The Perfect Mother(10)

“Sure,” Token says.

Colette watches them leave and then turns to catch some of the conversations happening around her—doing her best to stay engaged, surprised at how quickly she’s finished her second drink, wondering if she should get one more. She rises to use the restroom. On the way, she catches sight of Winnie standing at the bar. She’s speaking to a guy—an astonishingly handsome one. He’s wearing a bright red baseball cap, and he’s leaning in, talking into her ear. Token is nowhere to be seen. Colette senses that she should avert her eyes, that she’s witnessing something she isn’t supposed to see. But she doesn’t look away. Instead, she steps around a couple in front of her to get a better look. The guy’s hand is on Winnie’s waist and he’s fingering the tie of her dress. He whispers something, and she pulls back, staring him in the eye, annoyed. Something about him, the way he’s positioning his body so close to hers, something about her expression—

“You good?” Nell asks. She’s appeared in front of Colette, blocking her view of Winnie, a menu in her hand.

“Fine. On my way to the bathroom.”

“I mean, are you hungry? I can order you something.”

“No, thanks,” Colette says. “I ate.” Nell walks toward the waitress station, and Colette looks back at the bar.

They’re gone.

She scans the crowd and then moves toward the bathroom, snaking through the people at the bocce ball court to take her place in line behind a trio of young women wearing nearly identical outfits, texting on their phones. Colette shakes her head. He’s someone Winnie knows, she decides. The uneasiness she feels is the result of the whiskey and exhaustion; just her mind playing a trick, like it has a few times these last few days, like this morning, when she absentmindedly poured coffee into one of Poppy’s bottles.

She finishes in the bathroom and goes outside to the sidewalk to call Charlie, who tells her Poppy is asleep and he’s working on the latest revisions to his novel. “Take your time,” he says. “Everything’s under control here.” Returning to the table, she sits down beside Francie and sees the phone, tucked next to the sticky mason jars of hot sauce in front of where Token had been sitting.

“Where’s Token?” she asks Francie, who is putting her own phone into her bag.

“He left.”

“You’re kidding. When?”

“A minute ago. It was weird. He rushed out. Said something came up at home.”

“That’s odd. I was outside, calling Charlie. I didn’t see him.” Colette reaches for the phone. “He left this.”

Nell returns, balancing two plates of steaming french fries. “What kind of bar doesn’t serve vinegar with their fries?” she asks, taking her seat. “That would be a federal offense in England.” Nell notices Colette. “Seriously? First Winnie and now you, glued to your phone. Did we come out tonight for the sole purpose of staring at our mobiles?”

“It’s not hers,” Francie says, pushing away the plate of french fries and reaching for her water. “It’s Token’s. He left it.”

“Actually, no. It’s Winnie’s.” Colette flips the phone around, showing them the photo of Midas wallpapering the screen. “There’s a key here, too. Inside the case.”

“Where is she?” Francie asks. “She hasn’t come back from getting that drink.”

Colette swipes the screen, which lights up with a fuzzy video, glowing bright algae-green. “Wait, what is this?” She turns the phone toward Nell and Francie again. “Is that Midas’s bedroom?”

Francie snatches the phone from Colette’s hand. “It’s a video. That’s his crib.”

“Lemme see,” Nell says. Francie hesitates. “Francie, let me see it. I think it’s that app.” Nell licks the salt from her fingers and takes the phone from Francie. “It is. I know the person who developed this.”

“You do?” Francie asks. “How?”

“I worked with him in DC after college, doing data security. It’s a good idea. You can watch the baby monitor on your phone, as long as you’re on Wi-Fi.”

“I’ve heard of this,” Francie says. “Peek-a-Boo! I was thinking of getting it, but it’s like twenty-five bucks or something. For an app? That’s insane.”

“What’s insane is that this is what she’s been looking at,” Nell says. “A grainy video of Midas’s crib.”

“I don’t see what’s wrong with that,” Francie says.

“What’s the point of paying a babysitter if you’re going to watch the baby all night?” Nell asks.

“It’s her first time leaving him. Give her a break,” Francie says. “Really though, where is she?”

“She was talking to some guy,” Colette says. “A ridiculously hot one.”

“I saw that too,” says Francie. “He walked right up to her, when she went to the bar. But that was like fifteen minutes ago.” Francie cranes her neck to scan the crowd. “He was a little forward. Did you see how he was touching her? I’m going to go find her. She probably wants to have her phone with her.”

Francie reaches out her hand, but Nell cradles the phone to her chest. “She’s a single mom, away from her baby for the first time. Let the woman have some fun.”