A Summer to Remember(9)
“Looks like this will be a summer to remember after all.” I stood and swayed slightly on my feet.
Talia walked over and held me by the waist with slender yet strong arms. “Whoa, there, honey! Let’s get some food into you and then we can go to the beach.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied before I smiled at her.
Talia laughed out loud before she shook her head and shortly afterwards, we walked down to the kitchen.
The last label anyone could put on Monique was lazy or inept. Before she and the cleaning crew had cleared out, she had stocked the fridge and Paul happened to be a terrific, albeit limited, cook. He made a quiche for the four of us and we all sat around eating, drinking alcoholic beverages and talking in the formal dining room. The sun was beginning to set and although there were no parties planned that night, we planned to hang out by the pool for awhile before we walked along the beach.
It was strictly a friendly environment and although Savannah and Autumn had both sent text messages saying they would be arriving the following day, we did all right with just the four of us.
I made sure to wear a long, filmy cover-up which matched my bikini at the table while Paul slipped on a pair of faded blue board shorts and a black faded Deftones tee shirt. Jude looked casual as usual in a white Scarlet Fever concert tee shirt and a pair of black, slightly baggy jeans that showed off his best assets while Talia glowed in what she’d wore from the airport.
She didn’t look like she’d endured a flight across the country. Instead, she looked fresh and clean, yet beautifully put together. I was jealous at how quickly she could clean up yet make it look so effortless as if she hadn’t really spent much time on herself at all.
“So, inquiring minds are dying to know,” Talia began as she swallowed the remnants of her quiche and washed it down with Beck’s. “What’s Ashley like and when do we get to meet her?”
This was a purposeful dig at me and her way of letting me know that Paul was off the market and I should know better than shoplifting cock that didn’t belong to me.
Paul smiled and it was one of those dreamy grins men got when they were thinking of the fantastic sex and the early days of a relationship that seemed so perfect. I would know, I had seen it on Kevin’s face for the whole first year we’d been a couple.
“She’s really great, you know? I understand how you would think she is stuck up and full of herself but she isn’t.” His crystal blue eyes darted my way while I picked off my quiche before I set the fork down and managed to swallow a deep sip of Belvedere and Perrier. “Her parents’ do charity events and she is a lovely human being who generally cares about people and causes that affect the less fortunate in our society. Ashley would have loved to be here but she is busy with all her work in the City so you’ll probably meet her at the next social event we all have together.”
Jude looked my way with cold blue eyes. “I’m sure she’ll manage to make an appearance this summer.” He turned toward Paul. “Aren’t you going back to the City, bro?”
“On Sunday but I just needed to get away. The stress of the job and the pressure…I am not as cutthroat as you are and it is starting to piss me off because I know I can do what is required of me but I feel so damned guilty sometimes. Ashley says I’m too sensitive.”
I finished my drink and suddenly stood from the table, knocking my chair over. Everyone looked at me but I didn’t care, I just had to get out of there and so I did was I good at, I ran.
It didn’t take too long before I’d reached the beach through our private entrance and I walked along the sand, barefoot. There were a few revelers about but not many since it was a Thursday night. A lot of them were locals and the only reason why they were still on “our” side of the beach was because there weren’t enough summer guests in residence to call the police.
I felt a warm hand brush my arm and I was tugged ever so slightly back and in the arms of Paul of all people.
“What the hell are you doing out here? Can’t you just let me sulk in peace?” I wondered out loud. “I’m acting like a spoiled brat and we both know it so let me just walk this out of my f*cking system, please?”
“Listen, I know what the problem is.” He held my arm and I could feel the warmth of his hand through my flimsy cover-up. “I can go on and on about Ashley but she isn’t you and I want you to know if there was anything I could have done to convince Jude…”