"I'm just tired. Forget I said anything."
"I damned sure will." He reached across her and shoved open the passenger door.
Since her attempt to be conciliatory had failed dismally, she reverted to her true personality. "I'm taking a shower, and you're not invited in. As a matter of fact, don't ever touch me again."
"Why would I want to?" he shot back. "Some women are too damned much trouble."
She sighed, more disgusted with herself than with him. "I know."
He pointed one long finger in the general direction of her head. "You'd better be ready at seven on Friday night because that's when I'm picking you up. And don't expect to see me before then because I have business in Santa Fe. And I'm not calling, either. I have more important things to do than argue with a crazy woman."
"Forget about Friday. I told you I didn't want to spend any more time with the Skipjacks . . . or with you." She hopped out of the truck, but her still wobbly legs gave her an awkward landing.
"You tell me a lot of bullshit," he retorted. "I've yet to pay attention to any of it." He slammed the door in her face, the ignition roared, and he was off in a cloud of stardust.
She recovered her balance and turned to the steps. They both knew she'd rather spend an evening with the Skipjacks than stare at the walls of her too-silent church. And despite what they'd each just said, they both also knew this affair was far from over.
The next two days were busy ones at the club. Word of Spence's infatuation with her had spread since Shelby's party, and her tips picked up as the golfers realized she might influence the plumbing king. Even Kayla's father, Bruce, slipped her a dollar. She thanked them for their generosity and reminded them to recycle their bottles and cans. They told her she was welcome and reminded her that people were watching her every move.
On Thursday, the boxes she'd asked her parents' housekeeper to pack up arrived from L.A. She traveled too much to have an elaborate wardrobe, and she also tended to give things away, but she needed her shoes. Even more important, she needed the big plastic bin that contained the spoils of her travels-the beads, amulets, and coins, many of them antiquities, that she'd picked up all over the world.
Ted didn't call from Santa Fe, but she hadn't expected him to. Still, she missed seeing him, and her heart gave a crazy little hiccup when he and Kenny stopped at her cart on Friday afternoon midway through their round. Kenny told her Spence and Sunny had just gotten back from Indianapolis and they'd be at the Roustabout that night for dinner. She told Ted she'd drive herself, so he needn't pick her up. He didn't like that, but he also didn't want an argument in front of Kenny, so he sauntered over to the ball washer, jammed in his pristine Titleist Pro V1, and pumped the handle far more vigorously than he needed to.
As he teed off, the morning sunlight washed him in gold, but at least the birds stayed quiet. Did he ever lose control? She tried to imagine a dark turbulence roiling beneath his easy polish. Occasionally, she even thought she caught a glimpse of vulnerability when his lazy smile took a second too long to form or a flicker of weariness shadowed his eyes. But those impressions faded as quickly as they appeared, leaving his shiny surface intact.
,
Meg was the last to arrive at the Roustabout. She'd chosen the black-and-white Miu Miu mini from the resale shop, along with an acid yellow tank and one of her favorite pair of shoes, elaborately beaded and embroidered pink canvas platform sandals. But as she made her way to the table, her resale skirt drew more attention than her fabulous shoes.
In addition to Ted and the Skipjacks, all the Travelers and their spouses had gathered around the big wooden table: Torie and Dexter, Emma and Kenny, Warren Traveler and Shelby. Sunny had positioned herself to Ted's right where she could better demand his undivided attention. As Meg approached, he took in her mini, then gave her a pointed look that she interpreted as a command to sit on his other side. She'd been more than clear about hiding their affair, and she wedged a chair between Torie and Shelby, directly across the table from Emma.
The easy affection between Torie, Emma, and Shelby made her miss her own friends. Where was Lucy now and how was she getting along? As for the others . . . She'd been dodging phone calls from Georgie, April, and Sasha for weeks, unwilling to let any of her accomplished friends know how perilous her situation was, but since they were used to the way she dropped out of sight, her lack of response didn't seem to have raised any alarms.
The wily Traveler family flattered the Skipjacks outrageously. Shelby asked detailed questions about Viceroy's new product line, Torie lavished Sunny with compliments about her shiny dark hair and classic wardrobe choices, Kenny pointed out the strengths of Spence's putting game. The atmosphere was congenial, almost relaxing, right up to the moment Meg made the mistake of addressing Kenny's wife as "Emma."