“That’s better.” Juliana smiled broadly.


Baylor hated lying to Juliana, but it was because of their friendship, and the expression on her face, that Baylor surrendered. The reality was that she wanted to keep Juliana as far away from her new friends as possible. Did I just think of the nuts on this island as my friends?


She still couldn’t get past the idea that Juliana would ridicule her newfound feelings for this place, its people, and most of all, for Hobie. It never occurred to her that Juliana might be accepting of everything and everyone on the island. Therefore, she did what she had been good at for so many years: she covered up her true feelings. She did have one fleeting thought. Is it that I don’t want Juliana near any of these people, or just Hobie?


“Care to tell me what the deal is between you and Hobie?”


“I told you—”


“Yeah, yeah, the just friends bit. I know that’s what you said, but was it what you meant?”

“What do you mean, ‘what I meant’?”


“I saw the way you two looked at each other. There was, I don’t know, like some kind of spark or something. Are you trying to tell me there’s nothing going on there?”

Baylor hesitated for a fraction of a second, and that was her undoing. Juliana read the vacillation perfectly.

“I like her, all right? As a friend!” “You just like her,” Juliana repeated.

“Yeah. I don’t like her, like her. I just like her. What?” Baylor stared indignantly at Juliana.

“I haven’t heard anyone use that expression since I was in the sixth grade,” Juliana said before she burst into laughter.

“You’re a regular fuckin’comedian.” Baylor turned her back and pulled a linen jacket on over her tank top.

“It’s just that you’re about as transparent as glass. Why don’t you tell this girl that you want her?”

“It’s not like that between us.” “You mean you’re chicken.”

“I am not chicken!” Baylor shouted. “We are just friends!” “Then you won’t mind if I ask her out.”

If one statement could have been the equivalent of dropping a bomb into the middle of a room, that one was it. All Baylor could do was stare at her friend in disbelief.

“Just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?”


“For starters, no wonder you haven’t been on a date down here if you don’t understand what asking a woman out means. Secondly, I think she’s pretty damned attractive and nice, to boot. If you don’t want her that way, well...”

“I think that would be a bad idea.” Baylor found her voice at last. “A very bad idea.” She began to pace, her cast thumping loudly on the wooden floor.

“And why is that?” Juliana folded her arms across her chest and looked at her friend with an amused expression, which was lost on Baylor.


“Because…because…because Hobie doesn’t need any problems in her life right now.” Baylor pointed at Juliana.

“I wasn’t planning to marry her. I was thinking more about a little dinner, drinks, maybe a little snogging.”

“She is not that kind of girl.” “You said she had a kid.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”


“It means she was that kind of girl at least once.” Juliana wiggled her eyebrows.

“You are sick, ya know that?” Baylor shouted across the room.

Juliana laughed aloud. “Look, Baylor—”


Baylor firmly placed her palms flat against her ears. “I can’t hear you. The crazy woman’s mouth is moving, but I am not listening.” She hummed loudly but couldn’t drown out Juliana’s next question.

“If you want this girl for yourself, mate, why don’t you just tell me so?”

“What? Just because I think that maybe you shouldn’t waltz into town and shag my friend, that means I want her?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Unless...” Juliana paused as if remembering something. “Unless you’re afraid to admit that you like this girl. Even to me.”

Baylor turned pale. “I-I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She turned her back on Juliana again, grabbed her wallet, and shoved it into her jacket pocket.

“Oh, my God!” Juliana watched Baylor frantically pace back and forth across the dining room. “Sally Ann Kapinski!”

Baylor turned to face her friend. “You agreed never to bring her up again!”

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Juliana shook her head in wonderment. “You were in love with Sally, but you were afraid to admit it. You were afraid that everyone would laugh at you.”

“You’re full of shit,” Baylor snarled.


“Afraid that everyone would make fun of you,” Juliana continued. “The most eligible lesbian in Chicago finally having her wings clipped and putting on the old ball and chain. That’s it, isn’t it? You knew you’d take shit from all of us, so you chickened out. You never told Sally how you felt and she left you because of it.”

