by Layla Hagen
She took my hand, leading me out of the changing rooms and down a corridor that opened to a huge hall that did the name ancient baths justice: high ceilings sustained by columns and brick walls. There were multiple pools of various sizes. All light fixtures resembled candles or torches.
“That’s my favorite one,” Skye said, pointing to one of the larger pools. “It has saltwater, and it’s warm.”
I was pleased that the place wasn’t too full. We had one corner of the pool all to ourselves. Skye floated for a bit. I swam a few lengths, but I tired quickly from the warm water and the steam, so I stretched my arms on either side of a corner. Skye joined me, looking at me intently.
“Want to talk about what drove you to hang out in a park?”
“Anne’s ex showed up at the restaurant, asking me to vouch for him with the bank.”
“Does he have a black eye?”
“No, but he got a punch to the stomach. He tried to blackmail me. The idiot.”
“How?”
“By implying he can say shit about us in interviews. So I blackmailed him back. Said that if he doesn’t own up to being Lindsay’s dad, he’s gonna have a problem getting a foot in the door at any bank.”
Her eyes bulged, but then a smile edged at the corners of her mouth. “I like how you think.”
I laughed, tugging her closer by the shoulders. “Really?”
“Yeah. I like that you care so much about Anne and Lindsay’s happiness and that you fight for it. But I thought he was calling her?”
“He promptly forgot they existed while they were in France.”
Skye grimaced, drumming her fingers up my arms. “I’m sorry. I think it’s great that you’re insisting he call. A divorce does leave marks, you know?”
Suddenly, she seemed smaller, vulnerable. I put my hands on her waist, pulling her closer, wanting to make it go away but knowing I couldn’t.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” I asked.
She shrugged but nodded. “It’s just that... sometimes, even when I’m happy, I can’t shake off the fear that I can lose it at any moment. We were all affected in our own way by the divorce. Tess the most. She thought I didn’t notice, but I did. I just didn’t know how to comfort her.”
“Fucking hell, you’re amazing. You were hurting, but that didn’t stop you from wanting to care for those around you.”
She shrugged, like it was no big deal, but it sure as hell was. Even tonight, despite having her own issues at the store, she’d put them on the back burner to focus on me. I wanted to return that every way I could. Make her see how important she was becoming to me.
“But I think it’s going to be different for Lindsay,” she said, and something in her tone told me she didn’t want to talk about herself anymore. “She’s got you too, and she’s still seeing her dad.”
“I just hate that he’s hurting them both. I was hoping that the time in France would do them all good.” That Walter would come to his senses and at least be a civil asshole and call his daughter. “It was Anne’s and my happy place as kids.”
“You spent a lot of time there?”
“Just a few weeks in the summer. Two with the grandparents, two with our parents. We looked forward to it the whole year. We practiced speaking the language, ate local produce, made new friends. Our family had a house in a village about two hours from Paris. Now they’ve moved to the south of France.”
“Who speaks French in your family?”
“My grandfather and my father are fluent, whereas Anne and I do okay. We used to speak French with each other when we didn’t want Mom or our grandmother to understand. It drove them nuts. They tried learning the language but said it’s impossible.”
“I agree. We had to choose between Spanish and French at school, and I went for Spanish. Not that I’m any good at that either.”
“France has always been my happy place. I want that for Lindsay too.”
I wanted to show Skye everything that was important to me, just share everything with her. I kissed her cheek up to the shell of her ear.
“J’ai besoin du toi. I need you. I just need you,” I said in both French and English because I wanted her to understand how much she meant to me.
“I love the sound of that,” she whispered. I understood her fear; I just wanted to prove to her that there was no need for that with me.
“Tell me more about your vacations in France,” she urged.
“It was like a time-out from our routine. We were outdoors all the time. Anne spent all day long in this huge swing, reading.”
“Hey, I like swings.”
“I noticed. Why is yours indoors?”
“It almost got blown away in a storm when I had it outside. I’d love a sturdier one in the backyard but just haven’t found one yet.”
I made a mental note about that.
“You know... my house actually reminds me a bit of the one in France. Just the coloring. I figured that out after I moved in.”
Skye looked at me with a huge grin. “Awww, that’s sweet.”
“This hot water has a weird effect on me.”
She laughed, wiggling her body against mine. “Why, because it’s making you reveal all sorts of things? I kind of like it.”
“I bet you do.”
She splayed her fingers on my neck, bringing her mouth to mine. She licked my lower lip with the tip of her tongue before slipping it in my mouth. I groaned, kissing her back just as wickedly.
Pulling back, she looked at me playfully. “Lay your head back on the edge.”
“Bossy?”
She pressed my shoulders down. I sank lower in the water, leaning my head back. Feeling her mouth moving down my neck was driving me insane.
“Skye, we’re not alone in the pool.”
“I’m just kissing you. And besides, the steam is pretty thick. We look blurred to anyone who’s paying attention.”
She was teasing me with small, chaste kisses, but they were completely messing with my senses.
“We’re moving into another tub in a few minutes anyway,” she said.
