Pittie Party Murder, page 3
Tess pointed to two empty mats beside each other nearest to the cubbies. “You guys want to sit over there?”
I brightened at the idea. The fact that Tess wanted to sit next to me made me feel like a popular girl. “Sure.”
“Fine by me,” Parker added as if he had a choice. “I’ll get the pillow and ball.” Those items were in tubs lined up on the far wall.
“Grab some for Tess, too,” I said.
He arched his brow at me. “Sure.”
Tess smirked. “He didn’t have to do that.”
“He doesn’t mind,” I assured her. “Where’s your partner?” I didn’t ask about a husband because I wasn’t old-fashioned enough to assume.
“I don’t have one,” she said. “It’s just me and the kid.”
“Oh. You don’t have a friend who can do this with you?” I asked.
She patted my arm. “It’s okay, Lily. I’m capable of doing this on my own.”
Even so, my question had been presumptuous and rude. “Of course, you can. I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t.”
“Don’t even give it a second thought,” she said genially. “The baby’s healthy, and I’m happy. That’s all that matters to me.”
“Okay, moms and dads.” The instructor clapped her hands. “Let’s get started. Everyone, have a seat on the floor. Mommies on the mats. Daddies behind them. Use the pillow as a prop to get comfortable if you need it.”
Parker took my hand as I got down on the mat with ease. Tess had to bend over and put her hand on the floor to ease her way down.
“My name is Larissa Merriweather. I’ve been a certified doula for ten years, and I’ve attended dozens of births and taught four classes a year for the past five years. I’ve seen it all, so if you have any questions about anything pregnancy or birth-related, I probably have the answer.” She laughed as if she’d made a joke. “For some of you, this isn’t your first pregnancy, but regardless of your previous experiences, this class is going to help make the rest of your pregnancy and birthing journey as painless and carefree as possible.”
There were a few murmurs of hopeful appreciation.
“At Beautiful Beginnings, we focus on readiness,” Larissa went on. “We’ll spend every class rehearsing various techniques that will prepare our moms for labor and delivery. And dads and partners, I haven’t forgotten you. You’re crucial to a successful, easy birth. My assistant…” she looked around and grimaced “…wherever the heck he is, will be teaching foot and back massage techniques to our dads and partners, to help our moms with pain relief and comfort during labor. I’d like everyone to practice these techniques daily so that when the time comes, you’re all prepared.” She gave us all a sly grin. “Homework is a mom’s best friend.”
The room filled with chuckles from the partners and nods of approval from the moms.
I leaned back and grinned at Parker. “I’ll expect you to study twice as hard as everyone else.”
He kissed my ear. “We’re talking naked massages, right?”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “You’re so bad.”
“You two are adorable,” Tess groaned. “I may have to move.”
I choked out a laugh. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” she countered with a grin. “And you shouldn’t be. It’s a perfectly lovely thing to be pregnant and in love. My husband was the same way.”
“Your husband?”
“He died a few years ago. I still miss him.” She rubbed her stomach. “Some days more than others.”
“Wow.” Tess was a widow. I could see the pain in her eyes when she said she missed him. It wasn’t a lie. Awful, I thought. She was too young to wear that mantle of sadness, but I knew all too well that tragedy didn’t care about age. “How old was he?”
“Thirty-two.” Her eyes glassed with unshed tears. She dabbed at them with the bottom of her shirt. “Stupid hormones.”
“That’s young,” Parker commented.
“Car accident,” she explained, but it didn’t quite ring true for my internal lie-o-meter. I got it. There were things in my past that I fudged the details of because the truth was too terrible to talk about. A tear slid along her nose, and she wiped it away with her fingers. “You know what, this is supposed to be a happy time.” She forced a smile. “Let’s keep it happy.”
“You got it,” I said.
“There you are,” the instructor said as a tall man with dark hair and a healthy physique walked into the classroom.
He was in gym shorts and a tank top, his tan skin glistening with sweat. He wiped his brow with a small towel. “I got on the treadmill and lost track of time.” He scanned the room. “It won’t happen again.” His gaze shifted to Tess before going back to the doula.
“Parents, this is Trevor Peters, my assistant. He’s a doula-in-training. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a doula is someone who can help provide physical, emotional, and educational support before, during, and after your pregnancy.”
Trevor grinned. “Hey, everyone. Again, sorry I’m late. Really glad to be here.”
As he dropped his gear at the cubbies, one of the fathers asked Larissa, “Do you have a medical degree?”
“I have a nursing degree, and Trevor is a lab technician at Two Hills Women’s Clinic.”
A woman snapped her fingers. “That’s where I’ve seen you.” She leaned back against her partner, another woman, and said to her, “I told you he looked familiar.”
Trevor gave the two women a toothy smile. “That’s right. I’ve worked with the creation process of making babies for a few years, and now I want to help with delivering the final products.”
More giggles ensued.
“Just kidding.” Trevor was a little too charming, a character trait that made me distrust him.
