“Uh, yeah. I’ll send you a list later today.”
“That’s fine. Stay dry today, Mr. Renaut.”
“Bye, Denise.”
Gareth stood next to his desk and watched sheets of rain wash the forest colorless, his face carved into a frown. He turned to see Sky standing in the doorway, wearing a bikini. His lips turned upward into a smile as he released pent-up air from his lungs.
Sky flashed him a crooked grin and averted her gaze as he approached.
Gareth took her small face in his hands and kissed the tip of her nose. “I have some work to do this morning, but we can go swimming in a couple of hours, OK?”
She nodded and silently turned away, with Wisdom following behind.
Gareth sent a message to Louis.
Did you think I wouldn’t notice when I found myself on a plane trip across the country?
I had no choice, they insisted they meet you in person.
You can say no.
Are you kidding? That’s my negotiating style, I say YES to everything.
We’ll talk tomorrow.
In frustration Gareth rubbed his hand over his face. He sat at his desk, staring at the screen. He turned on the second monitor and watched Sky flip through a magazine, enveloped by a large chair in the library, with Wisdom dozing on the rug nearby.
Sky checked the clock on the wall. It had been only an hour since she had seen Gareth, and the entire house was dreadfully quiet, except for the rain banging against the thick windows. She felt as if she were living inside a huge washing machine. “I miss the sun already,” Sky said to Wisdom, who only turned her ear.
She went upstairs to Gareth’s bedroom and fell backward onto the bed. Sky stared at the strange light fixture that seemed too ornate for the stark, modern house. It might have been a family heirloom nobody wanted or a sentimental gift, she thought. Sky ran her fingers through her greasy hair and got up to take a shower.
Next to the bathroom door, she noticed a simple white panel on the wall with small button in the center. She touched the subtle bump on the panel. Six buttons lit up and she jerked her hand back. Sky leaned in again to examine the arrows and symbols on each button. Glancing around the room everything still looked the same. Sky tapped the down arrow and jumped when she heard a buzz. The light fixture began floating down from the ceiling, which startled Wisdom, who trotted out of the room. The light stopped just a few feet above the bed. Sky stared at it, gripping her stump.
She examined the guts of the light, far more complicated than she would have expected, with brass-colored gears, wires, and small pistons. Sky touched the lamp with one finger and leaned back as if a metal arm might leap out and grab her, but the fixture only swayed slightly. She tried another button. The fixture began to unfold like a mechanical creature, its insect legs dangling just above the white sheets. Sky was drawn to it, despite its menacing appearance, and she bent down to take a closer look at its various appendages. There were splatters of dark red paint on the metal that seemed out of place with its well-oiled joints. Or was that blood, she wondered.
“Are you having fun?” came a gruff voice from the doorway.
Sky jumped and let out a scream. She stepped backward, tripping over her own jeans on the floor, and fell on her ass with a thump. Gareth approached the panel on the wall and pushed a button. The mechanized insect folded up neatly and ascended toward the ceiling. “You shouldn’t play with that. It’s not a toy.”
“I . . . I didn’t mean to. It was an accident,” Sky said. “I’m sorry.” She braced for punishment.
“I need to disconnect this damn thing. Don’t touch it again.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sky looked up at Gareth and waited for more, but he turned and left the room. She remained on the floor and stared at the light fixture with new curiosity. She gathered up her clothes and went to rinse herself of the experience.
- -
Back in his office, Gareth contacted Kitty.
Are you all right? I haven’t heard from you.
Kitty saw the message from Gareth. She put her phone down on the café table and sipped her chai latte, both hands wrapped around the warm mug. “Gawd the A/C is just frigid in here,” she said to Creep, who sat across from her.
He glanced at her from the business magazine he was reading. A woman entered the café and gawked at the girl with the pink hair and glitter platforms sitting opposite a scrawny man with a shaved head and piercings. Creep shot her a withering look with his different-colored eyes.
“Oh stop that.” Kitty slapped his arm. He only smiled at her before returning to his magazine and black coffee. The front cover’s bold letters read, “The Top 40 Under 40?”
“What are you reading that’s interesting enough to ignore the person sitting right across from you?” Kitty asked.
“You don’t like to be ignored, do you?” Creep said, giving her his signature glare.
“It’s not me, it’s just rude.”
“Well, Miss Manners, if you must know, I am reading about all the wealthy fucks who are going to buy my art in the near future. Even as an artist I believe it helps to think like them.” Creep leaned toward Kitty and tapped his temple. “I hear you’re a business woman now, too, so you should probably start reading this.”
“Who told you that? Daniella?”
“Yep. And I hear you’re not seeing that interesting fellow anymore. What’s his name? Gareth?”
“It’s good to know who I can trust to keep a secret. And who I can’t,” Kitty said.
“Oh don’t get your thong in a twist. She only asked me to give you some business insight, that’s all. I think she just wants to help. She adores you, as do I. We both want to see Kitty Enterprises take off.”
Kitty smirked and sipped her latte. She tossed back her freshly died hair and straightened up. “So, all-knowing-one. What do I need to do first?”
