“He’ll be down there now, I think.”
I looked and, for the very first time in radiant daylight, I could see the breathtaking view of the estate. The tarred driveway stretched down between ranks of tall, slender trees that I couldn’t identify. On either side of the driveway was an expanse of green lawn studded with fruit trees. Further out, the manicured lawn gave way to miles of bushveld; emerald tufts of coarse grass, gnarled-looking thorn bushes with twisted branches, and a long way down the hill, I could see dense overgrowth following the meandering curves of a stream or river.
I walked across the grass toward the swimming pool, which was under a tall avocado tree with broad, dark leaves. Half the water was shaded by the tree and the other half sparkled in the sun. I could see some ripe fruit hanging from the tree—full, rounded, deep green in color.
Nicholas was swimming laps. He was doing a fast and efficient crawl stroke. His powerful arms cut through the water, and where the sun touched his skin, it shone in burnished gold. Watching him, I felt a complex mix of emotions. Relief that I had resisted his charms yesterday. Regret—shameful as it was to admit—for the same reasons. What would our night together have been like if I had said yes?
I couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like to wake up beside Nicholas. How he might have smiled at me with sensual promise in his eyes before reaching for me again. I wondered if his skin would be as silken to the touch as the water made it look. How would his body feel if I smoothed my hands over his shoulders, down his muscular back…?
I jumped as the cell phone in my pocket started to ring, wrenching me back to reality, and not a moment too soon.
Vince was calling again. Hurriedly turning my gaze away from the water, I answered as fast as I could.
“Hey there.”
“I’ve got that list of equipment.” His voice was cold. I could only hope that if he’d been busy making the list, he hadn’t had time to look up Leopard Rock online.
“Great. I can’t write it down right now, so if you could email it as I asked you to, that will be best.” I had told him to send it online, so why was he calling? Since when was I his damned secretary?
I was surprised by the sudden surge of defiance I felt.
“You can’t write it down? Where are you?” he pressed.
“I’m outside.” The harsh cawing of a bird flying overhead confirmed my words.
“Outside where? You were inside when I spoke to you ten minutes ago.”
“And now I’m outside,” I said patiently, though once again I was starting to seethe with frustration. It seemed that enforced separation didn’t sit well at all with Vince, which was something I hadn’t had the chance to discover about him. During our passionate courtship and our subsequent short marriage, we’d spent just about every waking moment together.
That was clearly how it needed to be once again. We’d been so happy during that time, without the outside world intruding.
“Have you asked about the helicopter?” he said, his voice sharp.
“No, I haven’t. It’s only been a few minutes since we last spoke. I’m not Superwoman, you know. If I was, I could fly across the damned river.” I was tired of his badgering, and if my words came across as sarcastic, I found I didn’t care. My gaze strayed back to the swimming pool where I found myself mesmerized by the rhythmic stretch and flex of Nicholas’s muscular arms.
“What are you hiding from me, Erin?” Vince asked, his voice surprisingly soft.
There was a long silence, during which I had the opportunity to regret my outburst.
“Hiding? From you?” I asked incredulously, managing to suppress a pang of guilt. “Nothing. I’m hiding nothing. This is how things are.”
“Is that so?”
“Vince, look. I don’t understand you. Why are you being like this? I’m the one who was in an accident. I’m the one who—who could have drowned when my car got
I looked and, for the very first time in radiant daylight, I could see the breathtaking view of the estate. The tarred driveway stretched down between ranks of tall, slender trees that I couldn’t identify. On either side of the driveway was an expanse of green lawn studded with fruit trees. Further out, the manicured lawn gave way to miles of bushveld; emerald tufts of coarse grass, gnarled-looking thorn bushes with twisted branches, and a long way down the hill, I could see dense overgrowth following the meandering curves of a stream or river.
I walked across the grass toward the swimming pool, which was under a tall avocado tree with broad, dark leaves. Half the water was shaded by the tree and the other half sparkled in the sun. I could see some ripe fruit hanging from the tree—full, rounded, deep green in color.
Nicholas was swimming laps. He was doing a fast and efficient crawl stroke. His powerful arms cut through the water, and where the sun touched his skin, it shone in burnished gold. Watching him, I felt a complex mix of emotions. Relief that I had resisted his charms yesterday. Regret—shameful as it was to admit—for the same reasons. What would our night together have been like if I had said yes?
I couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like to wake up beside Nicholas. How he might have smiled at me with sensual promise in his eyes before reaching for me again. I wondered if his skin would be as silken to the touch as the water made it look. How would his body feel if I smoothed my hands over his shoulders, down his muscular back…?
I jumped as the cell phone in my pocket started to ring, wrenching me back to reality, and not a moment too soon.
Vince was calling again. Hurriedly turning my gaze away from the water, I answered as fast as I could.
“Hey there.”
“I’ve got that list of equipment.” His voice was cold. I could only hope that if he’d been busy making the list, he hadn’t had time to look up Leopard Rock online.
“Great. I can’t write it down right now, so if you could email it as I asked you to, that will be best.” I had told him to send it online, so why was he calling? Since when was I his damned secretary?
I was surprised by the sudden surge of defiance I felt.
“You can’t write it down? Where are you?” he pressed.
“I’m outside.” The harsh cawing of a bird flying overhead confirmed my words.
“Outside where? You were inside when I spoke to you ten minutes ago.”
“And now I’m outside,” I said patiently, though once again I was starting to seethe with frustration. It seemed that enforced separation didn’t sit well at all with Vince, which was something I hadn’t had the chance to discover about him. During our passionate courtship and our subsequent short marriage, we’d spent just about every waking moment together.
That was clearly how it needed to be once again. We’d been so happy during that time, without the outside world intruding.
“Have you asked about the helicopter?” he said, his voice sharp.
“No, I haven’t. It’s only been a few minutes since we last spoke. I’m not Superwoman, you know. If I was, I could fly across the damned river.” I was tired of his badgering, and if my words came across as sarcastic, I found I didn’t care. My gaze strayed back to the swimming pool where I found myself mesmerized by the rhythmic stretch and flex of Nicholas’s muscular arms.
“What are you hiding from me, Erin?” Vince asked, his voice surprisingly soft.
There was a long silence, during which I had the opportunity to regret my outburst.
“Hiding? From you?” I asked incredulously, managing to suppress a pang of guilt. “Nothing. I’m hiding nothing. This is how things are.”
“Is that so?”
“Vince, look. I don’t understand you. Why are you being like this? I’m the one who was in an accident. I’m the one who—who could have drowned when my car got
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