The Lake House

by Marci Nault

  “I think your wives are walking away without you,” Heather said, trying to move the men along. “Would you like some food before you go?”

  “Thank you, Heather, but we’ve already eaten,” Bill said.

  Joseph put his hand on Heather’s shoulder. “I put wood in the fire pit. Bonfires are a tradition at Nagog parties, and since you’re now a resident, I thought I’d pass the torch to you.”

  “Thank you. That’s sweet,” Heather said.

  “Have fun,” he said as the men walked away.

  “What did he want?” Gina asked. “Are we in trouble from the grannies for being too loud?”

  Gina’s breath smelled like tequila and she passed Heather a margarita.

  “No, he was being nice.”

  “Well that’s cool. See? Living with ten grandparents won’t be so bad.” She giggled until she almost fell down. “Think about it, for your birthday and Christmas, you’ll get at least ten bucks if each one gives you a check for a dollar.”

  “Funny,” Heather said as she looked to the road, and then at her watch. It was almost 8:30, the time she’d given Steven. Her nerves made her feel like she’d drunk six cups of coffee. Charlie hadn’t shown yet either, and she wondered if he’d decided to stay away.

  As darkness came and alcohol loosened inhibitions, her guests began to dance. Heather had almost given up on Steven when lights finally flashed onto the road. Her heart jumped. She walked to the silver Mercedes as Steven stepped from the car.

  “There’s my hot new star.” He came up and kissed her on both cheeks. “Where’s your man? Let me get the business talk out of the way so I can enjoy the party. I know Charlie will want to discuss our ideas for a travel show.”

  “I’m not certain he’s coming tonight,” Heather said. “And I didn’t invite you to talk business. It’s a night to celebrate with good friends, food, and my associates.” Heather knew she lied, but he didn’t have to know. Tonight she’d show him a fun, confident woman, no matter how much her hands were shaking.

  “Well, then, get me a drink,” he said, looking Heather up and down.

  “What’s your pleasure?” she asked.

  “Ah, that’s a dangerous question to a man when you look this good, but a beer will do just fine,” he said.

  Heather grabbed a bottle from the table on the deck, hiding her flushed cheeks. She handed him the beer. “Are you ready to dance? Or do you first need alcohol to be as smooth as you were that night at the Bay Towers?” she challenged.

  “I don’t know. I’m seeing a whole new side to you,” he said. “I might not be able to keep up.”

  She put her drink down and grabbed his hand. “Let’s find out.”

  The music pulsed through Heather’s body. Sweaty bodies bumped against her as she moved to the beat. Steven knew how to dance and she found herself smiling. The alcohol from her first drink began to take effect and the buzz released her worry. She leaned on Steven, his nose brushing against her cheek. His mouth came close to hers and she turned her head away.

  “So sexy,” he whispered.

  She stepped back. “You, sir, are dangerous.”

  “It’s just a dance,” he whispered in her ear. “Charlie’s not here. What’s the problem?” He pulled her to him.

  She leaned her head back and laughed. It felt good to flirt and to be in control. “I think I’ll check on the rest of my guests while I let you cool off.” She stepped back and winked at him.

  “Point taken, but you can’t blame a guy for trying when a woman is as gorgeous as you.”

  Heather turned and flashed him a smile as she walked to the back porch. She opened the screen door and made her way into the kitchen. She was smiling until she saw Charlie at the table.

  “How long have you been here?” she asked, walking toward him.

  “Long enough.” He glared at her.

  “Why didn’t you come find me?”

  “Didn’t look like I was missed. In fact, I wasn’t even invited,” he said.

  “Charlie, you haven’t returned any of my calls or acknowledged that I sent you the representation contract. How was I supposed to invite you?”

  “You changed the direct deposit on your check and wiped out your savings account. I looked up your credit cards online. You spent five thousand dollars on stuff for this place,” he said.

  Heather bit her lip. “That’s none of your business. You only own fifteen percent of my rights, and as long as you get that, my finances aren’t your concern any longer.”