“You know what? I don’t care. I didn’t give a damn about Sally Kapinski then, and I don’t give a damn about Hobie Allen now. If you want to make a fool of yourself by asking her out, then go on and do it!” Baylor straightened her jacket and struggled to gain control of her temper. “Just leave me out of your little plan. Now can we get going or do you want to analyze my fucking life a little more, Doctor?”

Juliana stood in silence for a moment longer. “I’m thinking stress management might be something you want to look into, mate.”

Baylor released a strangled cry of frustration, then spoke in a slow, calm voice. “I’m going to kill you one day. I’m going to make it slow and painful, I swear. No, even better, I’m going to bide my time until one day, they’re holding a sanity hearing for you. Then I’m going to explain, in great detail, what a complete and utter lunatic you are.”

Juliana grinned and scooped up the Jaguar’s keys off the table. “Promises, promises.”

Juliana’s lighthearted laughter followed Baylor as she walked out the front door. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, wondering how her night could possible get any worse.



“You look like a million bucks,” Baylor said to Hobie, who wore a sleek pale blue dress that clung to her body in a manner that made it hard for Baylor to concentrate on anything else. She had made it a point to search out Hobie before Juliana had a chance to talk to her.

“Thanks. You’re looking pretty sharp yourself,” Hobie said. “You know, I’m glad we have a few minutes alone. There’s something I need to talk to you about. It has to do with Noah. You see, he—”

“Hiya, Baylor.” Noah tugged on Baylor’s pants leg to get her attention.

“Hey, Bubba. What’s up?” Baylor looked down at the youngster and immediately became concerned. “What in the hel—heck happened to you?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk with you about,” Hobie said. Baylor quickly reached down and scooped Noah into her arms. He sported a broad smile and one black eye.


“Noah, what happened?” Baylor was beyond concerned as she examined his bruise. Her distress over the boy wasn’t lost on Hobie.

“Well,” Noah began as he gesticulated wildly with his hands, “Billy Crenshaw came up to me and he says, ‘Give me your milk money or else,’ and I said, ‘Or else what?’ ‘Or else I’m gonna sock you,’he says. So I said just what you told me. I said, ‘Forget it, you rat bastard, my money is for my milk!’” Noah beamed, Hobie arched an eyebrow, and Baylor cringed at the language that the youngster had picked up from her.

“Then what happened?” Baylor looked almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Then he hit me. I fell down, but you know what, Baylor?” Baylor dumbly shook her head.

“When he hit me and I fell down, it hurt, but it didn’t hurt near as bad as I ’spected it to. So I jumped back up and I held up my fists just like you showed me, with my thumbs on the outside, and I said, ‘You still ain’t getting my money, you rat bastard.’He says, ‘I’ll hit you again,’and I said, ‘Just you try.’When he tried, I punched him right in the tummy, just like you said. He cried like a baby. That’s when the teacher called Mom.” Noah giggled and swung his legs.

“Wow, I...um...” Baylor could feel Hobie’s eyes boring into her. She was unsure what to say. She had thought the bully would back down, giving her time to explain the situation to Hobie. Typical of Baylor, however, she hadn’t yet been able to find the nerve to broach the subject.

“Noah, sweetheart, why don’t you let me talk to Baylor alone. Okay?”

“’Kay,” he said as Baylor settled him onto his feet. “All right, I’m waiting.” Hobie looked up at Baylor. “Okay...um...”


“Tell me there’s a good explanation for this. Tell me that you had a good, solid reason to teach my son to hit someone. Tell me that I’m only imagining that it was a stupid, reckless, dangerous thing for you to do. Please, Baylor, give me some kind of an intelligent answer to all of this.”

Baylor looked panicked. This wasn’t exactly the way she had pictured the evening starting.

“Baylor?” Hobie pressed.


“I...I...oh, shit. I’m really trying to come up with something solid for you here, Hobie, but man. The truth is I did teach him a few things, but only self-defense moves, I swear. I honestly thought the bully would back down, you know? Oh, hell, I’m really sorry.”

“Apology accepted.”


Baylor quickly looked up from her shoes. In order not to meet Hobie’s intense gaze, she had chosen that moment to find something fascinating about them. “Did you just accept my apology?”

“I did.”


“Okay.” Baylor looked around. “Your brother’s around somewhere to kick the shit out of me, right?”