Swimming Naked

by Laura Branchflower

  “That depends. Can I go in your place?”

  Phil chuckled. “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

  They stayed at the five-star Hôtel Plaza Athénée overlooking the avenue of Montaigne, with a view of the Eiffel Tower. They strolled along the Parisian streets hand in hand, ate at small cafés, and made love late into the night. It was the most romantic five days of Lina’s life. It wasn’t until they were on the plane flying home that she realized they’d had no serious discussions. They’d been officially back together for a week and two days and they’d yet to discuss how Liam would fit into her and their children’s lives.

  “Good,” Katie responded when Lina asked how her weekend with her grandmother had gone. It was almost midnight and they’d arrived home to find Katie curled on the couch in the family room watching television. “Grandma is much cooler than the two of you. You should go away more often.”

  “We should,” Phil agreed. “And you should go to bed. It’s late and it’s a school night.”

  “See.” Katie sighed. “Not once did Grandma tell me to go to bed.”

  “That’s because she isn’t your parent,” Lina said.

  “Oh, Dad,” Katie called out when Phil began to leave the room. “That woman—the one you had the baby with—she called.”

  Chapter Five

  Lina’s eyes widened. “She called our house phone?”

  “You talked to her?” Phil set down their suitcases before retracing his steps to Katie.

  “I answered the phone.”

  Lina couldn’t believe the nerve of the woman. “What did you say?”

  “That Dad wasn’t home. What did you expect me to say?”

  “If she ever calls again, don’t talk to her,” Phil said intensely, coming around the couch.

  Katie frowned. “What was I supposed to do? Hang up on her?”

  “Yes.” Phil nodded. “Hang up on her. And that goes for you, too,” he said to Logan, who had come into the room. “If Kim ever calls here, hang up the phone.”

  “I wouldn’t talk to her,” Logan said, frowning.

  “It’s not like I chose to,” Katie said defensively. “I didn’t even know who she was at first. I just answered the phone.”

  “It’s okay,” Lina said. “It’s not your fault.” She turned to Logan, running her hand down his back when he stopped beside her. “Why aren’t you in bed? You have school tomorrow.”

  “I was hungry,” Logan said. “Would you make me something?”

  “Mom has been up for close to twenty-four hours,” Phil began. “Have cereal or—”

  “It’s fine,” Lina interrupted. “I slept on the plane. What would you like?”

  Phil turned back to Katie as Lina followed Logan into the kitchen. “When did she call?”

  “Today. Right after Grandma left. About seven. She sounded young. How old is she?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He picked up the suitcases and headed toward the front of the house.

  “I’m not worried about it,” Katie said, catching up to him as he began to ascend the stairs. “I was just wondering.”

  “Stop wondering. She has nothing to do with you. If she calls again, don’t answer. We have caller ID for a reason.”

  “She could use a different phone,” Katie pointed out.

  “She could,” he agreed. “And in that scenario you hang up on her.” He continued to the master bedroom with Katie on his heels. “Is there something else you need?” he asked when she followed him into his room.

  “I heard the baby. He was crying in the background. It was kind of weird knowing the baby crying was yours.”

  He set down the bags and turned to her. “Yeah, I guess it might be.” He dragged a hand back through his hair. The stress that had taken a short hiatus during their time in Paris was back in full force.

  “You never talk about him.”

  “He’s a baby. There’s not much to say. He doesn’t really do anything besides sleep and eat.”

  “I hope you’re not going to be a shitty father like Matt’s, ignoring him because you have another family.”

  “I’m not going to ignore him.”

  “Matt acts like he doesn’t care, but I know he does.”

  “I’m not going to ignore him, Katie.”

  “That isn’t okay,” Lina said as soon as she entered the bedroom. “I don’t want her calling our house, ever.” She walked past him and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  “Fuck,” he said aloud, dragging his hands down his face. He could kill Kim. He followed Lina into the bathroom. She was standing before the sink, brushing her teeth. “I’ll take care of it.”

  She continued to brush her teeth, her movements more vigorous than usual. As soon as she finished, she was turning to him. “How?”

  “She called because I was ignoring her. She’s been calling and texting me for the past two days. If I’d responded she wouldn’t have called the home phone.” He could see her shoulders relax in response to his words.

  “How often does she call you?” She leaned back against the counter.

  “More than I’d like but not often. Usually only when I don’t respond to her texts.”

  “I’m sorry for getting angry. It’s just—I hate that she talked to Katie, that she felt she had a right to call our home.”

  “I know.” He tucked a tendril of hair that was touching her cheek back behind her ear. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “I don’t want her manipulating you.” She fisted his T-shirt. “You aren’t hers to manipulate.”

  “Noted,” he said dryly.

  “We could get rid of the home phone.”

  “Completely?”

  “We could give out my phone as the home number. I’m the only one who really uses it. The only time you talk on it is when your parents call.”

  “Are you sure?” He liked the idea, but he didn’t want to cause her any inconvenience.

  “Yes. It’s mostly telemarketers anyway. And I don’t want you to feel you have to answer her calls on your cell phone to keep her from calling our home phone. If it’s disconnected it’s a moot point.”

