Page 100 of These Summer Storms

“Be careful, you two!” Claudia called. “You don’t want to fall in!”

From the looks of them, it seemed like Roxanne and Claudia were the ones at risk of falling in. “Glad someone is having a good time,” Alice said.

“Yeah,” Gabi agreed. “I figured she and Claudia would get along.” She raised her voice as they approached. “What are you guys doing? Roxanne, you agreed to be our cover when we snuck out!”

“I know! I know! And then Greta disappeared with some guy—”

“Tony,” Claudia cut in, with a meaningful look at Alice.

“Is she doing it?” Alice was shocked by the possibility.

“Oh shit,” Gabi said, understanding. “Do you think she’d do it now? With all these people?”

“I can’t imagine she would,” Alice said, feeling suddenly guilty that she’d left before she could tell Greta that now was not the moment to break up a decades-long secret relationship. “But maybe? Safety in numbers?”

“I don’t think she’s doing it. They were headed to the fog bell house.”

“Ah,” Alice said.

“Okay, so Greta’s having sex with a man built like a sturdy oak in thefog bell house,” Roxanne said, as though it were perfectly normal. “But what is shesupposedto be doing with him?”

“I guess you’ll never know,” Gabi teased, knowing just where to strike—gossip. “That’s your punishment for bailing on your one job.”

“Oh, come on,” Roxanne protested. “I promise I told countless people that you and Alice were just over there, on the other side of that crowd of elderly white men, but then Claudia came over and offered to introduce me to some of the fun people here and…honestly, it was pretty great.”

“What good are you?”

“Wait, there are fun people here?”

Claudia tilted her head. “Okay, maybe not fun in the traditional sense, but there are definitely people who aremore interestingthan others.”

“Like who?” Alice asked.

“Well, my favorite is Nealy Twill, who told her that great story about the time she got stoned in the Azores with two members of the Beatles.”

“Would you believe she wouldn’t name them?” Roxanne sounded affronted.

“Nealy Twill has been around lawyers long enough to know that you shouldn’t name real people when you’re telling fictional stories,” Alice said before looking at Claudia. “I didn’t know that you had favorites.”

“Of course I do. I’m just smart enough to stay quiet about it—drawing attention to yourself as an in-law in this family has never ended well.”

Alice nodded. “I’ve always liked you best.”

Claudia grinned. “Your mom agrees.”

Alice was delighted that Claudia replied, open and chatty in a way she rarely was when alone with the family (a brilliant play). “I like all the weird ones—but don’t tell your mom that I called them weird.” Her sister-in-law reached down to take off her heels. “Anyway. It’s my fault Roxanne left her post. There’s only so much Storm I can take alone.” She raised a hand in Alice’s direction. “No offense, Alice.”

“None taken,” Alice replied. “I feel the same way.”

Roxanne was still going. “And then, Claudia introduced me to thisincredibleman.”

Claudia grinned. “Your dad’s friend Tom.”

“Ah,” Alice said. “I bet you liked him.”

“I did,” Roxanne said.

“Who is your dad’s friend Tom?” Gabi asked.