The Glory Game (11 page)

“That was wonderful,” she murmured, but it had been more than that. Leaning over, using her elbow for a pivot, Luz kissed the curved point of his shoulder. “It was the best sex we've had since our honeymoon.”

He quirked an eyebrow. ‘That isn't saying much for all the years in between.”

She laughed. “That isn't what I meant.”

His arm circled her waist and pulled her across his body to lie on his other side. “Then you'd better explain yourself, woman,” he ordered with mock menace.

This playing reinforced her feelings. “It all seems so new and exciting. It was like—discovering each other all over again.” She could feel the light of reborn love inside her, glowing brightly. Her fingers threaded into his chest hairs as she snuggled closer to him. “I guess I feel like a bride.”

“You'll always be my bride.” He pressed a warm kiss on top of her head, now pillowed on his shoulder.

“What time do you think it is?” she wondered.

“Don't ask.” His chest lifted with a warning chuckle that vibrated into her. “It was going on three when I came upstairs.”

Luz craned her head around so that she could see the digital clock on her nightstand. “It's almost four.” Drew groaned. “Let's stay up and watch the sunrise.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.” She playfully pulled at the hairs on his chest. “I'll go make some fresh coffee and we can drink it outside on the deck.”

“Luz, I don't think the sun comes up until sometime after six. Do you know how tired we're going to be?”

“Are you tired?” She sat up, looking back at him.

“Not right now,” Drew conceded.

“Then get out of bed, lazybones.” She pushed him toward the side. “Let's go.” He caught at her hands, and they wrestled for a few minutes in fun until Luz escaped his clutches and scampered out of bed. Drew immediately settled back against the pillows, folding his hands under his head to watch her slip on the red kimono. “You'd better be out of there when I come back upstairs with the tray,” she warned. “Or you're going to find yourself having coffee and orange juice in bed—and I don't mean in a cup.” He smiled, unconcerned.

But when she returned with the tray laden with coffee, orange juice, and a basket of Danish rolls, the bed was empty. The French doors to their private balcony were ajar, and Luz found him outside, his hair damp from a shower and his face freshly shaven.

“Rolls.” He spied them first. “How did you know I was hungry?”

“You always are after you exercise.” She set the breakfast tray on the glass-topped wrought-iron table and tried to remember the last time she had engaged in such wordplay, infusing ordinary words with intimate meanings. Romance seemed to have reentered their marriage. The night air touched her. “It's cool.” She shivered slightly as she poured their orange juice and coffee.

“Come here.” When she brought the coffee, Drew wrapped an arm around her and cuddled her to the warmth of his body. It made drinking awkward, but the compensations more than made up for it.

An hour later, they lay crowded together, sharing the lounge
chair. A double-knitted afghan was bunched high around their necks to keep out the predawn chill. The pearly horizon showed its first shadings of pink in the east.

“Are you awake?” Luz stirred, glancing upward to see if his eyes were still open.

“Mmm.” She supposed that answer was affirmative.

“Before he left, Rob asked me to talk to you about something.” Luz doubted if she'd find Drew in a more responsive mood.

“What?” It was a drowsily worded question.

“It's about college. He wants to wait a year.”

“What? Why?” He was fully awake.

“He says he wants to concentrate on improving his polo game, but I don't think that's the whole reason.”

“And what do you think is?”

Luz shifted onto her side to watch his face while she argued Rob's cause. With the tip of her finger, she traced the deep pit in his chin. “You know what a tough time Rob has with school. He's had to study hard the last four years to keep his grades high enough to meet college requirements. I think he just wants a break from the pressure.”

“I don't like the idea at all.”

“I didn't think you would.”

“And you approve, I suppose.”

“I understand.” Luz emphasized the difference, tapping him lightly on the lips. “What he's asking isn't so unusual. There are any number who sit out a year on the pretext of touring Europe or some such thing.”

“That's true.”

“So? What should I tell Rob?” She ran her finger around the corner of his mouth.

