by Claire Adams
"So, I told you about my childhood, tell me about yours," he said as he reached down and laced his fingers through mine. I could feel the air leave my lungs as he gently held my hand as he looked at me and waited to hear my reply.
"Well, I grew up in a poor part of Las Vegas, the part where there were security gates across the front of the apartment complex, but no locks on them to keep the dangerous people out," I said. "Is that what it was like in Bushwick?"
"No, this is your story. I'll answer questions later," he smiled. "Tell me about it."
"My father died when I was small, he was a Marine," I said softly. "My mother did the best she could with what she had and I never felt unloved or unlucky, unless it was on Father/Daughter Day at school, but even then my mother would get a friend to come with me, so I didn't feel totally left out."
"Did you know your father at all?" he asked.
"No, I was just a baby when he died. I don't have any memories of him," I said. "Did you ever meet your father?"
"No, I have no memories of him, either," he said. "The first time I'd ever heard of him was during the reading of the will when I found out that he'd left me practically his entire fortune."
"It's odd, but I don't miss him," I said. "You know what I mean? Like you can't miss what you never even had."
"I know," Austin nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. My mom did double duty and she did it pretty well, I think."
"Yeah, my mother never made me feel like there was anything wrong with our life," I nodded. "She made it all seem like this big giant adventure, so I just hopped on and went with her wherever she took me."
"My mom did that, too!" he exclaimed. "She'd make even the most boring errand seem like this huge mystery adventure and I'd always come back feeling like we led the most interesting lives in the world. Even when we were so poor that we had to do without, she still made it seem like it was fun."
"My mom always told me that our trips to the food bank were actually to help out the poor people in our neighborhood, and could I please pick up an extra box of Mac and Cheese for Mr. Burton on the third floor?" I laughed. "She made me feel like we were doing everyone else's shopping and errands!"
"Why did you marry Tommy?" Austin blurted out as he looked at me with a serious expression on his face.
"It's complicated," I said.
"I find that most everything is," he smiled. "Now, why did you marry him?"
"I loved him. I still do, if I'm honest," I said. "He was headed places, and I was too, and we were so incredibly young. I mean, I still am really young, but back then we were even younger, you know?"
Austin listened carefully as I told him the whole story of how Tommy and I wound up married and what had happened after he'd gotten injured. I explained what our life looked like now, and then I sighed and looked up at the sky.
"I'm sorry that things are so tough, Emily," he said.
"Don't you dare pity me," I said fiercely as I gripped his hand tighter and held on.
"I would never insult you that way," he assured me. "I'm just saying that I'm sorry that things are difficult, and I'm sorry if I'm making them more difficult."
"You really are, you know?" I said as I turned my head sideways to look at him. "You're complicating everything."
"Again, I'm sorry," he said.
"Well, I'm not." I smiled as I leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek. "I'm not sorry at all."
Chapter Forty-Three
Austin
When she kissed my cheek I was tempted to turn and kiss her lips, but I held back, knowing that if I wanted to win her affection, I'd have to let her come to me not chase her all over the beach and make her feel like I was only using her for her body. I smiled and nodded as I squeezed her hand tightly. She returned my smile and then popped up off the sand and headed for the water.
"Let's swim!" she called as she untied the sarong from around her waist and raced across the sand toward the water's edge. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was crystal clear as she ran straight in and splashed around. "C'mon, Morning! Come swim!"
"Fine," I laughed as I took a leisurely stroll to the water’s edge and waded in. She laughed and splashed me with the cold water, so I dove under and upended her in a wave. She laughed loudly and splashed me again.
"Nice, really nice," she laughed. "Is that any way to treat your guest? Seriously, tossing me in the water not even twenty minutes after we ate? I could get a cramp and drown."
"I'd never let you drown," I said seriously. "I'd do everything in my power to make sure you're never hurt or in danger or even sad."
Emily looked up at me with a surprised look on her face and then smiled as she turned and flipped herself into an oncoming wave. I knew I'd probably made her a little uncomfortable, but I wasn't even kidding. I wanted to make sure she was always happy and smiling and never felt scared, worried, or sad. When she emerged from under the water, she looked even lovelier than she had before she'd dived in. Her hair was dripping water and her tan skin looked extraordinary in the string bikini she'd picked out. I wanted to touch her, but I didn't dare.
"What's going on, Austin?" she called as she frolicked in the waves. "Come play with me! Let's be dolphins!"
"You're crazy. You know that, don't you?" I called as I laughed and dove under the water joining in her game. Over and over again, I dove underwater and swam between her legs before standing up with her on my shoulders. Then, I'd bend slightly at the waist and toss her forward into the deeper water as the waves rolled in. She'd pop up calling, "Again! Again!" like a small child and I'd laugh and do it again.
