She placed the drink on the coffee table, coughed a little more, then stopped.
Skye decided to look at him directly, figuring if she just faced her fears, they would be easier to overcome. The awkward moment she’d just gotten though made her feel as if they shared something and she wondered if she was simply looking for a reason to bond with the man seated beside her. She lifted her eyes to his then, ready to face whatever challenge he offered.
It was a mistake. Her stomach lurched as she realized she wanted to touch his mustache, wanted to run her fingers across the broad planes of his chest, wanted to feel his lips against her own. She looked around her and was grateful that no one could possibly have noticed the inner turmoil she was experiencing. They were all engaged in friendly banter and the exchange of wedding day stories. It felt as if a cocoon of sorts had been woven around the two of them only, binding them together and closing out the world.
“Cat got your tongue?” Terrance asked, stretching long legs out before him. The pants he wore clung to his muscular thighs as if by design and Skye tore her eyes away reluctantly. Picking up her glass and bringing it up to her lips, she drained it quickly. She reached forward to put it on the coffee table again, then turned to him boldly.
“I’m from the school of minimalism. I don’t believe in doing anything idly and I especially don’t believe in chatter,” she replied with a slight toss of her head.
Terrance noticed the way her ponytail moved with the action and smiled. The defiant gesture was a surprise to him, but it registered that he’d no doubt just been issued a challenge.
“What’s the formality for? I just want to get to know you better.”
“Really? What for? Odds are we’ll never even see each other again. We live hundreds of miles from one another.”
“Hey, it doesn’t really matter where you live. Anywhere in the United States is just a hop, skip and a plane ride away from the Bahamas. I’ve got plenty of frequent flyer miles.”
“Really?” She wanted to say more, but did not feel comfortable encouraging the line of conversation, so she stopped herself.
“Yeah, and a two-or three-hour plane ride is just long enough for me to get a good nap, regain my composure and regain my strength,” he added, the implied meaning coming through instantly and with crystal clarity.
His eyes flashed in an unspoken conspiracy and Skye’s mind raced. When had he begun to flirt so openly with her? She wondered, for a quick moment, if she should get up and leave the area, then told herself they were both adults.
“I think you probably have overestimated your abilities,” she deadpanned. A moment of silence ensued and Skye wondered if she’d hit a sore spot. To try and soften her last statement, she turned to him casually, put on her best smile and tried to reestablish civility.
“So, what exactly do you do? Obviously you fly often,” she found herself saying, though she wanted to kick herself for asking something she already knew the answer to. Nita had mentioned he was a doctor in one of her recent stories about him.
“Yeah, actually I visit the States quite often. I also go back and forth to the Bahamas where my home is and sometimes abroad, to England. As a doctor I travel a lot,” he ended.
Terrance realized as he spoke that for some unknown reason, his body felt tense, almost as if he’d been on guard the entire time. They’d only been talking, laughing and sharing a wine spritzer, but he felt the effects as plainly as if they’d engaged in a battle of some sorts.
Now, with Skye’s glass empty, he realized he didn’t want her to drink anymore. He wanted to get to know her without the benefit of inebriation, without the assistance of anything or anyone. He also realized that if he ever did get to try and seduce her, he wanted them both lucid so that they would remember each and every detail, down to the most minute aspect. He recognized all of this in a split second, then excused himself and headed toward the kitchen. He wanted to end their interaction before anything negative could enter it, before he could spoil it in any way and before she could come to the conclusion that she no longer wanted to share his company.
Skye watched him walk away and smiled. “Punk,” she whispered under her breath.
Branch and Nita were both in the huge kitchen, each consumed with instructing their young kitchen helper, a teenager from the neighborhood. Though he had a decided and demonstrated knack for the preparation of simple, functional foods, it wasn’t easy to get him to do so in a timely fashion. Nina had purchased more food than would be necessary even if they were under a two-week siege.
The grill held several tilapia fillets, salmon steaks and at least two pounds of jumbo shrimp. On the other side, steak kabobs and delicately seasoned chicken breasts were also slowly cooking. Side dishes included potato salad, green beans almondine, and a salad of mixed greens tossed with lemon juice, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and red onion cut into thin slices.
Terrance, who hadn’t eaten since morning, felt his stomach churn as he looked over the enticing party fare. “Damn, man, you sure know how to throw a dinner party.”
“Hey, don’t give me all the credit. Nita put her heart and soul into this gathering. Everything from the house being meticulously maintained, to the shrimp cocktail, is all her doing. Nita is on the money when it comes to handling this stuff. And that’s only one of the reasons I married this woman,” he added, throwing one arm possessively around her shoulders, drawing her close to him. He kissed her on the cheek, looked her in the eye and whispered, “I love you.”
Terrance watched the interplay between the two and thought of the conversation he and Brianna had just had. He had vowed to move forward with his life, hoping that she would do the same, but now knew that regret would probably accompany them both for years to come. He didn’t feel the need to revisit the marriage as she’d suggested. There was no compelling reason for them to try and rekindle their relationship except Jacqueline and, in his mind, she’d probably fare better with them being apart. He’d never believed the old adage of children growing up in a two-parent home; not if neither of the parties truly wanted to be there.
He wondered if Skye would understand his thinking, then realized that it didn’t matter. His burdens were his own. He vowed to get through the weekend without embarrassing himself but also wanted to do so without annoying any of the other guests.
In an effort to maintain that stance for the remainder of the evening, he kept his distance from Skye, doing everything in his power to remain outside her presence. It was all for naught because it only made him more acutely aware of her existence.
Somewhere around midnight, Terrance switched to martinis. He drank too much, laughed too loudly, and went to bed at two o’clock in the morning wondering how he’d make it through the remainder of the weekend.
Skye slept like a baby, dreaming about airplanes, blue skies and crystal clear water.
Awakening at her usual hour of 6:30 a.m., she put on orange running shorts, a white tank top and sneakers. Adjusting her earphones on her MP3 player, she hesitated, then put her cell phone into her pocket before she left the house. There were no signs that anyone else had arisen. The day was overcast, but it seemed as if it wouldn’t rain for several hours.
Thoughts of her job, her new condo and last night’s encounter rambled through her mind as she headed north on University Boulevard. She always did her best thinking as she covered the two miles she ran each morning. In her mind, today would be no different except for the route.
The busy boulevard hadn’t begun to be impregnated by its usual heavy traffic patterns early on a Saturday morning. Most of Fort Lauderdale’s residents were still asleep, others were still indoors, glad to put the former week solidly to bed.
After jogging for a few blocks, Skye crossed a large intersection, being careful to watch for any oncoming vehicles or turning cars. The curb was just