“No, I like what you’re doing.”
“Weren’t you complaining just a minute ago?”
“Not complaining. Warning.”
She was kissing my right shoulder now. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her against me.
“Hey, you’re interrupting my exploration.”
“I want to feel you against me.”
“Hmm... that works too.”
I didn’t get her to myself for too long, because they informed us that our red wine bath was ready.
We walked to an adjacent room. It was very small, containing a stone basin. There were grapes and candles on the edges. We sat inside, and when we turned on the faucet, a red-colored water came out of it.
“That’s actual wine?” I asked, perplexed. “What a waste.”
“No, silly. It’s wine without alcohol in it. That would dry our skin.”
“Still a waste of perfectly good grapes.”
She rolled her eyes. “It has antioxidants. It’s good for us.”
Waste or not, I had to admit this whole evening was relaxing, and when the staff brought a platter with cheese and grapes, I learned something new about Skye: she loved cheese.
“This is my favorite thing to do to relax,” Skye said.
“You come here often?”
“I used to do it all the time before, but not since opening the store.”
“You’ve been here with another guy?” I asked. The question popped out all of a sudden, but then an image of Skye with someone else shaped up in my mind, in that corner of the pool, kissing him like she kissed me, and I was seeing red. No, just no.
“Think I’d waste this experience on random guys? Nah, I mostly came here with Tess.” She looked straight at me, pointing to my eyes. “What’s that? Possessive streak rearing up again?”
“Can’t help it. I can’t stand the thought of you with another man.”
“So stop thinking it,” she said playfully, climbing in my lap, lacing her hands behind my neck.
“Easier said than done. Want to take my mind off it?”
“Gladly.”
She pressed her mouth to mine, wiping every thought except one: if I couldn’t entertain the thought of Skye with another man in the past, I sure as hell wouldn’t let that happen in the future.
Chapter Twenty-One
Skye
The day after Mom’s surgery, Tess and I had planned to stop by to see her in the evening. Mick had told us yesterday that the procedure had gone well, but it didn’t make sense to visit her because she was medicated and would probably sleep the rest of the day. Today they’d gone back to the doctor for a checkup, so when Mick called us at eleven o’clock, I grabbed Tess so we could talk with him together.
“Let’s go in the back room,” I said.
Jane was here today, so we had more flexibility than usual.
We closed the door to the office, putting the call on speakerphone.
“Hey, Mick. We’re both here. How did it go?” I asked.
“There’s signs of an infection,” Mick said. Every muscle in my upper body stiffened. A weight pressed on my chest. I couldn’t inhale deeply, but I drew in small, conscious breaths.
“What does that mean?” Tess asked.
“Her eyesight is blurred for now.”
“Is she in pain?” I asked.
“No, not at all.”
“That’s not so bad, then,” I said.
“Well, no, but the doctor ordered for her to stay in for the next two weeks. She needs to wear blackout glasses to keep her eyes safe from light. She’s not even worried about the recovery, just pissed about all the things she can’t do because she won’t be able to see.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, because it was a testament to just how well Mick knew Mom.
“Mick, does something else worry you?” Tess asked. “You sound on edge.”
“Yeah... I’m supposed to be on the road this next month. Already asked my boss for time off, but he said no.”
Tess and I exchanged a glance, coming to the same conclusion.
“The gang’s large enough that we can work this out amongst us, Mick. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah, but I don’t love the idea of being away when she’s like this.”
“We’ll take good care of her,” Tess assured him. “We’re going to drop by in a few hours.” Then she paused and corrected herself. “Actually, wait... Skye, we could drop by now, right? Jane can take care of the store on her own for a while.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Okay, we’ll be there in about forty minutes. Want us to bring something to eat?”
“We’re good for today. I’d stopped by and picked up some carryout stuff for us on the way home.”
“Did you talk to the whole gang already?” I asked.
“No, I called you girls first.”
“Thank you, Mick. Okay, we’ll tell everyone else,” Tess said.
We spread the news efficiently, so by the time we jumped on the train to head to Mom’s, we’d already informed the rest of the family.
Despite Mick’s assurances that they didn’t need food, we bought some delicious pralines. Whenever Mom was on edge, they always helped calm her.
The second we entered their apartment, it became clear the pralines weren’t going to cut it. Mom’s eyesight wasn’t just blurry—she couldn’t even move around the house by herself.
“Holy shit,” Tess exclaimed.
“Mick, have you been taking a page out of Mom’s book? Where you don’t tell us the extent of the situation at hand so we don’t worry?” I threw my hands up in the air. We needed to know everything in order to figure out what to do. Mom was going to need round-the-clock care for a few days at least.
Mick looked between the two of us hopelessly. Tess glared at me. Shit, poor Mick didn’t need my venting.
“Sorry,” I said. He was just doing his best, after all.
Tess and I sat with Mom in her room while Mick heated up lunch for everyone.
“How are you feeling?” Tess asked her.
“Very pissed. I was supposed to be on my feet by now, not bumping into my own damn walls.”
