your friends. It’d be a mess.”
“Your friends are not my friends. And any that are, you can have. I’m sorry.”
She paused. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He took the engagement ring and placed it on the table.
“And you chose to do this at a restaurant?”
“I just wanted it done as quickly as possible.” He rose. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Before he could turn around, her glass of wine flew at him. It struck him in the chest, splashing the crimson fluid over his face and shirt. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked at him. Normally, this might have been a humiliating situation. But he didn’t care. He was free.
He wiped some of the fluid away with a linen napkin that was on the table and said, “Take care of yourself,” before he walked out of the restaurant, and Miriam’s life.
Jessica sat on the beach. The waves rolled to shore and crackled against the sand and rocks. She was in a bathing suit with a sunhat and glasses. The weather was perfect; not too hot and not too cold. Before her in the surf, Garcia lifted Ruth and pretended to throw her into the waves. She squealed and laughed and tickled him to get away. He pretended to lose his grip and she ran off into the waves with her brother.
Garcia sauntered up the sand and fell next to her, his body slick with ocean water, his muscles rippling as he leaned over and kissed her.
“They’re good kids,” he said.
“They’ve had it rough. I hope they can get over the things they’ve seen.”
“People are stronger than you think.”
He kissed her again. She could taste him, smell the salt on his skin. His hands gripped her like vices and pulled her close.
“Mom,” Ruth shouted, “ look at me.”
Jessica chuckled and looked to her daughter. She was riding on her brother’s back as a wave hit them and toppled them over.
Even a year ago, Jessica would not have pictured herself here. A man was an abstraction. Something she didn’t think she needed or wanted. But as Garcia took her hand and lay back on the sand, she felt an excitement and hopefulness she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
And there was no place in the world she would rather be.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I want to thank you for your purchase. If you enjoyed Fatal Intimacies , please take a quick moment to leave a review on Amazon at the link provided below. Reviews help authors improve their works and provide valuable feedback to others browsing books on Amazon.
So please leave a review and know that I appreciate each and every one of you!
United States Store
United Kingdom Store
Copyright 2013 Isabelle Ali
Kindle Edition
License Statement
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy.
Please note that this is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All events in this work are purely from the imagination of the author and are not intended to signify, represent, or reenact any event in actual fact.
“Your friends are not my friends. And any that are, you can have. I’m sorry.”
She paused. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He took the engagement ring and placed it on the table.
“And you chose to do this at a restaurant?”
“I just wanted it done as quickly as possible.” He rose. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Before he could turn around, her glass of wine flew at him. It struck him in the chest, splashing the crimson fluid over his face and shirt. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked at him. Normally, this might have been a humiliating situation. But he didn’t care. He was free.
He wiped some of the fluid away with a linen napkin that was on the table and said, “Take care of yourself,” before he walked out of the restaurant, and Miriam’s life.
Jessica sat on the beach. The waves rolled to shore and crackled against the sand and rocks. She was in a bathing suit with a sunhat and glasses. The weather was perfect; not too hot and not too cold. Before her in the surf, Garcia lifted Ruth and pretended to throw her into the waves. She squealed and laughed and tickled him to get away. He pretended to lose his grip and she ran off into the waves with her brother.
Garcia sauntered up the sand and fell next to her, his body slick with ocean water, his muscles rippling as he leaned over and kissed her.
“They’re good kids,” he said.
“They’ve had it rough. I hope they can get over the things they’ve seen.”
“People are stronger than you think.”
He kissed her again. She could taste him, smell the salt on his skin. His hands gripped her like vices and pulled her close.
“Mom,” Ruth shouted, “ look at me.”
Jessica chuckled and looked to her daughter. She was riding on her brother’s back as a wave hit them and toppled them over.
Even a year ago, Jessica would not have pictured herself here. A man was an abstraction. Something she didn’t think she needed or wanted. But as Garcia took her hand and lay back on the sand, she felt an excitement and hopefulness she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
And there was no place in the world she would rather be.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I want to thank you for your purchase. If you enjoyed Fatal Intimacies , please take a quick moment to leave a review on Amazon at the link provided below. Reviews help authors improve their works and provide valuable feedback to others browsing books on Amazon.
So please leave a review and know that I appreciate each and every one of you!
United States Store
United Kingdom Store
Copyright 2013 Isabelle Ali
Kindle Edition
License Statement
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy.
Please note that this is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All events in this work are purely from the imagination of the author and are not intended to signify, represent, or reenact any event in actual fact.
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