Safe Harbour

“You know what I mean.” Then, before Stevi had a chance to say anything in response, Alex warned, “Don’t argue with a pregnant woman. It’s not safe.”

Still standing over her sister, Stevi grinned. “For whom? Me or the pregnant woman?”

“Why, you, of course,” Alex retorted. “Why aren’t you sitting down, Stevi? It’s hurting my neck, having to look up to talk to you.”

Stevi made no effort to take a seat. Instead, her smile grew. “Now you know how we feel around you all the time.” Alex had always been taller than the rest of them. “Why don’t you two tell me what you want for breakfast and I’ll go in and give your orders to Cris.”

Andy looked at her in surprise. “You’re playing waitress now?”

Stevi turned in her direction. “I’m playing the good sister,” she said, correcting her younger sibling. “Take advantage while you can.”

“Does that mean you’re going to be leaving for New York, after all?”

Although 85 percent certain that a stay in New York was in her near future, she wasn’t committed to it yet—at least, not the admitting part of the process yet. She had a few things to work out, not the least of which was coming up with an acceptable way to tell her father.

“No, that means I’m liable to decide not to be the good sister and let you two fend for yourselves. Until then, orders, please?” she pressed, looking from Alex to Andy.

Because Alex was still undecided, Stevi took Andy’s order first. Bacon, toast and coffee.

“I’m ready now,” Alex said a second later. Unlike Andy, Alex’s order went on for two minutes and included practically everything on the breakfast menu.

Amused, Stevi grinned at her older sister. “You do realize you’re just eating for two, not an entire regiment, right?”

Alex frowned. Her hormones all over the map these days, Alex didn’t appreciate criticism of her eating habits. “I’m eating for two but throwing up for one so I need to order for three,” she said.

Stevi heard the edge in her sister’s voice. Alex hadn’t exactly ever been the easiest person to get along with, not anywhere nearly as easygoing as Cris. But this was more irate than normal.

“You planning on being like this the entire pregnancy?” She wanted to know.

“Yes,” Alex said with finality. “And beyond, as well. I find I like ordering people around.”

“You always did,” Stevi replied with a dramatic sigh. She glanced at the notes she’d just made on the palm of her hand. “Let me see if there’s enough food in the kitchen for this.” She quickly ducked through the swinging door into the kitchen before Alex had a chance to fire back.

CHAPTER FIVE

“ALEX WILL TAKE one refrigerator, to go,” Stevi announced as she walked into the kitchen. Her sister had her back to her and was busy preparing an order on the industrial stove. “Seriously, Alex thinks she’s eating for a small village and wants, like, one of practically everything on the breakfast menu. And Andy will have her usual two slices of warm bread, a cup of albino, supersweet coffee and three slices of burnt bacon.”

“And you?” Cris asked, glancing up from the omelet she was preparing for one of the guests.

“The run made me kind of hungry this morning. Could you fix me an order of pancakes and some scrambled eggs with ham?” she asked.

Ordinarily, she ate a light breakfast, sometimes even leaving half on her plate. She slanted a glance toward Cris, hoping her request wouldn’t set off any alarms.

The change didn’t go unnoticed. “Wow, that is a lot for you,” Cris commented.

Stevi shrugged. “Yes, I know. Must be all that great sea air.”

“The air’s been there all along, Stevi,” Cris pointed out.

“I’ve got it, boss,” Jorge, Cris’s chief assistant, called out. He nodded toward Stevi.

“Thanks.” Cris flashed him a grateful, weary smile.

“No problem,” Jorge responded. “You just take it easy, boss. You’re working too hard, as usual.”

So preoccupied with getting back to her bedroom as quickly as possible, Stevi hadn’t really been paying attention to much else. But Jorge’s comment about Cris working too hard made her take a closer look at Cris. It occurred to her that her older sister was looking rather pale.

She automatically reached out to put her hand against Cris’s forehead. Cris pulled her head back.

“What are you doing?”

“Just wanted to see if you had a fever,” Stevi explained, dropping her hand. “You look a little peaked.”

“No fever,” Cris answered dismissively.

It wasn’t like Cris to be so curt. Something was up, Stevi thought. “You coming down with something?”

Cris laughed softly. “No, I’m fine.”

Now her curiosity was fully aroused. “Don’t lie to the woman who pulled a rabbit out of the hat and piggybacked a real wedding for you on to Alex’s when you realized how much you’d missed, practically eloping on the run. You owe me.”

She was practically daring Cris to argue the point. No one ever won an argument with her, unless, occasionally, it was Alex.

“I’m not lying,” Cris protested. “I’m not coming down with anything, not in the traditional sense.”

Stevi’s curiosity went up another notch. “Okay, how about in the nontraditional sense?” Stevi pressed. Interrupting herself for a second, she looked toward Jorge and made a request. “Could you make that to go, please, Jorge?”

Jorge nodded.

“You’re taking breakfast to go?” Cris asked. “What’s the matter, you suddenly don’t like my dining room?”

“It’s not that,” she protested, noting that somehow, Cris’s domain had spread from the kitchen to the dining area, as well. “I’ve got a few things to do in my room, wise guy, so I thought I’d eat and work at the same time. And don’t think you’re changing the subject that easily.”

“There is no subject to change,” Cris said, turning back to flip the omelet.

Stevi shifted so that she was able to at least see Cris’s profile. “We have a slight difference of opinion there.”

“I’m fine,” Cris insisted once again. “Just a little woozy, maybe.”

If Cris admitted to being dizzy, then there was more she wasn’t saying.

“Cris, Jorge can take over. Heck, even I can do some cooking in an emergency—”

“The emergency would be after you started cooking,” Cris interjected.

Stevi ignored the comment. “There’s no shame if you take a sick day once in a while. Nobody expects you to be invincible. If you caught a bug, then—”

“It’s not a bug,” Cris protested, losing her patience. “It’s a baby.”