“Just give it some time, Mom. What did the doctor say?” Tess asked.
“They have me on some pills, antibiotics I guess, and a ton of eye drops, and we’re supposed to go in for checkups every third day. They said it should pass in about two weeks.”
“See, it’s not even that long,” I added, trying to appease her. It didn’t really work though. Her mood further darkened during lunch, when she needed help with every spoonful.
It was mid-August now, and school was starting in two weeks, so Mom had plenty of work to do before term began. Tess and I had assumed that watching Mom would mean visiting her after work, shopping for her, and so on, but it was obviously going to be more involved.
After we finished eating, while Mick helped Mom back to bed, Tess and I went into the room they’d converted into a reading room. It was cozy and comfy, with leather armchairs, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and an enviable bar. The perfect getaway for a drink and a good book.
Tess and I sat opposite each other, calling Cole, Hunter, and Ryker for a conference.
“We can take shifts spending time with her,” Hunter suggested.
“Yeah. We’re flexible, working for ourselves and all that,” Cole answered.
“I can schedule my face-to-face meetings all in the morning and stay with Mom in the afternoon,” Ryker said immediately, but I knew that wasn’t really smart. The fund he worked at on Wall Street wasn’t going to appreciate him working remotely.
“Mom needs a lot of distraction,” Cole said. “I vote we reveal all the shit we did that we kept from her.”
Ryker laughed. “We want her to get better, not give her a heart attack, bro. Though we probably can select a few harmless events.”
“Boys, why don’t we keep things as they are? Mom is convinced we were on our best behavior when we moved to New York. Let’s not mess with that. Anyway, Tess and I should take turns sleeping here,” I said.
“Yeah, I think Mom will feel better with one of us here at night,” Tess added.
“Wait, Josie says she can also spend the night there.” I could hear my cousin-in-law’s voice in the background as Hunter spoke.
“And Heather says that she’s flexible on the days she doesn’t have interviews,” Ryker added. Heather was a journalist, and when she wasn’t doing field work, she usually worked from home. Her daughter Avery was seven years old and in school until midafternoon, so I knew Heather could stop by before lunch only. It warmed me all over that Josie and Heather wanted to help. My cousin and my brother had found good women. I was happy for them.
“Does everyone have their calendars on hand?” I asked.
After a chorus of “yes” and “wait a second,” we all had the app open. The call took well over an hour, but we had a schedule at the end of it. Heather and Josie were going to take morning shifts, Hunter and Cole the afternoon ones, and we all convinced Ryker that there was no need for him to take time off.
Tess and I were spending the evenings and nights here. Even though Josie offered to sleep over, Tess and I figured Mom would prefer one of her daughters to help her shower and so on.
“Damn, we’re so productive when we put our minds to it,” Tess said on a smile.
I grinned. “True.”
We tiptoed out of the room and then out of the apartment, because based on how quiet it now was, it was obvious both Mom and Mick had fallen asleep. Even though it was early in the day, we didn’t want to wake them up after the busy morning they’d had.
***
Rob
Something was off with Skye. She’d texted me that she wanted to talk to me. That was a few hours ago. I called her as soon as I saw the message, but it went to voice mail. I assumed her phone’s battery was de
ad. As a result, I just wanted to get this day over with and head to Soho. I was certain I’d find her at the store.
But before that, I needed to finalize this meeting. I was at our restaurant in the West Village. It had the lowest rating in our customer satisfaction survey.
“We’re going to up our game and take every complaint seriously.” I was speaking to the entire staff of this restaurant.
Lionel, the manager, just stared at the ground. I had enough authority that they did what I asked even though they may not agree.
“Among the most frequent complaints are long waiting times as well as unfriendly responses when they ask about their order.”
“You should hear how some of these people talk to us,” one of the servers said.
“Customer is king.” As always, I kept my voice calm but cold. “I’ve instructed my assistant to send me online reviews weekly.”
Lionel’s eyebrows shot up. Most business owners in my position would consider this micromanaging, but years of observing my grandfather and parents and how they ran the show taught me one or two things.
“Unless anyone wants to add anything else, you can return to your tasks.”
The second I dismissed the team, I left and ordered an Uber, heading straight to Soho. It had been a fucking long week, and I just wanted to take my woman out to dinner or back home and spend time with her. Skye and I had had dinner with Anne and Lindsay every evening for the past week, but tonight I wanted her all to myself.
Soho was buzzing with people, even more than usual. A few big stores were running sales, which seemed to be the reason for the extra foot traffic. Once I reached Tess and Skye’s store, it was obvious why Skye hadn’t picked up. They were overrun with customers. They still had ten minutes until closing time, so I sat in a chair at the ice cream shop.
Just watching her had a calming effect on me. As the minutes ticked by, I grew impatient. I wasn’t satisfied with simply watching her anymore. Even after nine o’clock came around and the store emptied out, Skye and Tess didn’t show signs of slowing down and closing for the night. I headed inside.
“I’ll be right with you,” Skye said automatically. She had her back to me, not realizing I wasn’t a customer.
