“I don’t know,” Beth said, looking down at the ground. “I mean, I barely know Suzy and I wasn’t really invited.”

  “Of course you’re invited,” I said. “And you’ll love Suzy and she’ll love you. That’s settled.”

  Beth smiled and nodded.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “And you, Betty?”

  “Of course. Someone is going to have to organize everyone,” she said.

  I gave her a polite smile, one I hoped covered the sinking feeling in my stomach. Not because she was staying, but because I knew she would indeed try to take over, and Suzy wouldn’t just roll her eyes and bear it the way I did.

  Betty laughed, clearly seeing my discomfort, which I obviously hadn’t hidden as well as I thought I had.

  “Relax, Emma. I’m joking. I’d love to stay, but I won’t be getting involved in anything. This is about your friend Suzy, not me. I’ll just be sitting back here, sipping punch and thinking about what a journey Suzy is about to embark on.”

  I smiled again, this time a genuine one.

  “That sounds great. And who knows? You might even win some of the games.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” Betty said. “I’m not up to date on these modern theories. In my day, there weren’t any theories on child rearing. You fed them, clothed them, loved them, and the rest came with time.”

  “Ah, but I’d be willing to bet you’ll be one of the few people here who can fold a cloth diaper properly,” I laughed. “You can give Suzy’s mom a challenge.”

  Betty brightened up at the mention of that.

  “Now that I might be up for. I haven’t folded a diaper in a long time, but it’s like riding a bike, isn’t it? You never forget.”

  Beth and I gathered all of the bags and boxes up and began taking them through to the kitchen and storing them out of the way. Gwen had already prepared the food and it stood there ready and waiting for us. While Beth and I brought it through and set it up on a long table, Betty mixed up some ice cream flavored punch. She also put out jugs of iced water.

  We were just about finished sipping our own cups of punch when someone knocked on the door. I went and opened it.

  Suzy’s mom stood there. She smiled at me and we hugged.

  Within minutes, people began to arrive in a steady stream. There were old school friends of both of ours, friends Suzy had kept up with where I hadn’t so much. There were the girls from the store who worked for Suzy, Brian’s sister and a couple of her friends, and some of the other women from around town. It was a good turnout, with about forty people.

  We sat around drinking punch, catching up and laughing. Betty took charge of the presents with my permission. It was actually very nice to just sit and catch up with some of the old faces and let Betty deal with arranging the presents on the tables we had earmarked for them, and I knew I wasn’t taking advantage. Betty was in her element having something to organize, much happier than she would have been sitting down with the rest of us.

  Right on time, Suzy walked into the café to a round of cheers and applause. She beamed around at everyone, clearly delighted. People were already standing up and making their way to her, hugging her. She greeted everyone in turn and a line started to form. I hung back, letting her catch up with friends she didn’t see that often.

  She finished hugging it out with everyone and came over to me. I stood up and she squeezed me tightly.

  “Emma, this is perfect, thank you so much,” she said.

  Tears shone in her eyes as she stepped back from me.

  “That’s what best friends are for,” I said. “Now, no tears, or you’ll have everyone crying.”

  She laughed and nodded, dabbing her eyes with the back of one finger.

  “Okay,” I said loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “The first game.”

  I pointed to one of the stations.

  “It’s a race to get a cloth diaper on the baby doll properly without it dropping off. We’ll do it in groups of four and the winner is the first person to hold their babies up in the air and have the diapers stay in place. The winners will advance to the next round until we have a champion. Oh. And you’ll be blindfolded.”

  This was met with a round of whoops and cheers. Everyone quickly organized themselves into groups of four with minimal help from Betty. The game went well with everyone getting really into it, although a lot of the efforts left a bit to be desired. One of the poor babies even ended up with a diaper around its head with its arms through the leg holes.

