“Count on it. I’m scarred from your last go-round. In the annals of pregnancy, you stand as the unchallenged Vomit Queen.”
“Take my crown. I don’t want it.” Yuna grew thoughtful. “Why do they call it ‘morning sickness’ when the nausea strikes at all hours?”
“A man devised the term, I’m sure. Some guy in a lab coat with no firsthand experience with menses or the complete humiliation of a gynecological exam.” Rae winced. “Or the delightful ordeal of labor.”
“Let’s kill him.”
Pregnancy, she mused, altered Yuna’s even-keeled personality in fascinating ways. During her second trimester with Kameko, her staff had banished her to the stockroom, as Yuna couldn’t wait on customers without yelling at them. By the third trimester, Kipp was sleeping on the couch. He’d grown tired of his wife’s late-night complaints that if he really loved her, he’d cut a hole in the mattress, allowing her to drop her belly through. By then, Kameko was doing the merengue on her bladder every ten minutes.
“Rein in those hormones. We’re not doing murder.” Rae glanced at her phone. “It’s almost one o’clock. The witching hour for the Night on the Square meeting.”
“Change of plans. I’m not going. Listening to everyone squabble . . . I’ll hurl on the table.”
“Who’ll run the show if you’re absent?”
Yuna’s head fell back, her dejected gaze settling on the ceiling. “His name is Mayhem,” she joked. “He’ll destroy all my work.”
“I’m glad pregnancy hasn’t stolen your sense of humor,” Rae said, coming to a decision. “And you can cheer up now—I’ll escort you. I’d rather eat dirt, but you’re in no shape to go alone. If you’re a no-show, there will be pandemonium.”
“You’ll come with me? You’re serious?”
“Don’t look surprised.” Rae fished around in her purse. “You knew my loyalty would override my objections.” Finding the tin of mints, she slid them across the table. “If you feel the urge to rush out of the room, I’ll take over. The rest of the time, I’m playing Minion Rush on my phone. Don’t sit us anywhere near Katherine.”
Chatter swirled through the conference room. Rae counted twelve participants, two men and ten women. Half of the faces were unfamiliar. At the head of the table, Katherine and Sally were already seated. Deep in conversation, they seemed oblivious to the noise around them.
Rae led Yuna to the other end.
One of the men, an athletic chiropractor who’d recently moved to Chardon, kicked off the meeting. Should they hire a big band ensemble like last year, or opt for a DJ? The chiropractor had done his homework well. The quotes he handed out fluttered around the table.
A lively conversation ensued. Apparently queasy, Yuna popped a mint into her mouth. She appeared relieved the others weren’t asking her to weigh in.
“Do the meditative breathing,” Rae suggested. It was helpful during Yuna’s last pregnancy. “Deep breaths, slowly. That’s right.”
“Who’s wearing perfume?”
“Every woman in here, except me.” Rae pretended to read the quote, passed on by the woman to her right.
“I want to kill them too.”
“Next time, send a memo. No perfume at the meetings.”
Near the center of the table, a man with bifocals perched on his nose raised his voice. He began talking over the others, listing the merits of an ensemble band. He began debating with the chiropractor who, evidently, was vying for a DJ. Rae considered dozing off.
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted. Someone was watching her.
Startled, she ranged her attention down the table. To Katherine, staring at her with contempt.
Cutting off the exchange, she leaned toward Yuna’s ear. “I have a problem,” she whispered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Check out Katherine. The way she’s looking at me.”
Yuna hazarded a glance. “What do you expect?” Beneath the table, she kicked lightly at Rae’s foot. “You haven’t been exactly friendly. Learn to get as well as you give, sister.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Wait. She’s whispering to Sally. Whatever they’re discussing, Sally looks upset.”
“They’re talking about me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Call it a gut feeling.”
With her eyes planted on her lap, Rae tensed. The others were beginning to notice the short bursts of whispered conversation between her and Yuna.