  Charlie paced. “What do you know about finances? Without me you’d still be a broke waitress. You wouldn’t be traveling the world.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Heather yelled. “But if you haven’t noticed, I write the columns.”

  Someone turned up the music outside and she realized her guests could hear them fighting. Charlie loomed over her. “You almost ended up homeless last time you dealt with finances. Or don’t you remember?”

  “How could I forget? You never stop bringing it up.”

  “I don’t know you anymore.”

  Heather looked into his eyes. “Maybe because you don’t bother to listen.”

  A muscle in his cheek twitched. “Here we go. All the ways I’ve failed you. When have I not been there? I helped you out of debt. I gave you a place to live. I built your career. What do you want, Heather?”

  “To be happy.”

  “Funny, I thought we were.” He stared at her, his jaw locked with tension.

  She didn’t know how to explain it to him. Why couldn’t he see that she needed more than an agent—she needed a soft place to land and a man who loved her enough to pick her up at the damn airport.

  He looked out the window. “So you used me to get your column. Are you going to sleep with Steven for a television show?”

  “How could you even think that?”

  “I don’t know, Heather. You go behind my back and invite him to a party at your new house, and from what I saw of the two of you dancing, it looks like you’re acting like a whore.”

  Anger brewed, and she turned away in an attempt to calm down. She walked through the living room and onto the deck to avoid a bigger scene. The music blared in the front yard and everyone was dancing. For a moment she thought about her neighbors and how she needed to turn down the volume.

  Then Charlie was behind her, forcing her to face him. His hands clamped onto her biceps. “All I’ve done is care about your needs. You have your dream job. You travel the world. You wear nice clothes. I bought you a diamond and asked you to marry me. Oh, that’s right . . . you cared so much you took it off and left it on my bureau when you moved out.” His hands gripped harder and she yelped with pain as he pulled her to him, his lips close to her ear. “But with how bad you are in bed, I doubt Steven will keep you for long. I’m done, Heather. Maybe I want something more.”

  “Charlie. You’re hurting me.” Tears welled in her eyes.

  Gina ran onto the deck and pushed Charlie away. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Charlie shot her a look of disgust and walked away. Heather looked down at the red marks on her arms, then glanced toward the yard. Her guests had turned away, pretending they hadn’t witnessed the scene. From Sarah and Carl’s home she saw curtains close. Had they been privy to the fight too? She felt naked, like she stood in the middle of a three-ring circus with the spotlights pointed right at her inadequacies.

  Her body vibrated like a jackhammer breaking concrete. Her biceps ached as if she’d been stoned. Gina gently took her arm and led her into the house. She sat Heather on the couch and went to the kitchen. When she returned, she placed a shot of tequila in Heather’s hand.

  “I’m going to send everyone home, and then I’ll come back,” Gina said.

  Heather tilted her head back and downed the drink. “Gina, wait.” Heather stopped her friend before she could end the party. She couldn’t hide now, or all Steven would remember would be the fight. If this was the way Charlie was goi
ng to act, their work relationship needed to end, and she would need Steven even more. “I’m fine. I’ll be out there in a minute.”

  “You sure?” Gina asked with a look of concern.

  Heather nodded. Her career was what was important now.

  CHAPTER 12

  Heather’s swollen brain pressed against her skull. The beaded throw pillow on her bed had imprinted its design onto her face. She rolled over and covered her eyes from the sunlight that streamed through her bedroom window. She’d only had two drinks last night, but they’d left an impression on her body.

  Through travel she’d learned to appreciate wine and enjoyed a glass or two, but she’d never taken to hard alcohol. Last night, nerves had caused her to avoid food. She’d had the margarita and the extra shot to calm her nerves, but hadn’t been drunk. The party had run until almost one in the morning and Heather realized that her headache could have more to do with exhaustion than alcohol.

  Her life had been a blur since her last trip: buying the house, moving in, decorating, planning the party . . . there hadn’t been time to feel or think. A blue jay swooped into the oak tree outside her window, and three little beaks peaked out of the nest to be fed. When had the nest been built? Heather wondered. She hadn’t noticed it before. Every morning she’d awoken and immediately started working.

