‘God almighty,’ Bette whispered, massaging her temples.

‘Honey, I honestly—’

Tina stopped when she saw the baleful look in her wife’s eye.

‘Mom, let me have it.’

Angie held out her hand. Bette dropped the eyepatch into it, her face puckered in disgust.

‘What are you gonna do?’ asked Alice.

Angie didn’t answer, just looked at Tina as she nodded her head towards upstairs.

***

Bette went up to the pavilion to calm down amidst Karolina’s well-drilled brigade. The staff went to and fro, prepping and pickling, rolling pastry, polishing glassware, turning wine bottles to get their labels sitting just so, and always, always, wiping down the dust. 

In the kitchen, Karolina was using tweezers to place micro cilantro on top of charred avocado tartlets.

‘Beautiful,’ Bette said. Karolina ignored her. ‘It’s a miracle, how you get the avo to stay so green.’ She looked around the counter. ‘Is this the panisse?’

Karolina glanced at where Bette was indicating.

‘Wonderful, just wonderful,’ Bette murmured. She leaned in for a closer look at the delicate, star-shaped fritter.

‘Don’t touch it,’ said Karolina.

‘Oh, I wasn’t going to!’ Bette laughed. ‘The very idea. I mean, it’s absolutely perfect, I’ve never—’

‘Did you want something?’

The chef’s face was shiny, her eyes like two black buttons. Bette wondered for a second if she was high, but felt instinctively that wasn’t it.

‘Just came to see how it’s going,’ she said. ‘Tell you you’re doing a great job.’

‘Yeah, I don’t need that.’

‘Right.’

‘I need everybody to do what they’re meant to do. That’s it. Be professional or I walk, for real this time.’

The chef went back to work. Bette stared at her. Her mouth had gone dry. She checked to see they weren’t overheard when she asked her next question.

‘When did you walk not for real?’ 

Karolina leaned low, so her eyeline was level with the counter as she surveyed the row of tartlets.

‘Karolina?’

‘Ask your wife.’

***

‘Mom, this is a lot of lingerie.’

Tina stared at the drawer she’d opened. It was the top one on her dresser, quite wide, quite deep, and entirely full of underwear. The fact that there was another one the same right below it, she’d just keep to herself.