“Shall we finish these on the balcony?”
He agreed, and they sat together for fifteen minutes while she chatted easily, telling him about the snorkeling trip the next morning, and letting him know about the meal the chef was preparing. A quick late-afternoon shower had left the air clean and sweet, and the wine felt deliciously crisp on her tongue.
“Everyone’s having fun, aren’t they?” Dwight asked, and Pauline tamped down on the irritation that suddenly swelled inside her. Why wouldn’t they be? she wanted to ask. She was working her behind off to make sure of it.
But she just reached for his hand. “Everyone is having an amazing time,” she said. “And it’s just going to get better and better.”
He smiled then and finished his wine. “Shall we go to dinner?”
* * *
“The first course,” the waiter announced as he placed a white china bowl in front of Tina, “is a lobster bisque.”
“Oh, my gosh, I haven’t had lobster in forever!” she practically shouted. She knew she sounded like a rube—they were in such an elegant setting—but she didn’t care. This had been one of the best days in her entire life, and she didn’t feel like pretending to be someone she wasn’t. She’d been massaged on the beach, then she and Gio had swum together. Tina had always loved open water, had relished how sensual and languid she felt as she glided into its heavy, silent depths. But ever since she’d had kids, her relationship with water had shifted, because now it represented danger: She had to scan the neighborhood pool constantly to see the heads of her children, since she was pretty sure the teenage lifeguards were dozing behind their sunglasses. And the beach? Forget it; she couldn’t relax for a second.
Today, though, she’d felt like a mermaid as she dove and splashed and kicked. She’d squealed in surprise as Gio caught her by the waist and pulled her underwater for a long kiss. Then she and Gio had come back to the beach and collapsed onto lounge chairs and the massage therapist had offered her a mani-pedi, which she’d desperately needed. She’d fallen asleep somewhere between the base and second coat of bright pink polish. When she’d woken up, she’d had a dry mouth and a headache, but there was a fully stocked medicine cabinet in their suite, and two Advils had chased away the throbbing in her temples.
She and Gio had showered together—they’d had sex, too, which was surprisingly comfortable thanks to the bench builtinto the shower—and then Tina had taken her time with her makeup.
Now here she was, with a pink- and violet-streaked sunset visible from her seat, Bob Marley’s infectious voice on the sound system, and crystal goblets glowing like fireflies on the table. Bliss.
“Oh, no!” Tina said suddenly, putting down her spoon with a clank. Everyone turned to look at her. “I forgot to call the children to say good night! I promised I would!”
Gio threw back his head and laughed. “Man, give her a day away from the kids, and she forgets all about them.”
“They’re probably putting your photo on a milk carton, Tina,” Savannah cracked.
Tina glared at Savannah and punched Gio in the arm. “Stop it!”
This wasn’t the slightest bit funny. She’d only thought about her kids in tiny glimpses today. Guilt flooded her. What kind of a mother was she?
“Do you want to go call them now?” Allie asked quietly. “If it would make you feel better . . .”
Tina glanced at her watch and shook her head. “They probably just fell asleep, and the phone might wake them again . . . Your mom would’ve called if they were upset, right? If they’d wanted to talk to me?”
“Of course she would’ve,” Allie said.
“Did I tell you I bought Marmaduke for them to watch tonight?” Ryan said.
“You did? My kids go crazy for any show with dogs in it!” Tina said.
“Yeah, I figured, since the last time I was at your house they tried to put a leash on me
He agreed, and they sat together for fifteen minutes while she chatted easily, telling him about the snorkeling trip the next morning, and letting him know about the meal the chef was preparing. A quick late-afternoon shower had left the air clean and sweet, and the wine felt deliciously crisp on her tongue.
“Everyone’s having fun, aren’t they?” Dwight asked, and Pauline tamped down on the irritation that suddenly swelled inside her. Why wouldn’t they be? she wanted to ask. She was working her behind off to make sure of it.
But she just reached for his hand. “Everyone is having an amazing time,” she said. “And it’s just going to get better and better.”
He smiled then and finished his wine. “Shall we go to dinner?”
* * *
“The first course,” the waiter announced as he placed a white china bowl in front of Tina, “is a lobster bisque.”
“Oh, my gosh, I haven’t had lobster in forever!” she practically shouted. She knew she sounded like a rube—they were in such an elegant setting—but she didn’t care. This had been one of the best days in her entire life, and she didn’t feel like pretending to be someone she wasn’t. She’d been massaged on the beach, then she and Gio had swum together. Tina had always loved open water, had relished how sensual and languid she felt as she glided into its heavy, silent depths. But ever since she’d had kids, her relationship with water had shifted, because now it represented danger: She had to scan the neighborhood pool constantly to see the heads of her children, since she was pretty sure the teenage lifeguards were dozing behind their sunglasses. And the beach? Forget it; she couldn’t relax for a second.
Today, though, she’d felt like a mermaid as she dove and splashed and kicked. She’d squealed in surprise as Gio caught her by the waist and pulled her underwater for a long kiss. Then she and Gio had come back to the beach and collapsed onto lounge chairs and the massage therapist had offered her a mani-pedi, which she’d desperately needed. She’d fallen asleep somewhere between the base and second coat of bright pink polish. When she’d woken up, she’d had a dry mouth and a headache, but there was a fully stocked medicine cabinet in their suite, and two Advils had chased away the throbbing in her temples.
She and Gio had showered together—they’d had sex, too, which was surprisingly comfortable thanks to the bench builtinto the shower—and then Tina had taken her time with her makeup.
Now here she was, with a pink- and violet-streaked sunset visible from her seat, Bob Marley’s infectious voice on the sound system, and crystal goblets glowing like fireflies on the table. Bliss.
“Oh, no!” Tina said suddenly, putting down her spoon with a clank. Everyone turned to look at her. “I forgot to call the children to say good night! I promised I would!”
Gio threw back his head and laughed. “Man, give her a day away from the kids, and she forgets all about them.”
“They’re probably putting your photo on a milk carton, Tina,” Savannah cracked.
Tina glared at Savannah and punched Gio in the arm. “Stop it!”
This wasn’t the slightest bit funny. She’d only thought about her kids in tiny glimpses today. Guilt flooded her. What kind of a mother was she?
“Do you want to go call them now?” Allie asked quietly. “If it would make you feel better . . .”
Tina glanced at her watch and shook her head. “They probably just fell asleep, and the phone might wake them again . . . Your mom would’ve called if they were upset, right? If they’d wanted to talk to me?”
“Of course she would’ve,” Allie said.
“Did I tell you I bought Marmaduke for them to watch tonight?” Ryan said.
“You did? My kids go crazy for any show with dogs in it!” Tina said.
“Yeah, I figured, since the last time I was at your house they tried to put a leash on me
Similar Books