  Predictably, Suzy’s mom and Betty both made the final, along with Suzy herself, who was adamant she would be using cloth diapers and seemed to have it down to a fine art. The fourth contender was Beth. Not so predictably, Beth won the game by a clear margin. She was delighted. Betty and Suzy’s mom huffed jokingly, and Suzy immediately claimed Beth as her chief babysitter.

  We played a few more games and sat down to eat. Suzy and I finally got a moment alone together as we ate the delicious sandwiches, pastries and cakes.

  “So any movement on the wedding date front?” Suzy asked me.

  “Yes and no,” I said. “We still haven’t actually chosen a date, but we did have a talk about it. One of the doctors in the next town has been ill, and Billy has been covering his work load as well as his own, so he’s been super busy. He’s promised me once the doctor is back and things calm down, we’ll start planning it all properly. I guess he does still want to marry me, so there’s that.”

  “Shocker.” Suzy laughed. “Didn’t I tell you he was just busy? As if he wouldn’t want to marry you. He’s only been in love with you since he was, like, twelve or something.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “Enough about me. What about you? Are you resting more?”

  “Yes and no,” Suzy said, grinning as she repeated my answer. “Yes, I thought about it a lot. No, I didn’t actually do it.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I swear you’ll be behind that shop counter when your water breaks,” I said.

  She shrugged.

  “At least I won’t stain any of the furniture at home that way,” she joked.

  She paused to take a bite of a cream cake.

  “So, Tucker was by the store yesterday. He told me what happened with your farm hand. David was it?”

  “Daniel,” I corrected her. “Did Tucker happen to mention if he had any new leads?”

  “No. Terrible business, isn’t it? I mean, you don’t even get to feel safe in your own home anymore, do you?”

  She realized what she’d said and tried to backtrack. “I mean, I’m not saying whoever did it will come back or anything. I just mean in general, you know.”

  “I know,” I said.

  I hadn’t even considered the possibility of the killer coming back. I didn’t think the murder was random enough for that. Whoever it was had wanted Daniel specifically to have been in the barn at the exact time he would have been. The rest of us were probably safe enough. Right?

  Suzy continued. “And what that Evelyn said about your grandma? What a hideous woman she is. I never much liked her, but that was the final straw.”

  “How do you know about that?” I asked.

  “Well, I’d like to say my best friend told me,” Suzy said.

  “I’m sorry. I would have told you, but so much has been going on with work and stuff. I would have called you, but you have enough on your plate without me calling you to moan.”

  “Nonsense,” Suzy said. “Emma, you’re my best friend. If things are happening in your life, bad or good, you can always tell me.”

  I smiled at her.

  “And to answer your question, it was Tucker who told me about Evelyn accusing your grandma. Don’t worry, he’s not spreading it around or anything; he just assumed I would already know. And he made it clear he doesn’t believe it.”

  I looked down at the table, debating whether or not to tell her about Grandma’s spells. I didn’t have a choice, because Suzy could read me like a book.

  “Out with it,” she said.

  I looked around to make sure nobody was listening in. No one was paying any attention to us; they were all caught up in their own conversations.

  “Tucker doesn’t know this, but it’s partly true. Oh, not the murder or anything, Grandma would never hurt anyone. But she does have these ‘turns’ as my grandpa calls them. In the night sometimes, she creeps out of the house and clambers up onto the roof and sings.”

  Suzy’s eyes widened.

  “I’m so afraid she’ll hurt herself, or that my grandpa will get hurt getting her down, but she refuses to see a doctor and my grandpa always takes her side and says it’s not necessary. Billy gave her the number for a neurologist, but she’s determined he’s a shrink and she just won’t budge.”

  “You know what your grandma’s like, Emma. She’s stubborn. Just keep working on her. Find a way to get your grandpa on your side. Don’t ask me how, but you need to come up with something that makes him think it was his idea.”

  “That’s actually not a bad suggestion. Now I just need to work out what on earth I can say to make it happen. But anyway, that’s enough of my problems. Today is about you and your little watermelon.”

