Dead to Her(18)

“But she knew she was loved and that’s important at the end, don’t you think?” Virginia was still talking. “Iris kept her beautiful and Elizabeth kept her comfortable. Emmett would play cards with her, and Jason would come and read to her in those last days too. An hour every afternoon. Even when she was so confused and getting herself upset about things.” Virginia looked down to the other end of the table. “You were very good to Eleanor, Jason. She knew that, even when she was fading.”

At last the conversation had opened up and there was an opportunity for a glance and a secret smile. Something to store away for later. Something alive. She’d felt smothered by the dead today, and although they’d made a joke of the mad old woman in the square by the time they’d reached Marcie’s car, there was something in her tone, her confidence, that reminded Keisha of Auntie Ayo and her dark secrets. Maybe she’d google later about Louisiana voodoo, or whatever Marcie had called it. Seeing those trinkets had left her feeling on edge. She’d thought that kind of stuff was only in New Orleans. She had hoped to be out of reach of Auntie Ayo’s long shadow here, but maybe she hadn’t run far enough. Even in the sunshine, it seemed that ghosts fought for breath.

“That’s very kind,” Jason said. “But I’m sure Keisha doesn’t want us talking about Eleanor all the time.”

“Jason’s right,” William said. “It’s time to focus on the future. Speaking of which, when do you two leave us? Grand Cayman again, Virginia said?”

“Wednesday morning,” Emmett answered. He smiled, the expression strained. Keisha wondered if he’d had Botox. He must be nearly sixty, and the skin on his small face was unnaturally still, no movement in his forehead or around his eyes, making smiling seem like an effort. “It’s only for a couple of weeks. Some work, some pleasure. We may do some island hopping.”

“It’s such a relaxed way of life,” Virginia crooned. Her face was stretched smooth from her full cheeks, but she too, no doubt, had rid herself of any unwelcome wrinkles. It seemed the way of life here. Sure, plenty of girls Keisha knew in the club back home were Botoxing in their twenties, but the look on firm skin was more subtle, less like the preservation of the dead. Even the tissue-thin skin around Iris’s eyes spoke of work done in the past when youth had still been close enough to try to grasp.

“So much less hectic than here. I’m always so busy. Between the club, my charity work, Richard’s start-up, the church, and the Mission. Well.” Virginia shrugged as if her short list explained some kind of exhausting daily routine.

Keisha wondered how she’d cope in London. The pace of life here seemed so luxuriously slow in comparison, each day like a cat’s stretch. It would be blissful if it wasn’t for Billy. Her irritation with him was heightened by the proximity of Jason and Marcie, she knew that. It bubbled constantly under her skin. Why was desire so hard? Why was the danger so alluring? So self-destructive? She needed to rein in her impetuous heart. Thank fuck for her Valium. She’d take one later. How many did she have left? Fifty maybe? She’d brought as many as she could get her hands on, but at some point she’d have to tell Billy she’d taken them for years to calm her anxieties and needed more, but not yet. They weren’t his business.

“Maybe we should have a party here when you’re back,” William said. “Something for the Fourth of July. Noah and Iris will be home then too. It’ll make a change from our usual dinner at the club.” He smiled at Keisha. “New wife, new traditions.”

“Great idea,” Emmett said, raising his glass. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“You’ll still do Monday and Wednesday lunchtimes at the Mission, won’t you, Marcie?” Virginia asked.

Marcie shrugged. “I’ll try. But I’m quite busy myself. The house and everything.”

“When I bought that house I thought it was pretty perfect.” Jason rested his elbows on the table as he leaned in, talking as if Marcie wasn’t there. “But apparently it needs a full remodel. Who knew?”

Marcie’s perfectly made-up face tightened even as Jason laughed, turning the comment into a joke, and Keisha’s stomach fizzed with intrigue. There was definitely some discord between them. She could almost taste it. She could use it. A quiet throb started down between her legs even as she told herself once more not to let her loins fuck this sweet situation up for her. Oh, but she loved the longing. The distraction from the craziness that threatened her head. The itch of lust was almost as good as the act. Almost.

“Miss Elizabeth is outside, Mr. Radford, sir.” Zelda had silently appeared in the doorway. She didn’t glance at Keisha even as she nodded at the other guests, and Keisha tried not to let it sting.

“We’d better go and see what she wants, honey.” William heaved himself up out of his chair. His eyes were shining as he came and took her hand, his palm sweaty despite the AC, and she couldn’t stop herself suddenly picturing his damp, salty crotch, and the line of wet skin under the overhang of his belly. “Y’all coming?”

They dutifully traipsed out front into the thick heat, designer sunglasses dropping quickly in front of eyes so that any injected skin wouldn’t fight back and wrinkle further from squinting in the sun.

“Voilà!” Elizabeth said as they rounded the corner to the drive in front of the garage. She was holding her hands out sideways like a magician’s assistant introducing an act. Not that the gift needed pointing out. Keisha’s heart leapt as she let out a squeal of delight. Freedom.