The Scarlet Letter Scandal Read Online Free Page A

brought out a wooden crab set that included mallets, a roll of paper towels, and crab knives. Lisa put together a bowl of vinegar and a bowl of J&O seasoning, which Eva told her the country store recommended over the Old Bay spice more commonly used elsewhere in the state.
    While all the dinner preparations were going on, Maggie whispered, “Guess we’ll hear all about this one at dinner?” to Eva, who just shook her head, waving away the suggestion. Nathan prepared the fresh catch, lighting the outdoor propane burner, putting a few inches of water at the bottom of the large crab pot, adding seasoning and vinegar, and finally dumping the crabs into the pot.
    “You think two and a half dozen or so will be enough?” he asked Eva.
    “Plenty,” said Eva. She trotted down the steps from the screened porch carrying her wallet and a Summer Shandy beer. “How much do I owe you?” she asked Nathan, handing him the beer.
    He smiled at her, highlighting his deep sun-bronzed dimples, and the wrinkles around his steely deep blue eyes.
    “Fancy city beer, huh?” he asked, taking the bottle.
    Adjusting the brim of his hat and scratching at his prematurely salt-and-pepper beard, Nathan held a finger in the air, pretending to calculate numbers in his head. “No charge, Eva. These were leftovers.”
    “I know that’s not true,” said Eva. “Because crabs are scarce this season.”
    Nathan tipped his hat again to Maggie and Lisa as he walked back to his truck. “You ladies enjoy yourselves this evening, a’ight?”
    “Thanks for the special delivery,” said Eva, waving to the islander as he pulled out of the driveway.
    Maggie sat down at the picnic table, pulling her wild auburn hair into a ponytail and pulling it through the hole in her baseball hat in preparation for eating the messy seafood. “Care to tell us what the ever living fuck just happened there?” she asked, a grin spreading across her face.
    “He is very handsome,” said Lisa, blushing. “Is he a…friend of yours?”
    “Geez, girls, get your minds out of the gutter,” said Eva, opening the lid of the crab pot to add more seasoning and a splash of vinegar. “He’s just a local waterman I met at the country store awhile back who gave me his number in case I ever needed crabs to eat for dinner. Like Nathan said, you can’t buy them live anywhere on the island because the watermen sell their catches to the restaurant industry. So you have to know someone in order to get them, or ride your bike over to the docks when they come in from the water.”
    “Oh, you’ve got his number all right,” said Maggie. “And it seems like he’s got yours, too.”
    “As a recent divorcée who finally took a real vacation for the first time in my life, the last thing I’m doing is scouting out potential boyfriends,” said Eva.
    “I know the three of us haven’t gotten together in a few months,” said Lisa, “but you still have a boyfriend, right?”
    “I do,” said Eva, “though it seems weird to call a man like Charles a boyfriend. He’s, well, he even came down to visit the island one weekend last month, but I haven’t been in New York very often so I haven’t really seen him much.”
    “I think it’s great you took some time off,” said Maggie. “With your mom passing and the divorce, it seemed like the perfect time for you to take a break. I bet the chef from New York misses you working up there.”
    “In some ways—some very specific ways—I miss him, too,” said Eva, smiling to herself. “He is really, really talented at food preparation. And he’s been so supportive.”
    “But?” said Lisa. “It sounded like you were going to add a ‘but.’”
    “Ahh, this girl is always ready to add a butt,” said Maggie, laughing at her own joke. “Even if it’s wearing rubber pants.”
    Eva glared at Maggie. “You know, I don’t just jump into bed with every guy I meet.”
    Maggie responded, “Lighten up, island girl. You know I’m just