’s a self-sufficient girl. Normally, Calan appreciates this—he’s always enjoyed being by himself, probably an only child thing—but right now it’s less than ideal.
“Not your poison?” Andy asks. His face is twisted in a permanent smirk. It makes Calan want to punch him.
“Not really,” she says. And then she adds, in a hushed, stern tone, “And I’d appreciate it if you left. I’m working and it’s not appropriate to have that around a child.”
Andy glances at Allegra and stuffs his stash in his pocket. “Sorry.”
Calan is pleased to see the confidence dispel from Andy’s face.
“I’m not a pothead or anything.” A shrug from Andy. “I just do it to earn some extra cash.”
Malaika’s eyes snap to attention.
Calan freezes. He knows she’s been trying to come up with ways to make more money, but surely, she won’t deal drugs, will she? Calan wishes he had telepathic powers like Professor X so he could advise Malaika to stay the hell away from Andy.
Now, Malaika is staring at Andy with a look of newfound curiosity.
“I also sell pills,” Andy says.
“Pills?”
“Pharmaceuticals. Percocet, Ambien, Prozac…” he says. “I can also get E if that’s your thing.”
“I don’t use anything.”
“So why did you—” he stops short and narrows his eyes at Malaika. “You looking to make some extra money?”
Malaika doesn’t answer, but her face does all the talking for her. Andy is about to say something else when Allegra calls out to Malaika.
“Maika! Maika!”
“Excuse me.” Malaika gets up from her chair.
“You guys should go,” Calan says. “My mom’s going to be home soon, and I’m not supposed to have anyone over.” A lie—his mom is home. She had woken up this morning with puffy eyes, dragged herself to the family room, pulled down the ladder from the trapdoor in the ceiling, and made her way up to their attic. He knows what his mom is doing up there. It’s what she always does when she’s upset: organizing. Never mind that their attic is already perfectly orderly, as is the rest of their house.
Andy and Ralph leave while Malaika is attending to Allegra. Calan is relieved that Andy didn’t ask for Malaika’s number or anything. He knows that Malaika is determined to make money, but selling drugs isn’t the way to do it. He’ll warn her as soon as Allegra takes her nap.
Interview with Main Street business owners
Lori Hamilton and Clive Hamilton (Clive’s Cuts); Sarah Doherty (Old Friends); and Kailey Spence (Must Haves)
Sarah: Eva’s pregnancy took everyone by surprise.
Clive: Literally no one was surprised.
Sarah: You’re saying you knew about it before everyone else did? Why didn’t you tell us, then? Why did you let us find out through some random tweet?
Lori: Gosh, that tweet! It was a picture of an ultrasound, wasn’t it? What kind of an announcement was that?
Kailey: It wasn’t an announcement. The tweet didn’t come from Eva.
Sarah: Right. It was a rumor.
Clive: It wasn’t a rumor. Everyone took it seriously.
Kailey: Who’s everyone?
Clive: The Dewars. And, to answer your question, Sarah, no, I didn’t know she was pregnant, and I didn’t say that. I said I wasn’t surprised she got pregnant because that’s obviously where things were headed. Think back to the video she put out, the very first one, where she told the world she had an affair with Bobby. Remember how confident she sounded? Didn’t it seem like she was telling the truth?
Lori: Well, I thought she was way out of line demanding that Bobby resign—
Clive: Yes, but didn’t she sound like a woman who’d actually had a romantic relationship with him?
Kailey: I don’t know about that.
Sarah: She did. Even I have to admit that.
Clive: And yet she hasn’t come forward with any evidence. Hasn’t handed in any pictures or emails or texts, even though she was with him for—how long was it? Nine months? Why do you think that is?
Lori: Because the affair never happened!
Sarah: No, I see what you’re saying. It’s because any evidence she turns over will prove there was nothing abusive about their affair. It was purely consensual. Maybe even a love story. We’re talking about two adults, after all.
Clive: Exactly. And because she’s pregnant, she has an ace up her sleeve. They’ll run a DNA test after the birth.
Sarah: So why is Bobby still denying he had any type of involvement with her? Does he not think he’s the father?
Clive: That’s the part I still haven’t figured out.
Kailey: They can’t both be telling the truth.
Sarah: Maybe they’re both lying.
Twenty-Three
Gina
Tuesday, October 1st
Gina is at Daisy’s Market studying their spices selection.
It feels odd, being here on a Tuesday. It’s a clear deviation of her routine, not to mention an act of domestic madness—everyone knows Daisy’s receives fresh produce on Mondays—but Gina is keen on preparing a recipe that requires nutmeg. And the one thing that offers Gina a modicum of comfort, other than spending time with Calan, is cooking.
She’s just located the nutmeg when Missy’s shrill voice invades her ears.
“Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, the Hamptons, Nantucket,” Missy recites. “Do you know what all these places have in common, Jane?”
Gina instinctively takes a few steps back. Missy is just one aisle over. Now that news of Eva Stone’s pregnancy is out there, Gina would rather go unseen. At this point, it’s just a rumor—the firm Bobby has hired to investigate the accusation got a tip, unconfirmed. Gina keeps waiting for her phone to ping, broadcasting another video from Eva on social media,