Larissa’s expression flashed with irritation before she plastered on a fake smile. “However,” she continued her previous explanation, “work in the medical field is not required. A doula is certified to act as an advocate for the mother and be there for everything that a doctor can’t or won’t bring to the table.” She waved off the subject. “But that’s not what this class is about. I’m going to be teaching you and your partner everything you’ll need to have a successful and comfortable birthing process.” A sly smile crested her lips. “Well, as comfortable as passing something the size of a large cantaloupe from your vagina.”
There were snickers and groans at the comment. I let out a soft grunt of recognition when my gaze fell on the blond couple again, and I realized where I knew them from. I leaned back against Parker and made a subtle gesture in their direction.
“I’ve seen that guy,” I whispered.
He glanced in the direction I indicated. “Who?”
I flicked my gaze to the blond man and back to Parker. “He got into a fight with someone in the park on Saturday. If it hadn’t been for Nadine, he’d have gotten his butt kicked,” I whispered. I’d told Parker about the incident earlier in the week, so he knew what I was talking about.
It was his turn to grunt. “I know him, too. That’s Wells Neeley, the guy who owns Moonrise Motors. I didn’t know his wife was pregnant. He didn’t mention it when I was there yesterday, but I mostly talked to one of his associates.”
“Maybe he sold someone a lemon, and that’s why they wanted to punch him,” I joked.
I glanced over at Wells and his wife, and I caught him looking back in our direction. He quickly glanced away.
I grimaced. “Oops. I hope he didn’t hear me.”
“He’ll get over it,” Tess assured me. “Salesmen have thick skins.”
“You know him?”
She scoffed, then shook her head. “No, not really.”
My lie-o-meter didn’t out-and-out ping, but I got the impression there was something about Wells that rubbed Tess the wrong way. Maybe she knew the wife? It didn’t matter.
Maybe it was the fact that Wells was in my birthing class, or maybe it was because I didn’t want to buy a car, so I felt the urge to prove the dealer was a dud. Or maybe I was just nosey. Whatever the reason, I decided to make it my mission to find out why Stocking Cap Guy had threatened him to keep his mouth shut in the park.
Larissa explained the methodology behind the class. “The purpose of the Bradley Method is to teach your partners to be your birth coaches. Dr. Robert Bradley believed that pregnant mothers needed six things to have a medication-free, comfortable birthing experience: complete relaxation; deep abdominal breathing; darkness; a quiet, intimate space; physical comfort from a partner; and closed eyes for focus.”
She grinned. “You can thank Dr. Bradley for your men getting out of the waiting room and into the birthing chambers. He believed that the presence of a loving husband greatly increased comfort to a laboring wife, and he was right.”
She nodded to two women on one yoga mat and added, “And I extend that belief to the presence of any loving or caring partner. Having someone who cares about you in the labor and delivery room makes a huge difference.”
She clapped her hands again. “Let’s go around and introduce ourselves to the group, and let us know if this is your first child, starting with you two.” She pointed to a young couple to the right of her, a dark-haired beanpole of a man with a hook nose and a dark-haired woman who was waif thin. She also had a larger nose that reminded me a little of Barbara Streisand. Maybe the nose wasn’t as prominent, but it was similarly shaped.
“I’m Donna, and this is my husband, Sal,” the woman said, taking charge. “We’re first-timers.”
“But not last-timers,” Sal joked.
Donna let out a hah! “We’ll see how this one goes.”
The next couple was Gail and Andi, who we’d met outside the classroom. With his jacket off, I could see Gail had a farmer’s tan, giving him pale shoulders, dark arms, and a dividing line across his forehead from where he normally wore a hat. He spoke for them. “I’m Gail, and this is my wife Andi.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. She patted his fingers. “This is our third.” He beamed a smile. “It’s a boy!”
There were several congratulatory responses from the other parents.
Andi gazed up at him, and I could see the love between them. “We have two beautiful girls at home, Gina and Gabby, but as you can tell, Gail is excited to have a son.”
Someone clapped, and a few more of us, including me, joined in.
“Thanks,” Andi said. “We’re excited.”
Next was Wells Neeley and his wife. “I’m Wells,” the man said.
“I’m Jeanine,” the woman continued. “This is our third and fourth baby.” With a gush of excitement, she announced, “We’re having twins.”
The announcement was followed by some gasps and claps in the room.
“Oh, Lord,” Tess groaned. “Can you imagine?”
I leaned toward her. “My best friend gave birth to triplets.” Nadine and Buzz loved having triplets, but the thought of squeezing more than one baby out of my hoo-ha sounded about as much fun as…well, squeezing more than one baby out of my hoo-ha. “I can’t even imagine. One at a time is plenty.”
“Agreed,” Tess muttered.
“These will be our last, for sure,” Jeanine added. “But we’re thrilled.”
“Would you share with the group why you chose Beautiful Beginnings for this pregnancy?” Larissa asked.
Jeanine rested her hands on her baby bump for two. “I had my first two naturally, and I want the same experience with these two. My OB wants to deliver the twins early, and she’s pushing for a C-section, but I really want to avoid getting cut open if I can help it. I’m hoping the classes will help.”
“They will,” Larissa assured her. “Over eighty-six percent of all mothers who take these classes have successful natural births.”
