Louise closed her eyes tight against the threat of tears and took a deep breath. Throwing pity parties in restaurant bathrooms wouldn’t help. She knew better. The price for her things would be her life and she wasn’t willing to pay it.
Another woman came in and nodded hello before ducking into a cubicle. Louise splashed some water on her face and pulled her shit together. She could do this—time to return to her husband. One of his infrequent smiles would do her good.
Chairs had been shifted in her absence, pushing hers out to make room for their tighter gathering around the small table. They were deeply immersed in their conversation. Rose had a hand on each of the men, as if she were anchoring them to her. One hand sat on Taka’s shoulder while the other gripped Adam’s wrist as he laughed and shook his head at something she’d said.
It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh. A real, full-on belly laugh. It sounded wonderful. Louise stood there, hesitating, watching the scene like a kid with her nose pressed to the glass. Wanting in but not invited.
Taka spotted her first and the corner of his mouth leaped. “Thank the gods, someone reasonable for me to talk to.”
“I’ll get us another round.” Rose surged to her feet.
Adam turned to Louise and smiled slowly, the heat in his gaze solely for her. “No. Let’s call it a night.”
It felt as if someone had flicked a switch inside her. Her blood rushed and her body warmed. Having the full focus of her husband’s attention was a breathtaking, giddy thing. She didn’t even hear Rose’s snarky reply…mostly.
Adam stood and pushed back his chair, moved to stand in front of her. Close enough to block out everything else. The scent of him filled her head, warm and pleasingly familiar.
“Let me go take care of the bill and then we’ll go,” he said.
“Okay.”
Taka fell in beside him while Rose busied herself at the table, gathering her bag and coat. The dark fall of her braids blocked her face from view.
“It’s lovely here,” Louise ventured.
“Yes, it is. I was going to bring you here the other day when I was meant to give you the tour.” Rose’s voice was brusque as she settled her bag on her shoulder. She didn’t look directly at Louise. Her focus remained somewhere over Louise’s shoulder, mouth pinned shut.
“I’m sorry I missed your message.”
The woman snorted.
Which made it past time to cut the bullshit. “What’s the problem here?”
Rose turned and hiked her chin up. “It doesn’t matter… I understand you went to Adam and offered to scrub his back. It’s great that you and he are getting on now.” The woman showed her a whole lot of shiny, white teeth. “Maybe now you’ll make more of an effort to fit in with the other wives. Community is important out here.”
He had fed intimate details about her to his friends? He had actually done that? Louise locked her knees and looked the woman in the eye. “Thanks for your opinion, Rose. If you don’t mind, I need to talk to my husband.”
“Adam’s had a difficult life. He hasn’t always had it easy, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. I only just met him.”
The woman glared at her. “Exactly.”
Fury bound her so tightly that her lungs couldn’t keep up. A million retorts rested on her tongue. What she wouldn’t give to let loose and cause a scene. Also, her husband might want to worry about how to keep his balls attached once she got her hands on him.
Adam’s hand pressed against her lower back. “Everything okay?”
“You’ve been discussing our sex life with Rose?”
For the corner of her eye, she saw Taka hold Rose back.
Wise man.
He squinted at her as if she had spoken in tongues. “No, I just… Rose and Taka are friends of mine. But I didn’t—”
“What goes on between us is private,” Louise said, amazed that it needed to be said. She stepped back from him, needing the breathing space. The sense of betrayal staggered her. Her throat closed as tight as her fists. “It’s all in the details, Adam. Private details about us that you don’t need to be sharing with other people.”
Her desire to hit him stunned her. Served her right—sex didn’t mean any more than a damn contract did. She was so stupid. She had to get out of there.
“Louise,” he said, his voice low and rough.
“Don’t.” She put a hand up to halt him.
She took another step backward. Then she turned and fled.
*
Adam’s shirt clung to him in the garden’s muggy air. Lighting was close to none. If she hadn’t been wearing a white top he might never have found her. His wife sat by the lagoon with her pant legs rolled up and her feet in the water.
They did well in water. He had hope.
“Hi,” he said when he got close enough. Though she’d probably heard him crashing through the undergrowth, despite the noise of the small waterfall.
She lifted her gaze briefly from the pool. “Hi.”