Read Online Juno's Daughters by Lise Saffran - Free Book Online

sleep.”
    â€œWhat have we here?” Trinculo waved his arms in the air above his body. “A man or a fish? Dead or alive?”
    â€œWell, that’s the right play, at least,” said Miranda.
    The dock shook with Jenny’s footsteps. Both girls turned to look at her, their eyes reflecting the moonlight. Trinculo lay on the edge of the dock on his back, with his feet brushing the water.
    â€œWhat in the world is happening?” Jenny reached for a pile of clothing and finding it sopping, let it lie. “Lilly, what did you do ?”
    â€œI didn’t do anything,” she cried. “I mean, I brought him some brownies. But they had green toothpicks in them, so it was obvious that they were hash brownies. And he didn’t have to go eat three of them.”
    Jenny leaned over Trinculo’s prone body to look at his face. He had a fine form, she could see that even in the dark. Broad shoulders. Narrow hips. Strong arms.
    His eyes flew open and he stared at her with dilated pupils.
    â€œGet up,” she said.
    He did so, wordlessly, and she wrapped him in the afghan. He began to shiver as soon as the blanket touched his skin.
    â€œWhere are his shoes?” Jenny practically barked the question at Lilly.
    Her daughter, uncharacteristically docile, searched around for Trinculo’s shoes and, finding them, set them by his feet so that Jenny could help him step into them.
    â€œI think I’m going to throw up,” he groaned, bending forward. He doubled over and retched off the dock into the water.
    Miranda took a step backward. “Eww.”
    When Trinculo straightened Jenny put her arm around him and began to lead him back on the path to the house. She was aware of Miranda and Lilly standing guiltily behind. She could sense the looks of horror and excitement that passed between them.
    â€œBring his clothes, will you?” she called over her shoulder.
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œSure thing.”
    Trinculo’s teeth were chattering as Jenny led him, naked except for his Nikes and wrapped in an afghan, up the path, toward the house. It was a measure of how interesting summers on the island often got that the sight of him in that condition warranted no more than a few raised eyebrows and the occasional call of, “Jenny? You need some help?”
    â€œWe’re fine,” she answered back, and led him up the stairs into the house.
    Peg was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. “Dale is moving Frankie from the back room.” She shook her head. “That Lilly.”
    Trinculo lifted his head, which had been nodding with his chin against his chest. “Lilly.” He repeated her name as if he were just now realizing that he’d left her behind.
    â€œShe’s fine,” said Jenny, giving him a push toward the back that was forceful enough to set him wobbling.
    Once in front of the futon, she gave him a gentler shove until he was lying on the spot that was still warm from Frankie’s body. She covered him with another quilt and then, before turning off the light, noticed a smudge of something on his cheek. She brushed at it with her fingers. A shred of temporary tattoo curled off and fell to the floor. A snake. Jenny shut the door behind her with a firm click.

CHAPTER 4
    A Most Majestic Vision
    I t was one a.m. and the embers of the fire sizzled in the fog. Inside the warm house, Jenny, Lilly, Frankie, Dale, Peg, Mary Ann, David, and Miranda reclined in various positions on the couches, leather chairs, and floor cushions and polished off the last of the chips, grapes, and cookies that remained on the wide wooden table. Trinculo slept in the TV room. Ferdinand had gone home early and Caliban had begged a ride back to town with the owner of the harbor ice cream shop. Ariel was doing stretches in the corner and Jenny watched as Frankie, snuggled under a blanket with her head on a pile of coats, watched him under half-lowered