The next pair were the two women Larissa had addressed earlier.
“I’m Anna, and this is my wife, Lizzie. I had our son last year, and Lizzie is having our daughter, so in a way, it’s not our first time, but it’s our first time.” She wrapped her arms around her wife’s chest. “It’s weird being on this side of the birth.”
Lizzie laughed. “You’re telling me.”
“It would be nice if all the spouses could take turns carrying the babies,” the brunette woman from the couple next to them joked.
There were some laughs from the women and groans from the men.
“We’re Pete and Jackie Reynolds. First-timers. Probably last-timers,” she teased. She had long, dark brown hair and wide hazel eyes. “Hey, if you get it right the first time, no need to do it again.”
Pete, who was built like a boxer, shook his head but grinned. “This one snuck in on us, but we’re getting used to the idea of being parents.”
Jackie rolled her eyes, but she looked pleased.
It was our turn after them. “I’m Lily, and this is my husband, Parker. First-timers.”
“Don’t you run the pit bull rescue?” Anna asked Parker.
He nodded. “Just outside of town,” he replied.
“I adopted my sweet Polly from you guys a few years ago when you were still located in town.”
Parker gave her a curious look. “I don’t remember you.”
“I mostly interacted with a woman named Theresa, but we met. Polly’s name was Lita when she was at the shelter.”
His eyes brightened. “Oh, Lita. White with a black spot in the shape of a goblet on her back and a super sweet disposition.” I loved how Parker didn’t always remember people, but he never forgot a dog.
Anna’s smile showed her pleasure that he remembered Polly. “She still has a sweet disposition and that cute spot, although I think it looks more like a trophy.”
“The sweetest,” her wife agreed. “She’s already the best big sister to our son.”
“We’ve got two of them at home,” I told them. “And I can’t wait for this little one to meet them.”
Tess shifted uncomfortably when it was her turn. “I’m Tess.” Her smile looked nervous as she peered around the room. “I’m a first-timer.”
I frowned as my internal lie detector pinged.
“As you can see, I’m doing this one alone.” Tess glanced down at her feet and tapped her toes together. “I’m okay with it, though.”
“Tess, of course,” Larissa said. She gestured to her assistant. “You will not be alone. Trevor will partner with you for the classes, and I will supervise him when you go into labor, and we’ll both be there for you when the time comes.”
Tess nodded. “Thanks.”
Trevor walked over and knelt in front of Tess. I could smell the heavy scent of sweat and body spray as he held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he told her. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to go on this miraculous journey with you.”
“It’ll be a real hoot,” Tess replied.
“Maybe not so much cologne, though,” I said before I could stop myself. I gave him an embarrassed shrug. “Sorry, I’m having some trouble with smells.”
“Oh, Lord, me too,” Jackie said.
Larissa’s eyes flashed with irritation. “I think it’s a good idea for everyone in our group to respect the moms with sensitive noses. Let’s agree that we won’t wear any heavily scented perfumes, lotions, or deodorants during class time.”
Trevor looked only mildly embarrassed as he got up. “It won’t happen again,” he told her.
Tess chuckled. “No worries,” but she looked as relieved as I was that he’d backed away a few feet. “I look forward to, uh, working with you.”
Larissa said, “We’ll meet every Wednesday evening for the next twelve weeks through your sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth months. By the end, you all will be experts on expecting. Don’t be surprised when we start losing classmates in the last two months, because babies are unpredictable and will surprise you when you least expect it.” She gesticulated. “A happy bonus, we’ll all get to know each other better and, from my experience, a lot of you will become fast friends for years to come.”
She went on to explain more of how the class would be structured, and it sounded like Parker was going to have his work cut out for him.
When it was over, Tess leaned in. “Fun, fun,” she said. “I look forward to seeing how much trouble we can get into.”
“Me too,” I told her, feeling better about the whole process. “It’s going to be great.”
Chapter
Four
The next Wednesday, our second class was all about back and foot massages, and I can tell you with no uncertainty I was here for all of it.
“Yeah, right there,” I encouraged Parker as he worked a particular knot on the pad below my big toe. “You have never looked so sexy.”
Parker arched his brow at me but kept rubbing.
Tess moaned softly as doula-to-be Trevor did the same for her. She glanced down at him and grinned. “I apologize for the noises. I can’t help it. It feels good.”
“I’ll take all noises as compliments,” he assured her.
“You can do the same,” I told Parker.
“Uh-huh,” he uttered. I could see a smile peeking at the corners of his lips.
“Okay, parents,” Larissa said. “Let’s take some deep cleansing breaths on this last minute of the massage, and we’ll call today another success.”
“Heck, yeah,” Lizzie exclaimed. “Complete winner.”
“And partners, make sure you’re practicing these techniques every day. The massages not only help to relax our moms, but they also help reduce pregnancy pains before, during, and after labor. The better your technique, the easier life will be for our moms.”
“You mean I’m going to have to do this after the baby is born?” Pete joked.
Jackie gave him a playful backhand and said, “Only if you want a happy wife.”
