ran over Clarissa’s figure, and stopped at the water accumulating at her feet. “Really. You deserve the afternoon off.”
Clarissa shot a last look at Elaina . “Fine.” She turned around and headed toward the hotel. Her wet skin felt cold against the air, and her sandals made a squishing sound with every step she took.
Step. Squish. Step. Squish. She probably wouldn’t stop dripping until she reached the elevator. One leg of her s uit began to twist unnaturally. She didn’t dare stop and fix it. She’d already created enough of a spectacle to amuse the movie stars.
Step. Squish. Step. Squish.
She hated the way Slade was so at ease in every situation, while she always floundered around looking incompetent. And she hated the smug humor she’d seen on Sherry’s face before she turned around. But most of all she hated the way Bella could send Clarissa into a pool one moment and then blink innocently up from her father’s arms—the image of an angel—the next.
Had she done the whole thing on purpose?
And from the recesses of her mind , Clarissa heard Freud’s voice laughing. “You’d better listen to me next time.”
Clarissa changed into dry clothes, did some damage control to her hair and makeup, and then went out on her hotel room’s balcony to read a novel. It should have been easy to relax against the backdrop of the bright blue ocean spilling onto the pale sand. But it wasn’t. She reread the same paragraph over and over again while wondering how Slade was managing with the girls. Finally she put the book down. Pitiful, she scolded herself. It’s been so long since you had any time to yourself that you don’t know what to do any more.
She looked out at the beach, sunny and inviting, and wished her balcony faced the pool instead. That way she’d be able to see whether or not Slade had already taken the girls inside.
She was beyond pitiful; she had reached pathetic.
I should go for a walk along the beach, she thought, and pictured herself strolling along the shore with the other sunbathers. Then she pictured herself in her old blue swimming suit, and the image didn’t seem as appealing. She didn’t want to go for a walk; she wanted to buy a new bathing suit.
She grabbed her purse and key card and was out the door.
Chapter 12
Clarissa had expected the hotel gift shop to be small, but it was also a pro shop and ended up being bigger than some of the stores she’d been to in the mall. It carried everything from toothbrushes to sports equipment. A rack of women’s swimming suits stood in the back of the store in between the golf shirts and beach towels.
As Clarissa flipped through them , she chastised herself for not buying a new suit before she came. In California, she could have shopped around and found a bargain. Here she’d have to accept the price.
She turned over the tag on a bright, flor al suit and winced. Too much. It was a week’s worth of groceries. She couldn’t justify spending this much, and yet, even as she thought about returning the suit to the rack, she also thought of Sherry stretched out on the pool chair in her black velvet suit, looking sleek and elegant. Clarissa wanted to feel that way. The old blue suit seemed symbolic of all Clarissa’s problems, and she didn’t want to put it on again. Ever.
She took the floral suit and also grabbed a hot pink, a yellow, and a black one from the rack. Then she took them to the dressing room.
The whole time she disrobed, she mourned her lack of willpower and the amount of chocolate she’d consumed over her lifetime. Chocolate. It seemed to cancel out the time she’d put in on the treadmill. She ought to have done better. If she were perfect, it wouldn’t matter what she wore. She would always feel confident.
Clarissa put on the yellow suit and turned sideways to the mirror. It was a good thing, really, that she and Elaina would be here for Halloween instead of back home. Who needed bags of fun-sized Snickers lying
Clarissa shot a last look at Elaina . “Fine.” She turned around and headed toward the hotel. Her wet skin felt cold against the air, and her sandals made a squishing sound with every step she took.
Step. Squish. Step. Squish. She probably wouldn’t stop dripping until she reached the elevator. One leg of her s uit began to twist unnaturally. She didn’t dare stop and fix it. She’d already created enough of a spectacle to amuse the movie stars.
Step. Squish. Step. Squish.
She hated the way Slade was so at ease in every situation, while she always floundered around looking incompetent. And she hated the smug humor she’d seen on Sherry’s face before she turned around. But most of all she hated the way Bella could send Clarissa into a pool one moment and then blink innocently up from her father’s arms—the image of an angel—the next.
Had she done the whole thing on purpose?
And from the recesses of her mind , Clarissa heard Freud’s voice laughing. “You’d better listen to me next time.”
Clarissa changed into dry clothes, did some damage control to her hair and makeup, and then went out on her hotel room’s balcony to read a novel. It should have been easy to relax against the backdrop of the bright blue ocean spilling onto the pale sand. But it wasn’t. She reread the same paragraph over and over again while wondering how Slade was managing with the girls. Finally she put the book down. Pitiful, she scolded herself. It’s been so long since you had any time to yourself that you don’t know what to do any more.
She looked out at the beach, sunny and inviting, and wished her balcony faced the pool instead. That way she’d be able to see whether or not Slade had already taken the girls inside.
She was beyond pitiful; she had reached pathetic.
I should go for a walk along the beach, she thought, and pictured herself strolling along the shore with the other sunbathers. Then she pictured herself in her old blue swimming suit, and the image didn’t seem as appealing. She didn’t want to go for a walk; she wanted to buy a new bathing suit.
She grabbed her purse and key card and was out the door.
Chapter 12
Clarissa had expected the hotel gift shop to be small, but it was also a pro shop and ended up being bigger than some of the stores she’d been to in the mall. It carried everything from toothbrushes to sports equipment. A rack of women’s swimming suits stood in the back of the store in between the golf shirts and beach towels.
As Clarissa flipped through them , she chastised herself for not buying a new suit before she came. In California, she could have shopped around and found a bargain. Here she’d have to accept the price.
She turned over the tag on a bright, flor al suit and winced. Too much. It was a week’s worth of groceries. She couldn’t justify spending this much, and yet, even as she thought about returning the suit to the rack, she also thought of Sherry stretched out on the pool chair in her black velvet suit, looking sleek and elegant. Clarissa wanted to feel that way. The old blue suit seemed symbolic of all Clarissa’s problems, and she didn’t want to put it on again. Ever.
She took the floral suit and also grabbed a hot pink, a yellow, and a black one from the rack. Then she took them to the dressing room.
The whole time she disrobed, she mourned her lack of willpower and the amount of chocolate she’d consumed over her lifetime. Chocolate. It seemed to cancel out the time she’d put in on the treadmill. She ought to have done better. If she were perfect, it wouldn’t matter what she wore. She would always feel confident.
Clarissa put on the yellow suit and turned sideways to the mirror. It was a good thing, really, that she and Elaina would be here for Halloween instead of back home. Who needed bags of fun-sized Snickers lying
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