“You don't want to insist that he start college this fall, do you?” Drew held her gaze.

“No.”

“I can hardly argue against both of you, can I?” He smiled wryly.

“Drew.” His easy capitulation after so little argument stunned her. She tunneled her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. It turned into a long one, with a breath of the magic they'd shared in the bedroom. “I love you.” She sighed when it was over.

“Guess what?”

“What?” Luz smiled, expecting him to return the phrase.

“You're missing your sunrise.”

She turned to see the golden arc of light crowning the horizon. It was the birth of a new day—a new love, a new rapport. This is what they'd done on their honeymoon night, stayed up to watch the sunrise, a symbolic way to start their new life together. Luz wondered if Drew remembered. She hugged his arms more tightly around her middle and settled back to watch the sun climb into the sky.

S
unlight glistened on the smooth surface of the swimming pool; the pool's blue bottom matched the sky. Luz adjusted the brace on the chaise longue to a more comfortable angle, then leaned back against the colorful plastic webbing. A wide-brimmed white hat protected her hair from the sun, but the strapless multicolored swimsuit exposed much of her oiled flesh to its tanning rays. Mary reclined in the chair flanking hers, close enough so talking wouldn't be an effort while they concentrated on soaking up the sun.

“I can't believe how angry I was that night.” Luz had her eyes closed behind the dark sunglasses and she talked without turning her head. “I hated Claudia so much I could have cheerfully clawed her eyes out.”

“I believe that.”

“I had no reason. I felt so foolish afterward. I never should have doubted Drew, but I'm glad I did.”

“That's a strange thing to say,” Mary declared.

“Not really. If I hadn't told him all my nasty suspicions, none of the rest of this would have happened. These last two weeks have been like a honeymoon.” She smiled. “Honestly, I think I'm falling in love with Drew all over again. After twenty years, a lot of the spark was gone. We'd taken each other for granted too long, dwelt more on the failings and faults, let the little things irritate us.”

“I know what you mean. It drives me crazy to listen to Ross's jaw pop when he chews. And Lord knows, he does a lot of eating.”

“I've noticed.”

“So what about Claudia? Is she still around?”

“Of course. Drew still talks about her frequently, but it doesn't bother me anymore.” When Luz attempted to shrug her shoulders, her skin stuck to the plastic webbing. “I'm starting to perspire. Maybe it's time we moved to the shade.”

“Not yet.” There was a pause before Mary added, “I'm glad you and Drew are spending more time together. For a while there, you hardly saw him at all.”

“I still don't see that much of him. Things haven't slowed down any at the office.”

“And you call it a honeymoon?”

“I didn't mean it literally.” Luz smiled faintly. “I was trying to describe the feeling, the mood.”

“If you say so.”

A salt breeze from the ocean fanned her heated skin. Luz felt like a well-fed cat lazing in the winter sun, purring softly. It was quiet and peaceful, the only noise the rustling of palm fronds stirring in the wind, and the tumble of the surf rushing onto the beach on the other side of the Kincaid winter estate. She opened her eyes to gaze at the landscaped lawn of her parents' home, its towering palms and flowering shrubbery bronze-tinted by her sunglasses. This place had never seemed like home to her, maybe because she wasn't raised here. For Luz, Virginia was home.

A figure dressed in capri pants and an oversized broadcloth shirt approached from the direction of the estate greenhouse. A floppy wide-brimmed hat completely shaded the face, but Luz had no difficulty recognizing her mother. A shallow basket filled with cut flowers was hooked over her arm.

“Here comes Audra,” she said.

“Right,” Mary acknowledged in a dry voice.

As Audra walked onto the sandstone deck that aproned the round pool, she glanced their way. “You girls had better get out of that sun before you ruin your skin. A little gives you a healthy glow, but too much and you'll look like old saddle leather.” Without a break in stride, she continued to the umbrellaed tables near the low, geometrically designed house.

