Morning Glory(64)

I smile. He’s never complained about my career, choosing only to see the positive side of all of it. I love that about him.

“Look!” Ella calls from around the bend. “I see the waterfall!”

“Ella!” I shout. “Be careful.”

James and I jet ahead and find Ella standing precariously close to a rickety railing that looks like it might have been constructed in 1892. “Honey, come back here, right now,” I say.

“Oh, Mama,” she says in a voice that tells me she has the potential to be quite the teenage drama queen. “I’m fine.”

“It’s my job to worry about you,” I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

“Can we go for ice cream now?” she asks.

“Soon,” I reply, digging the camera out of my bag. “OK, let’s get a few pictures first.” I point to the railing, with the waterfall just beyond. “James, don’t let go of her,” I continue. “I don’t trust that railing.”

He grins, scooping Ella into his arms, before dangling her upside down. “You mean I can’t hold her over the edge?” She giggles and he puts her down.

“OK, you two crazies,” I say, looking through the viewfinder. “Stand together now. Smile like you’re having a good time on vacation.” James and Ella simultaneously stick out their tongues.

I frown, thinking of Suzanne’s reaction. “Please?”

They grin, then smile properly just as the flash goes off. “Perfect,” I say. “Let’s just get a few more, just in case. James, can you turn toward the falls, maybe, and point like you’re showing her something?”

James nods and takes a step closer to the railing. He steadies himself for a moment when his foot gets caught on uneven ground. “I’m fine,” he says, kneeling down and pointing up toward the waterfall.

I notice it for the first time through the lens, and it is truly majestic. Such power. Such force. I snap a picture, then another, then key through the images on the camera. “These are good,” I say, grinning at the way Ella smiles at James in the final frame, but I freeze when I hear Ella’s scream. I look up just as it happens, the moment the world goes from a beautiful dream to a horrific nightmare. The railing has given way, and Ella is falling backward. James turns to reach for her, and he slips forward.

I run toward the edge, where the two most precious people in my world have disappeared. The voice that lurches out of my lungs is shrill and high-pitched. “James! Ella!” I can’t breathe. I can only hover over the edge. It pulls me like a magnet. I want nothing more than to join them, to throw myself into the moist, foggy air, to be with them for eternity. I close my eyes, doubling over in terror, shock, when I feel a firm grasp on my arm. “Miss,” a man says. He’s wearing a brown park ranger uniform. “I saw what happened. I’m so very sorry. Let’s get you down and we’ll call an ambulance.”

My eyes brighten momentarily. “Yes,” I say. “James is a great swimmer, and Ella has had swim lessons since she was three—”

“No, ma’am,” he says gravely. “I’m very sorry. There’s no way anyone could survive that type of drop. I’m calling the ambulance for you.”





Chapter 25





PENNY

The evening’s festivities are the final hurdle to our plans. We’ll go, we’ll smile, all the while secretly planning to sail off together when the residents of Boat Street are fast asleep or simply sedated by one too many martinis.

I haven’t been able to find Collin all afternoon. The sailboat is still out, but I don’t fret. He won’t let Dex’s return disrupt our plans.

I put on a yellow gingham dress, and when I cinch the belt around my waist, I think about the new life inside. I’ll wait till we’re safe in each other’s arms, gazing out at turquoise water, before I’ll tell Collin. It will be better then, I tell myself.

I glance at my reflection in the dressing table mirror, and as I’m powdering my nose, I hear Dex on the stairs. A moment later he stands behind me and leans in to plant a kiss on the back of my neck. At first, I bristle at his touch. But I must play along so as not to arouse any suspicion. I don’t want a fight. And most of all, I don’t want a scene. Not on Boat Street. Not in front of the neighbors. I couldn’t bear the shame of it.

“How could I stay away so long?” Dex asks, turning my chin to him. “How could I leave such beauty behind?”

I smile briefly, then turn back to the mirror, busying myself with my mascara, but Dex doesn’t relent. He unzips his trousers and I watch in the mirror as they fall to the floor, revealing his strong tanned legs. He presses himself against my back, and I feel the pressure against me as he reaches his hand into the bodice of my dress. I close my eyes, reveling in the feeling of his touch, as it might be the last time his strong hands caress my skin. Like a skilled violinist plays and plucks his instrument, Dex has always been able to manipulate my body with symphonic skill. I hesitate as he turns me toward him, but I am putty in his arms. I think of all the times I craved this attention from him, the times I longed for him to come home from his studio and pull me toward him exactly like this. But now? I peel his hands off my chest, and shake my head. “I have a lasagna in the oven.”