flinched, making faces as he stepped into the whirlpool.
âOh, you get used to it.â Alison laughed easily and Tom joined her. She wasnât sure if he knew she was talking about the burns she had gotten from Kelly, but it felt great to laugh about it.
âGot room for me?â Chad stood on the edge of the hot tub between Tom and Alison and waited for Tom to move over so he could sit between them. Was he getting jealous?
âSo how was the dance?â Alison asked. She wanted to make sure the three of them looked like they were having a good time when Kelly came back out of the pool house.
Chad shrugged. âOkay, I guess. You didnât miss much.â
But she had, really. She had missed him and being a part of the crowd.
âYou should have seen Nelson and Kaminski on the dance floor, though.â Tom stood up and did an imitation of their PE teacher slow dancing with their geometry teacher, his arms wrapped all the way around himself so he was playing with his own hair.
Chad cracked up, putting his head really, really close to Alisonâs shoulder. âI wish you could have seen it.â He laughed.
âI just wanted to relax tonight.â Alison shrugged, still grinning. âItâs been a rough week.â
âYou can say that again.â Chadâs smile faded. He was looking right into Alisonâs blue eyes and she could tell what he was thinkingâthat he was sorry for whatever part heâd played in making her life difficult. Alison waited, hoping he would say it, but what happened next was even better. Kelly emerged just in time to catch them gazing at each other. Tom waved her over, but Chad didnât look away.
âAl, Iâm reallyâ¦â Chad stumbled on his own tongue.
Out of the corner of her eye, Alison watched Kelly approach. She stepped into the tub, squealing at the heat, and settled between Alison and Chad. The tub went silent.
âDonât let me break up the party,â Kelly sniped. She put Chadâs arm around her shoulders. âMiss me?â
âNot much,â Alison said brightly. Her work here was done. Now it was playtime. âDouble cannonball?â she asked Tom, checking to see if Chad was paying attention. He was.
âOh, yeah!â Another great thing about Tomâhe was up for anything. They were on the board about to jump when Alisonâs heart stopped for the second time that night.
Grandmother Diamond was standing on the deck with her arms crossed. Alison could tell by her posture that she was glaring at them.
âCannonball!â Tom yelled. His splash was enormous, but not loud enough to cover Grandmother Diamondâs booming voice.
âGet out of my pool this instant! Kelly! Alison! You should be ashamed of yourselves. I was about to call the police. Youâre lucky I didnât have you arrested!â
âLike the rest of the family?â Alison said before she could stop herself. Her grandmother looked at her sharply, then looked away as if she hadnât heard anything.
âI thought you were intruders,â Grandmother Diamond went on, glaring at Kelly. Chad cowered behind her, and Tom was now out of the pool, shivering in the night air. âYou are intruders. And I want you all dressed and out of here immediately.â
Alison hesitated. She glanced at Kelly, then looked at her bare feet. âIâm so sorry, Grandmother. I should have called to tell you I was coming. I was just sleeping in the pool house. Our place is so emptyâ¦and then when Kelly showed up with the guys, wellâ¦we didnât mean to disturb you. It was inconsiderate of us, I know. I guess Iâm under a lot of stress.â She raised her eyes to meet her grandmotherâs. âCan I stay? Your house is the only place that feels like home.â
Tamara Diamondâs expression relaxed. Alison could feel her anger softening, like melting ice cream. She had laid it on extra
C. J. Cherryh
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