Luz and Mary exchanged a silent look and pushed out of their lounge chairs. “I wonder if I'll ever be able to sit by a pool without hearing her say that,” Mary murmured as both
women slipped on long caftans. “Oh, well, it was getting too hot.”

A uniformed maid was at Audra's side when they joined her at the table. Once Luz had believed servants stood by windows watching for their employer's return or else possessed some uncanny sixth sense. It had been disappointing to learn they were usually warned in advance by a phone call, such as now—the gardener had likely called the house to advise the staff that Mrs. Kincaid was on her way back.

Audra handed the basket of flowers to the maid. “Be sure to put them in water immediately. And bring some tea.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Then she disappeared through the sliding doors on the glass-walled side of the house facing the pool and lawns.

Within minutes, she returned with a pitcher of tea and tall glasses of ice. After the drinks were poured, the talk flowed easily into family news. With everyone so spread out and the grandchildren in school, Audra insisted on these weekly visits so that they could all remain in touch with what was happening.

“I mentioned to Michael your decision to let Rob skip college this fall,” Audra said. “He agreed with it. Rob is so serious. Michael felt it would teach him to relax and have fun.”

“The change in Rob is remarkable since I told him that Drew had agreed to let him sit out a year. He had a party that weekend to celebrate. It must have been some party,” Luz declared with a laugh. “He phoned the following Monday and said he was broke—and could I deposit some more money in his checking account.”

“I know at the moment he's keen on polo, but I hope that you'll see that he does some traveling.”

“I think I've found a way for Rob to do both. You remember I promised to take Trisha to Paris in June, as a graduation present. June is also the month when England's polo season is in full swing. So I'm trying to arrange, through some of Jake's British polo friends, for Rob to play on one of their teams. We can all three fly to London first, then Trisha and I can go to Paris. It will be perfect for both of them.” She was pleased with her plans.

“That's very clever. I'm surprised you thought of it, Luz,” her mother remarked, then continued, “Speaking of plans, I
have decided to close the house in Virginia permanently. I've spoken to Frank about possibly selling Hopeworth.”

“Oh, no,” Luz murmured.

“I know. We all have a sentimental attachment to the place, but I thought it was a shame to let the house sit vacant, unused.” Audra had never approved of waste. Luxury was one thing and waste was another. “However, Frank reminded me how advantageous the stud farm is as far as taxes are concerned and advised me to keep it.”

“Bless Frank,” Mary muttered under her breath, and Luz silently agreed.

“Now comes the matter of actually closing the house. I was hoping that one or both of you girls would supervise the packing that needs to be done. There are paintings that should be crated and stored. I don't know how many trunks are in the attic, a lot of them filled with things you children had when you were small. You might want to sort through some of them to see if there is anything you want to keep. You can check with Michael and Frank to see what they might want done with their things.” Audra took their agreement for granted.

Luz glanced at her sister. “It might be fun.”

Mary nodded, but seemed hesitant. “It isn't a small project. It's likely to take a couple of weeks to do it right. With my brood, I don't know if I can be gone that long. Do you think Drew can survive without you for two weeks?” she teased.

“He has to go to New York sometime in the middle of February. I had planned to go with him, although on these business trips, I rarely get to spend much time with him. Maybe I could go to Virginia instead. I'll talk to Drew and see what he thinks.” Two weeks ago she wouldn't have bothered to consult him, she would have simply gone ahead and made her plans, but things were different between them now. “I'll let you know next week. In the meantime, see what you can arrange.”

Finding the time to discuss the trip with Drew was not as easy as Luz had expected. Both were so busy the next few days, Drew with business appointments and men's club meetings and she with a charity auction, that during the few moments they saw each other they joked about passing one another in the driveway.

At seven o'clock on Friday evening, Luz returned from her appointment with the beauty salon and noticed that Drew's brown Mercedes wasn't parked in the garage. Frowning, she entered the house and went straight to the morning room, where she found Emma sitting at a desk located in an alcove.