  ***

  “So? Are you going to tell me how it was?” Adele asked Lina the following morning. They were doing a final walk-through of a house scheduled to go on the market later that afternoon.

  “You didn’t ask,” Lina said. They’d been together more than half an hour and it was the first Adele had mentioned the trip.

  “That’s because you look too happy. And although I like to see you happy, he doesn’t deserve it. You’ve been glowing since you got back together. He’s being rewarded for what he did.”

  “That’s ridiculous. He is not being rewarded. His life is much more complicated now, believe me. And it was nice to get away from everything for a couple of days. This is what I want. Don’t I deserve to be happy?”

  “I just wish what made you happy didn’t make him happy. So, Paris was everything you thought it would be?”

  “It was,” Lina answered with a sigh. “I wish we were still there. We need to get rid of these pictures,” she said, nodding toward the pictures covering the top of a sideboard in the living room. “I missed them before. I love the black-and-whites though. They should stay.” She lifted a framed portrait of a wheat field. “I wonder if it’s a local photographer.”

  “It is,” an attractive woman with wavy dark hair and a friendly smile answered as she breezed into the room. “Oh my God, you’re gorgeous,” she said, looking at Lina. “She’s gorgeous,” she repeated to Adele.

  “I know. I hate her. She got the tall, beautiful genes. I’m the runt of the family.”

  “Oh, nonsense,” the woman said, waving her off. “You’re gorgeous, too. And you can always wear heels without towering over your date.”

  “Lina, meet Celeste Strahl.”

  “Your home is lovely,” Lina said.

  �
�I was telling Adele how talented you are. When I arrived home last week, I couldn’t believe the transformation. I almost don’t want to move now.”

  “Your home was beautiful to begin with,” Lina said. “It’s just when selling it, you want the minimalist look.”

  “We had it professionally decorated when we moved here three years ago, and I used that exact term then, ‘minimalist look.’ My husband doesn’t like a lot of things around him. Clutter makes him nervous. I’d love to have you handle our new home. Do you have a card?”

  “I’m flattered,” Lina said, “but I’m just a stager. I’m not an interior decorator.”

  “Adele said you studied it in college.”

  “I did,” Lina said. “But I never did it professionally. I started staging to help Adele, and then the next thing I knew they were offering me a job.”

  “And now I’m offering you a job,” Celeste said. “I’d love for you to help me with my new home. Please say yes.”

  ***

  Phil arrived at Kim’s condo a little before two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. His communication with her had been sparse since he’d told her to refrain from calling his home phone. She’d sent him one picture of Liam sitting in his high chair, stuffing a fistful of Cheerios into his mouth, and another of him in the bathtub, his hair slicked back from his face. The only other texts were a short exchange over the time of his visit that weekend.

  He thought he was at the wrong door when instead of Kim an attractive, sophisticated-looking woman in her late forties or early fifties answered his knock. “I’m sorry,” he began, his eyes narrowed in confusion. “I must have the wrong apartment.” He pulled his head back enough to see the apartment number.

  “No. You’re at the right place. And you’re definitely Phil. There aren’t too many men that fit the bill of tall, dark, and movie-star handsome. Kim wasn’t exaggerating. Please come in. I’m Evelyn, the grandmother.”

  He instantly saw her resemblance to Kim. They had the same green eyes and heart-shaped face. She was wearing a lavender pantsuit that reminded him of something his own mother would wear. “You had her young,” he said, meaning it.

  “Handsome and charming. I like you,” she said with a wink. “I feel like we’re almost related and yet we’ve never met.” She curved her arm through his. “Come and meet my husband.”

  Not wanting to be rude, Phil had no choice but to let her lead him to the family room, where a man he assumed was Kim’s father had come to his feet and was setting a newspaper on the coffee table. He was tall and lean with a full head of salt-and-pepper hair and looked to be about ten years older than his wife. He, too, had a sophisticated look, dressed in pressed tan slacks, a dark sweater, and loafers.

  “He’s definitely your son,” Russel Ryan said after greeting Phil.

  “Are you visiting from out of town or…?” He trailed off. He had no idea where her parents lived.

  “We’re down from New York for the weekend. We saw him over Christmas after he was born. He’s growing like a weed.”

  “He is,” Phil agreed.

  “Kim says you have other children, too,” Russel said.

  “A boy and two girls,” Phil answered.

  “Are they local?”

  “My oldest daughter is a freshman at UVA. My other two are still at home. We live in Maryland.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you had custody of your other children,” Evelyn said. “They must keep you busy.”

  “Here’s Daddy,” Kim announced as she entered the room, carrying Liam.

  Liam smiled at Phil before immediately burying his face in Kim’s neck. Within seconds he was lifting his head and giving Phil another smile before hiding his face once again.

  “Why are you hiding from Daddy?”

  “Hey.” Phil took Liam from Kim, smiling down at him. “Are you shy today?”

  “I assume everyone’s met?” Kim asked.

  “Yes. We were just learning that Phil has custody of his other children,” her mother said. “You never mentioned that.”