  She pulled back the down comforter and stretched in the sunlight as she walked to the window. The lake looked like glass in the morning light. Its stillness calmed Heather, reminding her to breathe deeply. Through her open window she could smell bacon and eggs coming from one of her neighbors’ homes.

  In the walk-in closet, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She wore a pink tank top that left her biceps exposed. Faint purple bruises had formed where Charlie had grabbed her. They didn’t hurt physically, but her mind couldn’t wrap around the fact that he’d grabbed her so hard. She pulled a sweatshirt over her shoulders to hide the marks.

  Downstairs, paper plates and cups had been left on end tables, the mantel, and all over the deck. Gina walked in from the kitchen, handed her a cup of coffee and biscotti. A box of baked goods sat open on the coffee table. “How are you feeling?” Gina asked.

  “Headache, exhausted, and like I want to curl up and sleep for a few days,” Heather said as she plopped onto her couch.

  “The aftereffects of stress,” Gina said, curling up in the oversized chair. “Eat. It’ll make you feel better.”

  Heather dipped the biscotti in the coffee and bit into the cookie. The sugar began to revive her. “I’ve missed your mother’s baking. You know your family’s food could be considered one of the deadly sins.”

  Gina raised her eyebrows. “That’s our secret. My great-great-grandfather actually signed a pact with the devil. In exchange for the women in our family being beautiful and the men rich, we have promised to lure good Christians to gluttony and thick waistlines.”

  “Are you the Siren created to make men feel lust?”

  “You know it.” Gina bit into a cannoli and licked the cream from the side of her lips.

  “I keep wondering if what happened with Charlie is my fault,” Gina said as she looked at Heather. “If I hadn’t told him about the party, he wouldn’t have shown up.”

  Heather ran her finger over the cup’s rim. “It’s not your fault. If I’d handled our breakup better or told him about the party, then last night wouldn’t have happened. I’ve been too reactionary. Not thinking very clearly.”

  “Still, he’s a prick for the way he acted.”

  “Well, that I’ll agree with,” Heather said. She looked out the window to the lilac bush. The tiny purple flowers had bloomed in large bunches. Heather put her coffee down and opened the window to let in the sweet perfume. The scent eased her headache. Two squirrels chased each other around the side yard running up and down the trees. Twitterpated, she thought, recalling the term for falling-in-spring-love from Bambi. Heather’s friend had the hint of a smile on her face, and she knew where Gina’s thoughts had gone. “What’s it like between you and Michard?”

  Eight months ago, Michard had moved from Italy to become the head chef at Michelangelo’s. Gina, who’d always been too independent and focused on her career to be bothered with long-term relationships, now blushed with giddiness every time she spoke about him. When Michard and Gina looked at each other from across a room, their gaze was so intimate, it embarrassed Heather.

  Gina squirmed in her seat. “You sure you want to hear about this right now?”

  “Yeah,” Heather said as she pulled a pillow across her lap.

  “It’s hot. He feeds me chocolate cake and with each bite he kisses me deeply. He tastes my body as if I were as decadent as one of the dishes he creates.” Her skin flushed. “It’s crazy how much I crave him.”

  “Wow.”

  Gina looked at Heather with sad eyes. “You know, it’s not all perfect. He’s incredibly jealous and freaks out if I talk to other men. He’s a hot-blooded Italian and so am I. Put the two of us together and sure, there’s great passion, but we fight. You know how relationships go.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You never really told me why you left Charlie.”

  Heather played with the button on the pillow’s center. “Because I need to be more than his client.”

  Gina stood up and sat next to Heather with her arm around her. “Charlie loves you. He wouldn’t have been that insane last night if he didn’t.”

  “Maybe, but I can’t excuse his behavior.” Heather leaned her head on Gina’s shoulder. “Just promise me that we’re still going to be friends even though I’m no longer with him.”

