“Always. Even when I’m not paying attention.”
Nick and Dave both listened, wide-eyed, to recount of Forrest’s outburst. When I told them about Jarret’s dinner comments about Gretchen, Robin sat straight up.
“His high school girlfriend tracked him down after all those years? That’s huge,” Robin said.
“It got my attention,” I said. “Jarret brushed her off as a casual friend with benefits, yet Gretchen referred to him as her boyfriend at the gym.”
“You know, a girl never forgets her first,” Robin said.
“Never?” Dave said, putting his arm around her. “Who was your first?”
Robin fluttered her lashes, poised and self-assured. “This year? You.”
“Liz, what did Jarret say about Margaret Smith?” Nick said.
“I didn’t ask.”
“Why not?”
“The timing didn’t feel right to me. I’ll wait for his mother to return my call. Marion will give me details and she won’t ask a lot of questions.”
“This Gretchen woman’s move to L.A. coincides with the Smiths losing their house in Bull Valley. Or close enough,” Dave said. “Write down her last name and I’ll run her through the database at work on Monday.” He slid off his stool and gave Robin’s blonde ponytail a gentle tug. “It’s getting late.”
She took Dave’s hand, then gave me a knowing wink. Getting late—lover’s code for let’s go to your house and fool around.
“We’ll see you tomorrow night at your dad’s party.” Robin picked up her purse from the coffee table. Nick and I followed them outside.
“Good luck at the police station,” Robin said. “Don’t let Carla the bulldog intimidate you.”
“Oliver will be there to growl back,” I said.
Dave stopped at the sidewalk and called across the lawn, “Call if you need me.”
Nick and I waved from the porch as they drove off under the night sky, clear and black, punctuated by a scattering of bright stars. A forceful wind rustled through the trees, blowing dust and dried leaves across the lawn. I wrapped my arms around Nick’s waist and rested my head on his shoulder, taking in the scent of summer flowers and fresh-cut grass, happy for the quiet.
He moved his hand up my back, caressing my neck with his forefinger and thumb. His slow, gentle kneading shot tingles of release across my shoulders to my fingertips and down to my knees. My body relaxed into his touch. He slipped his free hand around my waist and moved around to face me. Running his hands down my body to my hips, he began to bunch my dress up.
I stopped him, mid-thigh. “What I want to do with you tonight requires a soft bed, a dark room, and a lot of time.” Taking his hand to my lips, I slowly kissed his fingertips. “But first, I’m taking a bath.”
When we went inside, Erzulie hopped on the kitchen counter, pacing between the empty beer bottles with her tail straight up, and meowing until I went to her.
“Where have you been?” I said. She arched her back, letting me scratch the top of her head. I scooped her up under the belly, hugging her close until she tired of the love and squirmed for freedom.
While Nick tossed the empty bottles and turned off the lights, I went into the bathroom and ran hot water in the tub. While the tub filled, I unpacked my weekender and put my clothes in the dresser drawer Nick left empty for me, keeping out the purple chiffon baby-doll gown I packed as a surprise. Since he was patient enough to wait for me while I dined with my ex-husband, I figured Nick deserved a little transparent eye candy as a reward. I hung the baby-doll on the back of the bathroom door, put two small drops from my vial of rose oil under the running water, and took off my clothes.
I eased into the tub, sliding down to immerse my head in the hot, scented water. Hello bath, I missed you so. The water dissolved days of yucky gym showers, worries, and tight muscles. I came up for air, lathered shampoo through my hair, and went under again. Came back up to lather my body and wash my face, and then I soaked in water to my chin until thoughts of Nick, waiting for me in the bedroom, became too inviting to ignore. I climbed out, toweled off my hair and body, and slipped into the cool purple chiffon.
Soft flutes hummed a slow and sexy African chant throughout the house. In the dark bedroom, a lone pillar candle flickered beside the fertility goddess on the nightstand. Nick waited in bed, propped on an elbow against a stack of pillows with a sheet stopped at his bare waist. I walked barefoot across his Turkish rug and stood in front of him in the candlelight. His eyes drifted from my face to my chest to the edge of the baby-doll brushing the top of my thighs. He held out his hand.
I put my knee on the bed and let him pull me in. I fell into his arms and into a deep, lingering kiss. The baby-doll stayed on for a good thirty seconds, a new record for us.
Chapter Twenty-four