  “It must have slipped my mind,” Kim said. “Do you want to take him into his nursery? I left some toys out.”

  “Why are you sending him away?” Evelyn asked. “We’d like to get to know him a little.”

  “He’s here to visit with Liam, not you,” Kim said.

  “He can’t do both? I’m sure he’s just as curious about us as we are about him. Our DNA is running through his son’s blood.”

  “Mom,” Kim said in warning. “He doesn’t care about your DNA.”

  “Are you originally from Maryland?” Russel asked, ignoring his daughter.

  “Yes. Born and raised.”

  “Do you have siblings?”

  “Dad, he’s here—”

  “I can talk to your parents for a few minutes,” Phil said, interrupting Kim. “And then I’d like to take Liam out for a little while.”

  “Out? Out where?” She frowned.

  “For a walk. It’s a nice day.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea,” Evelyn said, earning another glare from her daughter. “I worry about him not getting enough air, living in this high-rise. You don’t live in a high-rise, do you, Phil?”

  “No. I have a house.” He lifted Liam high into the air, eliciting a gurgle of laughter.

  “We’re not really that familiar with Maryland,” Evelyn said. “When Kim said she was leaving New York City to move to Baltimore, we were all shocked. She had always been a city girl—not that Baltimore isn’t a city, but you know what I mean. Compared to New York it isn’t exactly cosmopolitan.”

  “At the time we didn’t know about you, so it was even more confusing,” Russel added.

  “Dad, please,” Kim said. “We don’t need to get into all of that. What’s done is done.”

  “About me?” Phil asked, his brows pulled in confusion. “What am I missing?” He felt like he was in an alternate universe.

  “Nothing,” Kim said. “He’s talking about your firm. I left New York to go to your firm.”

  “Why are you wearing a wedding band?” Russel asked, his gaze focused on the ring on Phil’s left hand. “Are you married?”

  Chapter Six

  “Dad, can’t you—”

  “Yes, I’m married,” Phil answered.

  “Married?” Evelyn’s eyes widened. “I thought you were divorced.”

  “I said he was getting a divorce,” Kim said.

  “No.” Her father shook his head. “You said he was already divorced.”

  “You may have heard that, but that’s not what I said. I told you—”

  “That isn’t a fact I would confuse,” her father said. “And why are you wearing a wedding band if you’re getting divorced?”

  “I’m not getting a divorce,” Phil said.

  “Oh no,” Evelyn whispered, gripping the collar of her jacket. “You had an affair with a married man?”

  “He was separated,” Kim lied.

  “Look, I’m going to take him out for a walk,” Phil said, having no desire to partake in Kim’s family drama. “Would you get me the stroller?”

  “What kind of man encourages his mistress to move closer to his wife and family?”

  “I have no idea what we’re talking about here,” Phil said, looking between Kim and her father.

  “You’re the reason she left New York. She came to Baltimore to be with you.”

  “No.” Phil shook his head. “We didn’t know each other until she interviewed at my firm. She found us. It wasn’t the other way around. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m here to visit my son.”

  Once Phil left Kim’s apartment, he did his best to salvage his time with Liam, strolling him to a nearby park and stretching out on a blanket with him. Liam spent most of his time playing peekaboo or trying to pull off Phil’s watch.

  When he arrived back at the condominium it was again Evelyn opening the door. This time her greeting was l
ukewarm at best. “Kim ran out to get a haircut,” she said. “She told me to give this to you.” She was holding the suit jacket he had left behind on his last visit.

  “I’m sorry if my marriage came as a surprise to you,” Phil said. “There was no graceful way to tell you.”

  “It’s okay.” She forced a smile, but the strain on her face was obvious. “All that matters at this point is Liam. I hope that you’ll play an active role in his life and he isn’t kept in the shadows. A boy needs his father.”

  ***

  “You looked good out there,” Phil told Logan as they walked toward his car.

  “I almost scored. Coach said if I start shooting more, I’ll get a chance to play up top. He said I’m passing when I should be taking a shot.”

  “So shoot more,” Phil said.

  “I’m going to. Brian said his dad was telling him about this book called Outliers or something like that. And if you do something ten thousand times you become, like, an expert at it. How many times do think I’ve shot at goal? Not just in games but in practice, too.”

  “I don’t know. You’re almost fifteen and you’ve been playing since you were five. Maybe three thousand times.”

  “I was thinking twenty-five hundred,” Logan said. They reached the car, and he tossed his gear and backpack into the back seat. “That means I only need to shoot it seventy-five hundred more times to become an expert,” he continued when they were in the car. “If I start shooting it a hundred times a day, I’ll be an expert in less than two and a half months. That’s all it will take.”

  “Is that all?” Phil knew there was no way Logan was going to shoot the ball ten times a day, let alone one hundred. He hated practicing on his own.

  “Yeah, isn’t that cool?”

  “I was thinking about taking Logan and a couple of his friends to see the college lacrosse championship on Memorial Day Weekend—just the championship game, not the whole tournament,” Phil said to Lina when he arrived home with Logan.

  “That’s nice.” She was at the counter, slicing vegetables.