  “Of course.” Gina petted Heather’s hair.

  “I can’t lose you too.”

  “You’re stuck with me forever.” Gina paused and looked at Heather. “I hate to do this to you, but I have to get going. The stupid shark tank client keeps calling and I need to go into the office. Do you want help picking up? The waitstaff cleaned the serving trays and the kitchen before they left, but there’s still a lot of stuff left over from the end of the night.”

  “I’m fine. You go.”

  “I have a date with Michard tonight, but I can cancel if you need me.” Gina began to gather her purse and put on her shoes.

  Heather stood and walked her friend to the door. “You enjoy your night with Michard. I have a huge bathtub and a gorgeous lake right outside my door. I’m going to spoil myself today and relax.”

  “Okay. Love ya.” Gina kissed Heather’s cheek and gave her a hug.

  When the door closed, Heather looked around the living room. Now what? She wasn’t ready to deal with the mess in her house. She went upstairs and poured a bath.

  The fatigue from the night before evaporated from her pores as she sat in her tub trying to relax. Bubbles spilled over the side of the bath and pooled onto the floor, but Heather didn’t care, the swirling water and hyacinth scent were soft and calming, at least to her body.

  She tried to still her mind, but thoughts continued to flash through it: the fight with Charlie, Steven and the Travel Channel, the fact that she’d bought a house in a retirement community. Plus, would Charlie remain her agent, and if not, how would she go about building her career? Could she dump Charlie altogether and go it alone? Relaxation evaded her, and she gave up on the bath.

  Downstairs she threw away the plastic cups that had accumulated on the counter and began to unload the dishwasher. When she opened the silverware drawer, she was startled to see a line of ants march out and onto the counter. She opened the other drawers. Teams of little red bodies swarmed her phone book. An infestation had taken over the kitchen. Under the sink, she found a bright red can of soda and a puddle of sticky liquid swarming with insects. What the heck? Who spilled a soda under the sink?

  The ants crawled on her arm as she tried to wipe up the soda with a rag. She screamed and shook her hands to get rid of them. With her shoe, she smashed the bugs until they were dead. She’d need to get ant trap
s from the store.

  With a trash bag in hand, she gathered the rest of the cups from the living room and the deck. Standing on her deck and looking out at the neighborhood, she wasn’t certain what to do next. When she lived in Boston she’d go shopping, to a museum, or out for coffee on a Sunday afternoon. When she thought about buying this place, she’d imagined having people her age to hang out with on the beach, but now she was uncertain what to do with her afternoon.

  “Excuse me, Heather,” Thomas called from next door through his open window, “could you help me with something?”

  Heather walked down the three steps and crossed their shared driveway. She opened his side screen door and walked into his kitchen, where dishes were piled in the sink. As she walked into the living room, she saw Thomas sitting at a new desk in front of a large computer that looked out of place next to the old paneling and worn rug. Knickknacks covered the shelves along with pictures of Tommy.

  Thomas was squinting at the screen as he peered over his bifocals.

  “Is this new?” Heather asked, pointing to the computer.

  “You betcha. My grandson decided to bring me into the modern age with this contraption, but I can’t seem to get the hang of it.” He wore a nice suit jacket and a shirt and tie, even though the day was summery.

  She put her hand on his shoulder. “You’re still in your Sunday best. Did you just get back from church?”

  “Nope,” he said as he clicked his mouse impatiently. “I haven’t been in years. Sarah’s always trying to convert me, but I’ve been a happy sinner most of my life.”

  “What are you trying to do?” she said as she looked at the screen.

  “Open that dang Internet thing.”

  “May I?” she asked and pointed to the mouse. He lifted his hand away and she leaned around him. He smiled up at her and winked. She stifled a laugh. This old man was too much. She clicked on his browser and the screen came to life.

  “What website are you looking to get on?”

  “That dating one I see on the television,” he said. “I started filling out the forms the other night after Tommy left, but now I can’t remember how to get back in. And I need to take a picture with the computer and somehow get it up where it can be seen by the ladies.”