Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (30 page)

‘
Are
you ok?’ H
e used this opportunity to talk to Kate, eager to
calm
whatever uneasiness Vic’s unexpected appearance might have stirred. ‘
Sorry
about that
.
I had no idea she would be here, I swear.’

‘
That’s
fine
.’

Why did he have the impression she was hiding something?
U
neasiness
was
in her eyes as she quickly averted her gaze
and glanced around.

‘I’m sorry to have neglected you, Justin
.
’
He
didn’t get any further with his probing
as Marcy appeared at their side, absolutely breathtaking in her
magenta silk dress. It made the best of her almost silvery blond hair and huge blue eyes, adding life to her pale, translucent skin. A few inches taller than her husband, she had no
qualms
about
wear
ing
her trademark high heels, the matching pink and gold sandals her own creation. He thought of the days when they were all younger, and
she was still an aspiring
design student, hoping to break into the industry one day. She definitely
had
looked for a shortcut, he added mercilessly, as he remembered her pragmatic attitude.

‘No problem
.’ H
e smiled lazily, biting back the remark
that
he actually preferred it
that
way. He could hardly do it, especially with Lucas standing with them, his puppy eyes hanging on his wife
’s undoubtedly pretty face.

‘Let’s show them the room, darling
,
’
Lucas
prompted now, his eyes going to the sweeping staircase. ‘You told me you had a special suite just for them.
’

Justin
had an uneasy feeling that the choice of the suite had little to do with their comfort. He could see it in the way Marcy’s lips stretched into a little, secretive smile, her chatty eagerness at odds with her previous behavior.

‘The view of the water is just spectacular
.’
She managed to take the spot between him and Kate, her voice conversational and completely normal. I
f he didn’t remember her attempts from the weeks leading up to
that
very moment, he’d consider himself crazy and paranoid. ‘
We
renovated the top level of the house just last fall.’ A bejeweled hand made a sweeping motion towards the upper landing, where a thick oriental rug covered the honey
-
colored oak floor.

It looked
more posh
than he remembered
, he had to admit. Less modern and cold
than
when
it
was
all-
Lucas’
s
style. The white walls and modern art
had been
replaced with warmer hues and landscapes, softening the geometrical lines of the house. Even the chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling had been changed from its nickel and glass glory into a crystal masterpiece.

‘Here, make yourself at home
.
’ Marcy pointed to the door at
the
end of the corridor, tall and impeccably white. ‘I thought you might want some privacy, so you’re the last ones in the row of friends.’ She smiled, her teeth very white and very sharp. ‘
You’ve
got only one neighbor, Justin.’

He didn’t need to ask who it might be. It was written all over Lucas’
s
face, the mix of guilt and embarrassment making it a pretty easy guess.

‘Great
.
’
He
nodded, trying very hard to play it cool. Making a scene would only
give Vic
satisfaction, reinforcing her belief she could still affect him.

‘We’ll have a barbecue ready very soon, so don’t stay away for too long
,
’ Lucas intercepted, visibly eager to finish the awkward start
on
a more positive note. ‘You know the way to the outdoor grill, right?’

Finally the door closed
,
and they were alone in the large, well
-
appointed space.
He watched Kate walk over to the window, peeking outside into the thickening darkness.

‘Well, she was right about the view.’ She smiled at him, her lovely face softening. ‘
It
is something else.’

‘True
.
’
He
came to stand next to her, fighting the temptation to put his arm around her shoulders. Instead
,
he remained close, his voice gentle. ‘
When
it gets really dark you’ll see all the small boats out on the water. They have their lights on and look just like light
ning
bugs, small and glowing.’

He couldn’t really understand himself at all. They
’d
had sex
,
for god’s sake, mind
-
blowing and wonderful, all night long. Didn’t it imply intimacy and touching? Still, he felt like taking things slow, some unspoken shyness tying him down.

‘So what do you think of Lucas and
Marcy?’
h
e
asked, walking over to the sitting group. The room
in which
they were staying was very large, with a separate bedroom that had
yet
to be
explored,
a bathroom
,
and the main sitting area. He remembered Lucas telling him
how he
had
bought this house from a successful writer whose quirky nature demanded plenty of rooms set into different
backgrounds
to help him with his writing process.

This room still had the feel of a
love nest to it, he had to think as he let his eyes roam over the delicate pastel frescos on the ceiling depicting some mythological scene. The downstairs might be rather modern and cool, but the place up here could have been lifted straight from
a
French nobleman’s castle.

