He straightens and pulls his shoulders back, walking away with the arrogant strut of a rooster. I watch him fade into black, as though he was never there.
Believe it or not, I have been keeping an eye on the twins through all this, and I see that David is making the s’mores with them. It’s a nice family moment that also allows my attention to remain mainly on Taylor.
Her eyes drift toward Lucas, who’s moved over by the campfire. “I don’t want to pry, but were you and Lucas, like, a thing? Was there a bad breakup?” I press. “If you ever want to talk—”
Taylor’s expression hardens. “Bad breakup?” she asks with an edge. “No… no, it’swayworse than that.”
And with that cryptic remark, she skulks off toward the house, looking like she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
The first bedtime with the twins plays out like an endurance sport for which I am ill-trained, ill-equipped, and thoroughly unmotivated. I’m stunned at the difficulty I have getting them to simply put on their pajamas. They’re like two wiggly worms, writhing as though they’ve been electrocuted.
“Haven’t you done this before, like, many times?” I ask. “Your arms and legs and head go through the holes, and after that, you go and brush your teeth.”
“My dad says I don’t have to brush my teeth,” Brody insists.
“That’s fine,” I retort. “They’re all going to fall out anyway.”
“You’re mean,” Becca tells me, frowning.
“Well, you’re not listening,” I say with an impatient tone. I lower myself to their eye level and say, “Listen, you two.” I give them my best low, growly voice. “You know what happens to the Hulk when he turns angry? Well, the same thing happens tome.” I cast a look that shows I’m teasing, but I’m also losing my patience.
Maybe they don’t know the superhero reference, but I’m delighted (and surprised) that they decide to play along. With no further prompting, they’re cooperative almost to a fault. These twins are like chameleons—belligerent one moment, endearing and compliant the next. It’s maddening.
After I get the little monsters cleaned up and into their jammies, after stories are read and teeth are actually brushed, and the dears are safely tucked into their beds, I decide to take some time for myself. I slip outside onto the wraparound deck on the second floor for a breath of fresh air. I lean my hands against the steel railing and peer down at the adults gathered around the fire.
My focus soon drifts to the dark shore beyond, where Susie Welch once lived. With a meditative prayer, I pay my respects.
Notes from a guitar break the spell. The music is coming from the neighboring house. I move to the other side of the deck, where I see Lucas below, sitting outside on his patio, strumming his six-string, lost in the moment. I stay and listen, imagining that he’s serenading me. I don’t recognize the song. Could it be his original composition? If so, he’s pretty talented, which doesn’t surprise me.
He’s like a pied piper, for I’m not the only one lured toward the music. Out of the dark, Fiona comes staggering toward him. Nobody at the bonfire seems to notice that she’s no longer part of the group. While they’re busy chatting and drinking, Fiona sits directly across from Lucas. Even seated, she seems unsteady, moving her body in a way that could be in rhythm with the music, or could simply be part of a drunken stupor. She appears mesmerized. Her elbows rest on her knees, hands cupping her chin, gazing dreamily at the musician across from her who doesn’t seem to care that he’s acquired an audience.
“That’s so beautiful,” Fiona says, but it sounds likeb-ba-beautiful,like she’s having trouble making thebsound. If anybody else hears her, they don’t seem to care. Lucas’s mother should certainly be concerned—I’ve got the feeling her son is in the presence of a mantis, a nifty bug that bites the head off its partner after it mates. Lucas doesn’t appear to sense the danger.
“Can you write a song about me?” Fiona asks, themecoming out like a hiss of air. Her body falls forward in her chair, but before she topples over, Fiona braces herself against Lucas’s leg. Even though she regains her balance, she keeps her hand on him, leaning forward, her face past the danger zone of being too intimate. I feel guilty being a voyeur, but it’s impossible to look away.
“Just sing me a song…” she insists.
Asking a musician to play is like asking a fish to swim, so I’m not surprised when I hear Lucas strum a new melody. But this time, he adds vocals. His rich, warm voice draws me in. It has the same effect on Fiona, who rests both hands on his knees while he plays.
She’s still in her barely there outfit, but Lucas isn’t paying attention to her body. He’s lost in his song. A band of moonlight escapes from an overhead cloud as if to shine a spotlight on his performance.
His melodic voice proves too much for Fiona. She pulls his hand away from the guitar, stopping the music abruptly. She puts a finger on his chin, pulling his face toward hers. Before he can speak, she presses her lips against his. He freezes, then instinct takes over. Their mouths open as the kiss deepens.
What the hell?Stepping back in surprise, I slink into the darkness where they can’t see me. No need to watch. I know what will happen next.
Chapter 9
Julia
Julia expected to be bone-tired after their first day of vacation. The packing and long day traveling should have worked like extra-strength melatonin, but she was nowhere near sleepy. The temperature was perfect, the crisp summer night air just right for snoozing. It caressed her skin like a soothing touch. So why wasn’t she in la-la land?
Christian dozed peacefully beside her. They’d made love quietly, because the house amplified every sound. Her lucky husband… his release had put him out like a light, leaving Julia more jealous than satisfied. She could read, but she was in that in-between state of being just groggy enough not to make the effort. She knew looking at her phone would be counterproductive, but did it anyway. Her last post of the bonfire had received quite a number of likes.So stupid. So vain.And yet, so real. Her caption wasn’t the best, but it got over fifty comments anyway.
Love it!
OMG, just perfect.
Enjoy every minute.
