“Why don’t you pull up a chair? We’ll pop little John back into his box, and you can join us for a glass of wine and the remainder of our book club. It’ll give you a chance to see that we’re not a bunch of drunken harlots.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Maeve.

Annie ignored her and continued. “Have you read Nicholas Nickleby?”

Gemma held her copy out for John as Sally tugged furiously at little John until he relinquished his suction on the table with a loud pop, whereupon she slipped him back into the box and pushed the box under the table.

“I want you out of this property!” said John.

“What?” Annie said. The book club blustered in indignation.

“Now wait just a moment, John,” said Maeve.

“I’m surprised at you, Maeve. I’d have expected you to show a little more respect to my aunt’s property.”

“And I’m disappointed in you!” said Maeve. “How do you think your aunt would feel if she knew you’d treated her guests with such rudeness?”

John began to splutter: “Her guests? Her guests? Her guests that have turned her home into some kind of sordid sex parlor!”

“You’re really not seeing this in context,” said Annie, trying her best at peacemaking.

“I’ve seen all I need to see,” John said coldly.

He turned to leave, wrenching the door open. The wind caught it, slamming it hard against the wall. The rain blew in in horizontal shards of water. John turned back to face Annie; the light from the room lit the rain behind him so that it looked like shooting stars.

“I want you off this property by close of business tomorrow,” he snarled. And with that passing shot, he yanked the door closed behind him, the force of it blowing out two of the candles.

Gemma opened another bottle of wine and poured a glass for Annie. Annie took a gulp and then another.

“I can’t believe it. I’ve just been evicted!”

“Nobody’s evicting anybody,” said Maeve.

“You heard what he said,” said Annie. “He wants me out by tomorrow.”

“John doesn’t own Saltwater Nook, nor did he give you the job to be guardian of the place,” said Maeve reassuringly. “The only person who can evict you is Mari.”

“Absolutely,” chimed in Gemma. “And Mari is a very reasonable woman. I’m sure she wouldn’t dream of evicting you over such a silly misunderstanding.”

Annie didn’t feel reassured.

“We weren’t doing anything wrong,” Sally soothed. “I think it’s important to keep it in perspective. A man was frightened when faced with four women in touch with their sexuality, and his discomfort manifested itself as anger.”

“I’ll talk to Mari in the morning,” said Maeve. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Chapter 38