“You need to get an influx of cash to up your game.”
“Uh-huh. And how do I do that?”
“It’s all in here.” Creep patted the business magazine that lay on the table between them.
- -
There was something mesmerizing about standing next to an indoor pool as rain crashed down on the glass ceiling and poured down the walls. It was like being cleansed without getting wet. Sky figured the weight of the water on the glass might cause it to crack at any moment and kept a close eye on the ceiling. She stood a few feet from the pool wrapped in a fluffy towel.
Gareth walked through the door in his bathing suit. She tried to take her eyes away from the mottled skin on his arm and shoulder and ended up staring at his Hawaiian-print bathing suit.
“It’s not really my style, but Denise picked it out for me,” he explained.
Sky smiled and held her towel close. Gareth hooked his thumbs under the towel and slowly slid it off her shoulders and out of her grip. Once exposed, she held onto herself instead. Gareth guided her to the pool steps. She moved forward with less hesitation this time but insisted he go first. He held her hand as she slowly descended each step as though she might break. When she reached the bottom she kept close to Gareth and gripped him with her small hand. Even her short arm clamped him tight.
“Easy there, I’m right here,” he said gently and pulled her arms away so they were now in his hands. He leaned back and pulled Sky through the water toward the ledge. She screamed a little and laughed when they reached the side, where she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him.
“You’re trying to scare me,” she said.
“I’m trying to get you used to the water. You won’t be able to cling to me forever.”
“Yes I will.” She rested her head against his shoulder.
The water rocked them softly and Gareth embraced Sky.
“How did you get your scars?” Sky asked, barely above a whisper.
“Hmm?” Gareth tilted his head. She had spoken into his deaf side and he turned his good ear to her.
Sky swallo
wed and repeated herself. “How did you get your scars?” She rubbed her smooth cheek against the textured skin on his shoulder.
“It was an accident at work. A pipe filled with a corrosive chemical burst right in front of me.”
“That must have been really painful.”
“I blacked out soon after and woke up in the hospital. That was painful, as were the skin grafts. But, I probably don’t need to tell you about that.”
Sky nodded. “And then there’s the other kinds of pain.”
“What other kinds?”
“The emotional ones, when you know things will never be the same. When you realize you’re literally less of a person.”
“That’s an awful way to look at it.”
“But it’s true. You must have felt that. Why else would you be out here all by yourself?”
“I’m not by myself. You’re here,” Gareth said, and raised his eyebrow.
“You know what I mean. The emotional bullshit takes longer to heal. If it ever does.”
Gareth said nothing and played in the water, dragging his hand through it like a paddle.
“And then there’s the pain of losing people, as if losing a part of . . .”
Gareth spun himself and Sky around and pushed off the wall. Sky screeched and clung to his neck, almost choking him.
“It’s time to learn how to swim,” he said.
- -
Warm morning light bathed the valley and the moisture that had soaked the earth overnight seeped into the ground. Gareth hit the speed bag as fast as he could until the timer went off. He paused to wipe his forehead and squirt water into his mouth, then reset the timer for another round.
Two floors above, Sky lay in Gareth’s bed like a starfish in a warm tidal pool, her dark hair spread across pillow. She rolled over to check if Gareth was still there. She rubbed her hand over the cool spot where he had been and nestled into his pillow. Something cold touched her face and she recoiled. Laying on the pillow was a photograph.
The image appeared slightly faded, so Sky held it close to make out the faces of two girls playing near a large tree, one with long, dark pigtails and the other with a blond bob. Sky pulled the image back to take it all in, her mouth agape and her eyes wide.
She threw on one of Gareth’s T-shirts that hung off her like a baggy dress. She ran into his office and found his chair empty. She nearly tumbled all the way down the stairs in her rush to find him. In the foyer she stopped and listened to her own heavy breathing. There were thumping sounds coming from the basement. She found Gareth in the gym, where he was focused on the bag in front of him. She waited, dancing from one foot to the other.
Gareth caught sight of her from the corner of his eye, so he stopped. Sky ran over to him, embraced him tightly and pressed her face into his wet skin.
Gareth tried to pull her away. “I’m all sweaty,” he protested. But Sky held tight.
He lightly placed an arm around her. She looked up at him, her cheeks glistening. “How did you find this?” she asked, breathless, and stepped back to look at the photo. “This is . . . this is so incredible! I thought I would never see her again.”
“I wasn’t sure if it really was a photo of you and your sister. The little dark-haired girl kind of looked like you.”
“I remember that tree. We played in it all the time. I would sit in it and read sometimes. How did you find this?” Sky asked again.
Gareth shook his head. “I don’t revel my secrets,” he said and then turned away to wipe the sweat off his face and chest. He picked up the timer and turned toward the bag.
“Why don’t you go have some breakfast,” he said, looking back at Sky.
She skipped out of the room and up the stairs.
- -
Shortly before lunch, Takao let the unfolded tablecloth float down onto the dining-room table. He adjusted the alignment slightly and Sky, who had offered to help him, placed two plates on the fresh linen.
“How old were you when you left Nagoya?” Sky asked.