It was difficult for me to stay calm and cool when I could feel her warm wet skin slippery beneath my hands and her legs wrapped around my shoulders. I wanted to grab her and hold her against me and kiss her, but I'd promised to stay neutral and so I played the dolphin game as we laughed and splashed in the clear blue water. We lay on the beach for a long time talking about where we went to school and who had been the “it kids” when we were growing up. We both had a deep love of ’70s rock and were fascinated by documentaries and how they were made. We played Truth or Dare as we got to know each other better, and when we both tired of the game, I loaded up the skiff and took us back to the yacht. The skiff’s motor propelled it rapidly from beach to boat and soon I was helping Emily board the yacht before I handed up the supplies and secured the skiff to the side of the boat for storage.
"Ready to see my house?" I asked as we settled in on the front deck and prepared to cruise up the coast back toward Sydney.
"I am, indeed," she laughed, putting on her sunglasses and leaning back on the chaise next to me. I liked the way she settled into my life so easily and comfortably. I smiled at her as I intertwined my fingers with hers and returned to my role as tour guide.
"The Barrenjoey Lighthouse is actually the most northern point in Sydney," I said as we approached Palm Beach. "This is really a great place to have a summer home because the surfing is fantastic and you can also do some rock climbing on the sandstone boulders."
"I'm sold," she laughed. "You're a very good travel guide. You know a lot about the areas you visit."
"I like learning new things," I shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious about sharing so much with her. "And, it seems kind of disrespectful to be a part of a community that you know nothing about, you know?"
"I know exactly what you mean!" she said as she squeezed my hand and smiled up at me. "I always feel like it's my responsibility to learn about the places I visit and become an informal ambassador."
"Precisely," I said smiling back at her, liking the feeling of her hand in mine. "Plus, if I'm doing business in a place, it's much smarter to know the lay of the land and understand the culture and traditions so that I don't seem like a self-absorbed idiot."
"Do you think that's because you didn't grow up with all this money and privilege?" she asked. It was a blunt question, but one that I'd spent a lot of time thinking about.
"I think it
's exactly that," I replied. "I know I'm not an insider by birth, so I feel doubly burdened to make sure that I do fit in and don't seem like a total outsider. Although, most of the time, I stay quiet and just listen."
"But you're so talkative with me!" she said laughing. "You don't seem hesitant or shy at all."
"That's what happens when I'm in the company of someone I feel comfortable with," I said, smiling warmly and feeling the intense heat passing between our hands. "I relax and just act like myself."
"I'm so glad," she said quietly. "I feel the same way. Like I don't have to be guarded or scared. I feel like I could open up and talk to you about anything."
"Then, tell me what you're going to do about your husband," I blurted out. I hadn't intended to be so blunt, but I wanted to know how someone as lovely and wonderful could stay with a man who would only drag her down.
"I...I...I don't know," she said. When she pulled her hand away from mine and looked out over the water, I knew I'd said the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry, Emily," I apologized. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I just don't understand how a guy like that gets so many chances. I have never understood it."
"I guess I feel like we've been together so long that I kind of owe him the benefit of figuring out how to work it out." She shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. There's a part of me that thinks this is hopeless because he keeps screwing things up, but then there is the part of me that remembers when we were young and happy and how much we depended on each other for support. Plus, I don't want to let go of him when he's struggling with the injury. I'm not like that. I don't just throw people away."
"I understand," I said, nodding. "But what happens if you can't turn it around?"
"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess we'll divorce and sell the house and go our separate ways, but that all seems like such a big decision to make. I’m not sure I’m ready to do it."
"I can imagine," I said wanting to reach out and take her hand again, but not daring to make such a move. "I'm sorry that you have such a hard decision to make."
"Thank you, Austin," she said with a half smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked sad as she stared out over the water, and I at that moment, all I wanted to do was find a way to make her smile again.
"Alright, missy!" I said as I mustered a cheerful tone. "When we get back to my house, we're going to have a massage and then soak in the hot tub before we get dressed for dinner!"
"Uh, Austin?" she said laughing lightly. "I didn't bring any clothes for a dinner date. All I have is the dress I wore on board and this bikini that you've so kindly lent me."
"Oh, that's yours to keep," I said waving her off. "And I took the liberty of calling down to the shops and having them bring up a selection of appropriate dinner dresses, shoes, and accessories."
"What on earth do you do all day?" she laughed. "It's like you don't have a real job, so you spend your time calling the shops and arranging for clothing for me to wear!"
"I did have a little help," I sheepishly admitted. "The concierge at the hotel is really good at taking care of all of my personal needs."
"And mine, too, it would seem," she laughed. "You're a piece of work, Mr. Morning!"
I smiled as I reached out and slipped my hand around hers again. When she didn't pull away, my smile grew wider. We sat in companionable silence until the yacht pulled into the dock.
"Um, Austin?" she said as we hopped off the boat. "I thought you said this was your house."
"It is," I said as I looked at her confused.
"This is not a house, my friend," she said in a low voice. "This is a mansion!"
"Oh!" I laughed. "I guess I think of it as a summer house, but yeah, you're right. It's pretty big."
"Pretty big does not even begin to describe it," she said, shaking her head.