  “He or she isn’t so little now.” Suzy laughed. “I can’t wait for this time in two weeks when I’ll have my baby in my arms.”

  “Your due date is in three days’ time,” I pointed out.

  “I know, but like I said to you before, the women in my family always go over.”

  “Dare I ask if the nursery is still white and peach?” I asked.

  “You can ask, and the answer would be no,” Suzy said.

  “Really?”

  “Really. It’s back to white and yellow.”

  “The original colors.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. None of the other things I tried really lived up to that color scheme.”

  I shook my head.

  She said, “Don’t give me that look. You look like Brian. And I’ll tell you what I told him. If I hadn’t tried the other color schemes, I wouldn’t have known how great that one looked and I’d have always wondered what if.”

  “You have an answer for everything,” I teased.

  Suzy grinned and nodded, then she groaned.

  “Oh no, Emma, what if the baby comes out like me? What if, in a few years’ time, I have to spend all day trying to reason with a toddler who has an answer for everything.”

  “Then you’ll know how Brian feels,” I joked.

  “Hey,” Suzy protested, laughing herself. “That’s a bit harsh.”

  She winced slightly and rubbed her belly.

  Instantly concerned, I frowned and put my head on her shoulder. “Are you alright?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. Just a little twinge. I’ve eaten too much, that’s all.”

  The twinge passed and she grinned at me again.

  “So, when do I get to open my presents?”

  “As soon as everyone is done eating,” I said.

  “Well, make them eat faster, I’m dying to see what I’ve got,” she joked.

  Within the next half an hour, everyone had finished eating. I went around with a black garbage bag and collected up the plates and food scraps. Suzy kept catching my eye and mouthing “hurry up” with a twinkle in her eye.

  When everything was cleared away, I moved over to the present table.

  “Suzy is going to come on up here now and make a speech,” I said. “And then it’s time for the best bit. Presents.”

  Suzy whooped and made her way over to me.

  “You didn’t tell me I had to give a speech,” she whispered.

  I laughed.

  “I’m pretty sure you’ll be okay without any practice,” I teased her. “Speaking isn’t exactly something you shy away from.”

  “True enough.” She laughed.

  I was right. She turned to the women gathered before her and gave a moving speech thanking them all for coming and for being there for her. She talked about how much it meant to both her and Brian that everyone was being so supportive and she talked about her excitement at being a mom. She finished up with a joke about a signup sheet for babysitting duty.

  I got her a chair and stood to one side and handed her the first present. She looked at the gift card.

  “This one is from Anna,” she said.

  She tore the paper open and her face broke into a wide beam when she saw what was inside. A soft-looking white blanket and a gorgeous, white leather-bound baby book.

  “Thank you, Anna, I love it.” Suzy smiled.

  Next up was Suzy’s mom’s present. It was a photo album. Inside where photos of Suzy as a baby labelled with things such as, “Suzy with her first tooth” or “Suzy taking her first steps.” Next to each photo was a space.

  “The spaces are for you to fill with your own baby’s milestones,” her mom explained.

  Suzy’s eyes filled with tears again.

  “Oh Mom, it’s beautiful. You and Dad have already given me so much.”

  “And one day, when your own baby is expecting their first child, you and Brian will be right there doing exactly the same,” her mom replied.

  Suzy wasn’t the only one with a tear in her eye by that point. I handed her the next gift. She paused for a moment, wincing again and pressing her hand to her side. She laughed, a laugh I could tell was forced.

  “Baby is obviously as excited as I am about these gifts,” she said. “Because he or she is having a real old wriggle in there.”

  She went on opening gifts and thanking people. She received blankets, vests, an adorable little outfit, and pacifiers, bottles, rattles and teething toys.

  She was about halfway through the pile of gifts when she winced again. This time, she gritted her teeth and moaned slightly. She groped out with her hand and I took it, letting her pull herself to her feet by my hand.