“I was twelve, and my sister Rose was ten,” Takao replied.
“That must have been scary, having to move so far away just after your father died.”
Takao nodded. “Yes, but I had to pretend not to be afraid for my mother and sister. I was the man of the house.”
“Well, it’s nice that you have your sister. You’re very lucky . . .”
“Yes, I am lucky to have Rose.”
“And so is Gareth,” she quickly added, making Takao laugh. Sky started to place the silverware on the napkins.
“This one goes on the outside.” Takao showed her the proper arrangement of the cutlery.
As Sky placed the second setting for Louis, the sound of the helicopter approached. “I gotta go,” Sky said. “Thanks!” She flashed a quick wave good-bye and scurried out of the room.
Gareth looked up from his computer and glanced out the window as the helicopter began its descent. He turned back to his keyboard and continued typing.
Rose fluttered about straightening pillows and making sure each room was stocked with necessities. In the dining room, she checked the cutlery for water stains and straightened the place settings. She saw Louis strolling to the front door, and she set off to outpace him to the foyer; she opened the door just as he set foot on the steps.
“Rose!” Louis opened his arms wide.
Rose smiled broadly, “Welcome, Mr. O’Byrne. It’s great to have you back.” She stepped aside and Louis entered the otherwise empty foyer.
“What kind of a greeting is this? No offense, Rose. But where the hell is the Sasquatch?”
“I believe he’s in his office. He might be finishing up some work. I’m quite sure he knows you’re here.” Rose nodded at Louis. “Would you like to wait in the living room?”
“No, no,” Louis waved her away. “I’ll just go and get him myself.” Louis said, heading up the stairs.
Gareth’s office door flew open and banged against the doorstop. Wisdom growled at Louis, though Gareth just glanced at the overstuffed bear who marched into his space.
Gareth put out his hand to signal Wisdom to stop.
“Geezus, I fly all the way out to the sticks and I get nothing but crickets. What the hell? Hey there puppy, you still don’t like me I see.”
Gareth snickered and stood to embrace Louis. They slapped each other on the back and Gareth motioned for them to take the leather chairs in front of the fireplace.
Louis dropped down into a chair and put his feet up on the table. “So where is everyone?”
Gareth frowned. “What do you mean? This is everyone.”
“The little nymph, where is she? Do you still have her?”
“You mean Sky?” Gareth went to the bar where a tray of appetizers sat ready. He placed it on the table between them.
“Yeah, her. The little dark-haired one with the nice rack.” Louis popped an entire appetizer into his mouth. “Why don’t you bring her round,” he said with his mouth full. “It’d be way more fun.”
Gareth’s frown deepened. “This is a business meeting.”
Louis reached for more food. “Exactly, which is why we need entertainment. It’s way too stodgy in here. Just a couple of dudes sitting around talking about work.”
Gareth leaned back in his chair. Louis stood, brushed the crumbs off his pants, and then headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.” Louis held up his index finger.
Gareth propped his elbows on his knees, looking deep in thought. When it dawned on him where Louis was going, he dashed to the door. He looked down the hall to see Louis knocking on Sky’s door. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and let himself in before Gareth could stop him.
Sky was sitting in her cage, propped up with a book. She stared at Louis, wide-eyed like a startled animal.
“Hey, what are you doing in there?” Louis went to the cage door and he poked his head inside. “Why don’t you
join us?” he said, smiling at Sky.
Sky hid her face behind her book, just peering over the top at Louis but cautiously reached for his outstretched hand. Louis helped her out and Wisdom scampered over, happy to see her. Sky gave the wolf some affection and then looked to see Gareth standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. He sighed but said nothing and walked back down the hall toward Rose, who was standing at the top of the stairs.
“Lunch is ready,” she said.
Gareth nodded and signaled for the rest to follow him to the dining room.
Louis guided Sky along with his arm around her shoulder. “So, how are things out here? Don’t you get sick of staring at trees?”
Sky smiled a little and shook her head.
“Ah, you’re a shy one, aren’t you? Don’t worry,” he patted her on the shoulder, “we’ll fix that.”
Gareth asked Takao to set another place in the dining room. Gareth took his seat and Louis offered his to Sky, who slid into the chair opposite Gareth, her arm gripping her stump. Takao arranged a place for Louis.
“It’s OK, you can relax,” Gareth said quietly to Sky.
She let go of her arm and gripped her jeans instead.
“So, Sky, what have you been up to?” Louis asked as he dropped into the chair next to her.
Sky shrugged. “Not much,” she said and glanced at Louis who tossed a hot roll from the basket between his hands. Sky caught the one he tossed her way and dropped it on her plate. He tossed one to Gareth, who caught it like a football and picked off a chunk to pop in his mouth, completely immune to the heat.
“What do you do for fun?” Louis persisted.
“Read, go for walks. Gareth is teaching me how to swim.” Her voice perked up and she lifted her head to look at Louis.
He appeared both delighted and impressed when he looked over at Gareth, who seemed to be sitting at a different table. “Isn’t that nice.” He pointed his thumb at Gareth. “That guy used to be the national freestyle champion in high school.”
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