Chapter 14 #3
“We can get a bunch of them for the table!” Sally suggested. “Try a few, like the vegetable pizza, the pepperoni pizza . . .
or whatever anyone wants!”
“Sally, you’re doing well?” Celia asked.
“Good as gold, thank you!” Sally assured her. “Though we heard that there was excitement on the dive trip.”
“My fault!” Celia said. “I mean, I meant to be good! But it’s a wreck, it’s fascinating and I don’t get that kind of excitement
often! Anyway, I’m pretty sure that Darlene’s hose got compromised while everyone was trying to help me!”
“But it’s all good,” Daniel said. “And . . . okay, there’s an elephant in this room, or at this table, anyway. Edward—”
“She’s in the brig,” Edward said. “If you’re asking about Amelia, she’s in the brig. She’s screaming and ranting and threatening
all kinds of lawsuits—against the ship, the captain, me, you name it! On the one hand, she could be totally innocent, just
a nice person trying to do a nice thing. Of course, she claims that she had no idea the chocolate had nuts in it and that
she didn’t think she could hurt anyone with a goodwill gesture to a new friend. But! Thankfully, our captain is no fool!”
“True, but . . . wow. I am stunned, still,” Celia said. “I mean, not really well, but I’ve known Amelia for years. I find
it so hard to think that . . . to think that she would really want to hurt someone!”
“Possibly kill them!” Edward said angrily.
“Eddie!” Sally murmured.
He shook his head. “I could swear she knew that Sally was allergic. And I’m willing to bet she knew that the chocolate had been made with ground nuts.”
“Well, she’s in the brig. But hm, I wonder what they will charge her with,” Jeff said. “It will be hard for prosecutors to
prove that she wasn’t just trying to be nice and that she didn’t know there were nuts in the chocolate and Sally was deathly
allergic to them.”
Bryan cleared his throat. “Well, one way or the other, the woman is in the brig! And we need to decide on pizza and drinks!”
“And the day did turn out great!” Darlene assured Edward and Sally. “Chloe made me partner with Wes and, man, when it comes
to diving and the water, truly, he is the best!”
“You were fine. We weren’t that deep,” Wes said. “And you were calm—that’s the most important thing.”
“Thanks!” Darlene said. “And we were, thankfully, at the end of the dive and like Celia said, it was so cool! I’d never been
to a wreck before. And, of course!” she said, smiling over at Celia, “we know for our next experience that when you’re warned
about ragged wood and metal, pay attention!”
“We learned!” Celia agreed, laughing. “And onward! To pizza—with absolutely no nuts!” she said.
Their waiter arrived. They ordered breadsticks with marinara dip, mozzarella sticks and four different extra-large pizzas.
And, finally, they got off the topic of Sally’s allergies and the events that had taken place on the wreck.
The rest of the group at the table listened to the waiter for the best wines to accompany their different pizzas.
They didn’t order their nonalcoholic beers.
When asked, Chloe said, “Hm, not for me. I would love to have iced tea. I hate to admit it, but after the dive I’m starving, and wine would hit my stomach like a splash of pure acid right now. I’m a lightweight.”
“Wes?” Edward asked.
“I’ll go iced tea, too,” Wes said.
Broderick laughed. “You are a good husband!” he said.
“Yeah, yeah, always! As she wishes it!” he said lightly. “Naw, tonight I’m just really wiped out. A lightweight in my own
way!”
Their drinks arrived almost immediately and soon after their appetizers, then the pizzas.
They talked about the next day.
Yes, there were going to be classes.
“And I will honestly explain about Amelia,” Edward said, “and, of course, apologize about it being my invitation that brought
her on the ship—”
“Wait! Should you?” Broderick asked him. “I can only imagine that some people are doubtful that anything was planned. I mean,
well, she’ll be tried in America. Innocent until proven guilty.”
“True!”
The merits of the system along with possible detriments went around the table.
And yet . . .
Wes felt that he knew, knew for certain, that Amelia had meant to harm Sally—if not kill her.
And he knew that Edward felt exactly the same way.
Still, he listened.
Finally, cannoli desserts arrived along with various coffees. And as they finished dessert, he noted that Chloe excused herself
after a well-executed yawn.
“Whoa, that’s it for me! Thank you, everyone. That was a great dinner with new friends!” she said, smiling broadly. “But . . .
“Time to head to the cabin for a bit,” Wes said.
“You do realize it’s dinnertime, right?” Daniel asked, grinning.
“No. I realize it’s nap time!” Chloe said.
She rose and Wes rose, too, looking around the table. “Yeah, hm, the nap may turn into all night and then we’ll be awake when
the roosters crow, but . . .”
Darlene spoke up. “Thank you again! Thank you both so much.”
“You’re so welcome, but you owe us no thanks, really,” Wes assured her. “You were a great partner.”
“And I got a lovely lady for a partner, too,” Bryan said, nodding to Chloe.
“And I just thank everyone—that I’m not still attached to a broken beam or whatever it was down in the wreck!” Celia said.
“Hey, guys, come on! It was just a great day after all, and . . . well, after everything!” Gina told the group.
“It was,” Chloe said. “So, okay, it’s not even really dark. But good night, all!”
“Good night, Chloe. Good night, Wes—you wuss!” Jeff teased.
Wes just grimaced and shrugged. “Hey, you’re the one who called it! It’s all as she wishes!”
He and Chloe looked at one another, grinning. He took her arm so that they could leave the table.
Daniel laughed as they walked away.
“Sleep! Yeah, right!” he said, and though Wes could no longer see the group, he knew that they all smiled and stifled their
laughter.
Truer than they knew.
And yet, good. Very good. It was more than necessary that everyone believed that they were just a loving couple wanting intimate alone time.
They were playing it all right.
And . . .
Maybe just a little bit too true.