‘He is very nice,’ she said cautiously, her eyes guarded. ‘
Marcy
is definitely very beautiful, I can say that much.’

‘She certainly is.’ H
e nodded, biting his tongue before he added that she wasn’t exactly his type anymore. For he realized that his type looked entirely different, starting with soft dark hair and hazel eyes and ending with that way her lips curved when she was really smiling.

‘I’m surprised she invited Victoria
,
’ he continued, noticing her lips pressing into a line of worry. Why was that? Was she really anxious
about confronting
her ex
-
boss? He couldn’t really blame her, after the way they parted.

‘Doe
sn’t it change things?’
s
he
asked, still looking away from him and into the deepening darkness. ‘I mean, you don’t really need me here at all. It’s very unlikely
Marcy
is still after you if she invites your ex
-
wife for the weekend and gives her the room next to yours, wouldn’t you say?’

Was she trying to wiggle out of their agreement? It was too easy for him to forget what brought them here in the first place.

‘Maybe,’ he shrugged, his gesture calmer than the way he felt inside. ‘
Maybe
not. I
’
m not taking any
chances
so
you’d better get used to the idea we are here to stay for the next two days, Kate. And nights
,
’ he added silkily and watched her cheeks color.
‘Which makes me think, we should explore this bedroom before heading downstairs.’ He pointed to the half
-
open door leading to the smaller adjacent room, his gaze expectant. ‘
What
do you say? I would think that you’re look
ing
forward to this part of our weekend just as much as I
am
, given
past
evidence.’

‘I’d say we
’d
better head downstairs first.’ She looked positively panicked, he thought, the way she glanced into the other room. ‘
We
don’t want to give the wrong impression of some adolescent kids that can’t even unpack their bags without falling into bed for a quick romp.’

‘
I don’t think I
particularly
care at the moment
.’ H
e laughed and saw the blush on her cheeks deepen. ‘
So
,
how is the project you were saying you’re going to be so busy with? Any progress?’

‘It’s going well
.
’
S
he was totally flustered, her lovely eyes looking haunted like
those of
a deer caught in the headlights. ‘I mean,
there have been
some last moment changes, but for the better.’

She tried to smile nonchalantly and failed miserably, his curiosity growing with each passing second.

He couldn’t really press her
,
of course. And when he thought about it
,
he didn’t even want to.
He’d
rather have her tell him things because she felt like sharing, her trust something he still needed to earn. Blackmailing her to come with him to this event seemed like an odd place to start his plan, but that was
all
he had. As a go
-
get
-
it person
,
he had learned early on that if life handed one lemons there was always plenty of demand for lemonade.

‘So
,
if the quick romp is out of q
uestion, how about some food?’
h
e
asked and saw her relax, her nod a reward for his restrain
t
.

‘Gladly
.
I’m starving
,
’ she
said with a grin
, patting her slim midriff. ‘
With
all those things we were
organizing
with Alice,
I had
very little time for a proper meal. I
’
m ready for some serious munching, Justin.’

He
liked her attitude,
he thought
,
amused as they walked downstairs to the back of the house.
The delicious scent wafting to them was their guide, the cheerful crowd welcoming
them
with cheers and laughter that suggested wine and beer were already a part of the meal.
The introductions flowed, playful jibes at his secretive nature going over
well
with Kate. She laughed at being probed and accused of stealing the hottest heartthrob, nothing in her behavior even remotely uneasy or nervous.

She might deserve an Oscar for her acting skills after all, he
thought more
than once, trying to stay close until he
was
sidelined by two colleagues asking him for an opinion on the enterprise they were launching. Curbing his impatience and cursing the fact there would always be someone who didn’t understand the meaning of a relaxed, casual evening
,
he obliged, resigned to the chat that was obviously waited for and unavoidable.

But his heart wasn’t in it.

He watched Kate smile at his friends, her
easygoing
attitude and natural friendliness soon gaining her company. She was like a magnet, he mused, the group around her steadily growing.
She had a
natural ability to bring people to her, gravitating toward her warmth and no
-
nonsense approach. He
thought
about Victoria and the awkward
,
stilted silence whenever she was around, her face barely ever breaking into a smile. She made people uneasy and aware of their shortcomings, while
Kate
seemed to bring out the best
in others
in her gentle, fun way.

Right now she was maneuvering
among the plentiful tables on the terrace
, her plate holding a decent helping of the barbequed salmon, greens
,
and roasted potatoes. Sitting down at one of
them
, she smiled at her
newfound
friends before digging in with gusto, the pleasure of having a great meal a testament to Lucas’
s
excellent barbequing skills.