Kim gave a succinct recounting of Tate’s quick-thinking rescue of the choking baby. All three of the others were staring at him in open-mouthed admiration when she finished.
“It wasn’t quite as dramatic as all that,” he muttered, a touch of pink on his cheeks that Kim found endearing—to her exasperation.
“My uncle said her lips were turning blue,” she insisted. “If Tate hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“And you said you aren’t any good with babies,” Lynette chided her brother, her eyes glowing with pride for him.
He shrugged. “I’d have reacted the same way if Kim had choked. I was taught that the procedure for choking is very similar with adults and babies, you just have to be a little more careful with babies. Of course, all of you trained in first aid and CPR, so you know that.”
“I had CPR training back in college, but I’m not sure I’d have kept my head enough to remember it,” Evan admitted, warily eyeing the now-healthy baby. “I might have been one of those standing on the sidelines panicking.”
“I’ve got to admit I just reacted without thinking. After it was over, I went straight to the nearest bathroom and threw cold water on my face,” Tate confessed. “It’s not something I ever want to have to do again.”
Kim looked at him with a frown, wondering if it were true about the cold water. He certainly sounded sincere.
“So you won’t be volunteering to babysit anytime soon?” Evan teased him.
Tate laughed and held up both hands toward Daryn in a sigh of surrender. “Being wholly responsible for that little angel would scare the stuffing out of me.”
Kim focused very hard on her nearly finished meal. She kept being reminded of why it was just as well she hadn’t woven any romantic fantasies around her night with Tate.
“So, your aunt wasn’t as tough an audience as you expected?” Emma asked after a moment, apparently wanting more funny stories about the reunion.
Tate chuckled. “Considering the first words I heard her say to Kim was that if she worked hard, she could lose all that leftover pregnancy weight…”
Both Emma and Lynette gasped in outrage.
“Oh, no, she didn’t!” Lynette said dramatically.
“Oh, yes, she did.” Kim’s smile was rueful.
Emma scowled. “Why, that old biddy. She’s completely wrong, of course. You’re in excellent shape, Kim.”
“I’ll say,” Evan agreed with a teasing leer that was a nice little boost for her ego.
Tate cleared his throat rather loudly. “Treva isn’t really an old biddy. She’s not even fifty yet. But she certainly can be catty.”
“It sounds like it was a very interesting weekend,” Emma decided.
“Interesting is a good word for it,” Kim agreed in a murmur.
“Do you think you’ll go back and see them again?” Emma asked.
Kim hesitated a moment, then shrugged. “I guess I’ll wait and see how everyone reacts to Mother’s confession about Tate and me.”
“You really think she’s going to ’fess up?”
Kim nodded in response to Evan’s question. “Just before I left, Grandma told me that she’s giving her a choice of doing it herself or risking being humiliated by having Grandma break the news at the worst possible opportunity. Like in front of the church or garden club. As it is, she’s giving her a chance to present herself in the best light by telling everyone she was simply embarrassed to admit that I had a child out of wedlock, so she made up a husband for me.”
“That’s the best light?” Lynette scoffed.
“I guess so. Anyway, Grandma said she was going to tell everyone I gave in to my mother’s pleas and brought a good friend with me to the reunion, but she’s going to point out that I never once introduced Tate as my husband. That way, maybe they won’t lump me in with Mother’s lies.”
Lynette propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “You said you confessed to your grandmother because you felt bad about deceiving her. I guess the subject of her ring never came up?”
Kim and Tate shared a look across the table.
“Kim’s grandmother is in very poor health,” Tate said carefully. “I doubt that Kim wants to talk about her possessions right now.”