  “I think the baby is resting on a nerve. I just need to walk around for a minute,” she said.

  I was worried now, and I pulled her to one side.

  “We should get you home,” I said.

  She waved away my concern.

  “I’m fine, Emma. It’s just …. Oh.”

  “What?” I started.

  I didn’t need to get any further than that. I could see what the “oh” had been for. Suzy’s water had broken and she stood dripping onto the carpet,

  She looked up at me and grinned.

  “And you said my water would break behind the counter in the store,” she said.

  She was surprisingly calm. Much calmer than I was.

  “And you said you’d go over the due date,” I reminded her.

  “I thought I would. Any chance of a ride to the hospital? Mom and I both walked here but I don’t think I’m in any condition to walk all the way to the hospital.”

  “Yes, of course,” I said.

  I looked around quickly and spotted Betty. Now was the perfect time for her to jump into action.

  “Betty, I’m going to take Suzy to the hospital. Can you take over here? Have some of the guests take the presents over to Suzy’s place. And have some of them tidy around a bit if you can find any volunteers. And …”

  “I think I know how to finish up after an event, Emma,” Betty said. “Just go quickly. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I took Suzy’s elbow and began to lead her through the room.

  “Looks like we’ve got an extra special present today, ladies,” I said. “Thank you all for coming.”

  Suzy’s mom jumped up and took Suzy’s other elbow. The guests shouted out words of encouragement and advice as we made our way outside. We were almost back on Main Street heading to my truck when a contraction gripped Suzy. She stopped, her face screwed up in pain. She squeezed me hand. The pain passed and she nodded that she was alright to go on.

  We made it to the truck before another contraction hit. I helped Suzy into it and her mom followed. I got in and put it into drive. Another contraction hit Suzy and I guessed they were about six minutes apart. We still had plenty of time.

  I drove to the hospital in the next town as quickly as I could without driving like a lunatic. I pulled up outside of the doors to the delivery suite and jumped out. Suzy’s mom and I helped Suzy out of the truck. She braced herself against the door as another contraction hit. This one left her breathless and I gave her a moment to compose herself.

  “I’ll go park the truck and meet you inside,” I said. “And I’ll call Brian too.”

  Suzy’s mom helped her inside. As soon as she reached the door, she was surrounded by nurses and someone pushed a wheelchair under her. She would be fine. I went off to the parking lot to park the truck.

  As I walked back to the entrance, I called Brian.

  “Hi. It’s Emma,” I said. “You need to get to the hospital. Suzy is in labor.”

  He whooped with joy and hung up. I couldn’t help but laugh as I pictured him punching the air as he ran to his car. I sent Billy a quick text.

  ME: Sorry, I’ll have 2 take a rain check on tonight. Suzy has gone N2 labor and I’m at the hospital. I won’t be leaving until her baby is here.

  BILLY: I’ll be there ASAP.

  I smiled to myself as I passed through the hospital doors. I hadn’t asked Billy to come because I didn’t want him to feel obligated to, but I was sure glad he had offered. Considering Suzy was the one in labor, it seemed wrong that I wanted some moral support, but I really did.

  I made my way to the delivery suite and claimed a seat in the waiting room, sure I was in for a long afternoon and night.

  8

  I hadn’t been sitting there for long when I saw Brian rushing past the window. He glanced in, and he must have spotted me because he flew past and then reappeared in the window. He grinned and raised his hand in greeting and I gave him a thumbs up. He didn’t stop to chat. I didn’t expect him to. His baby was about to come into the world. There would be plenty of time for us to catch up later.

  For the next twenty minutes, I alternated between standing up and pacing across the room and sitting down shuffling around in a chair. I was filled with energy that needed to get out somehow, but I had no idea what to do with myself. I was nervous for Suzy of course, but I was more excited for her. I wanted to run out into the streets and do cartwheels, to stop strangers and tell them my best friend was having a baby. Like, right now.

 

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