We climbed the stairs and entered the house from the back side. A few more steps inside and we were up on the main level of the house where the floor-to-ceiling windows gave us a panoramic view of the bay. Emily gasped as she looked around the room, and I tried to see it through her eyes. The living room was done in a modern style with light blond wood and white furniture that was low and had clean lines. I loved this room because it was so functional and comfortable, but it didn't scream out to be noticed. It was almost like the room disappeared into the water, and mornings in this room were some of the most spectacular things I'd ever seen with the sun rising up over the water casting a pinkish purple glow across the room before reaching its peak and throwing light in all the corners. I loved to come to this room in the early morning and drink my hot coffee while I watched the day arrive.
We walked toward the front of the house and past the large open kitchen where the chef had laid out a light snack of fresh baguette, soft triple cream cheese and thinly sliced salami with some fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables. A frosty cold ice bucket held a bottle of crisp Shaw and Shaw Sauvignon Blanc. I pulled the cork and poured two glasses and handed Emily one.
"Here's to new friends and fun adventures," I said as I held my glass up. "May there be more of both."
"Indeed," she smiled as she clinked her glass against mine and then sipped. "Oh, this is delicious!"
"Good, I'm glad you like it," I said smiling. "Bring it with you and I'll finish the tour."
"I can't imagine what else there could be," she laughed. "This all seems like a fairytale, if you ask me."
"I know what you mean," I replied. "I used to feel that way, too. It's fun to be able to see it all again through fresh eyes."
I led her up the spiral staircase just outside of the kitchen to the upper level. It was a hallway that ran the entire length of the house with a lounging area overlooking the living room on one side of the hall and bedrooms and bathrooms on the other side. I showed her each of the rooms and she oohed and ached over them all. They’d all been planned and executed by an interior designer here in Sydney and as a result they reflected the beauty of the water and land. One room was blue and another was deep forest green with matching accessories. I loved that the designer had also matched the carpeting in each room to its particular color rather than trying to run the same color through the house. It had been extremely expensive to buy and install different carpeting in each room, but the effect was worth it. At the end of the hallway was the master suite.
"Oh wow," Emily said as she looked from the enormous king-sized bed in the middle of the room covered in a duvet that looked like a cream-colored cloud to the sitting area that had four plump chairs with footstools positioned in front of a fireplace to the door that led to the massive master bath. It was done in cream-colored Italian tiles, the same color as the duvet cover, and had a tub that was large enough to accommodate a small army and a shower encased in glass that took up an entire wall.
We walked out of the bathroom and across the bedroom to the dressing area, a space almost as large as the bathroom with beautiful custom-made cabinetry and a center island that doubled as a dress and a dressing table. Emily's eyes were wide as she turned and looked at me in disbelief.
"You actually live here?" she whispered.
"No, I just visit," I admitted. "I don't really have a reason to come here unless I've got guests in town, so I usually only stay here when my mother travels with me."
"Or your lady friends?" she teased.
"Honestly, no," I said very seriously. "You're the first non-family member I've brought here. I mean, sometimes I lend it out to my business associates and their families for vacations, but I haven't really spent a lot of time here. I haven't had a reason to."
She looked at me for a long time before nodding and walking back out of the dressing area. I watched her standing barefoot in her bikini wrapped in the sarong she'd devised out of a scarf and thought I'd never seen anyone so beautiful in my entire life, but when she turned and caught me staring at her, I shifted my gaze. "Are you hungry? Let's go eat something!"
I thought I caught a fleeting flash of a smile crossing her lips as she nodded
and headed towards the door. She stopped in the doorway and turned to say, "Thank you, Austin. You make me feel...special."
I opened my mouth to say something when the phone in my pocket began frantically buzzing. I grabbed it and saw that it was Bax.
"You head downstairs, I need to take this call," I said. "I'll be down in a minute." She nodded and headed out the door.
#
"What's up, Bax?" I said as I answered the phone.
"Austin, you need to get over to the construction site. There's a huge problem with the crew," Bax said, not mincing any words.
"What's the problem?" I asked.
"It seems that a couple of Americans showed up and told the crew that they were being replaced next week," he said. "The crew is pissed and they're threatening to walk off the job."
"What the hell?" I yelled into the phone.
"I have no idea what happened, but you've got to get over there and do damage control before everything goes south," Bax said in a calm voice that irritated me.
"You're awfully calm about this," I said.
"Yeah, well, I've been dealing with it for an hour, so I guess I've used that time productively," he said grimly. "I've got the helicopter ready to pick you up wherever you are."
"I'm at the Palm Beach house," I said. "How quickly can it get here?"
Bax put me on hold as he consulted with the pilot then came back and said, "He'll be landing in fifteen minutes, be ready."
"Bax, we need to put a stop to this," I said thinking about what Emily had suggested. "Draw up a contract that guarantees that we will not replace any workers with foreign imported workers at any point during the project and fax it to me."
"Austin, do you think that's wise?" he asked with concern in his voice. "I'm not sure you can necessarily hold true to that promise. And, what if something goes wrong and you need foreign workers?"