Inclusions

by Emily Duvall

  “Let’s not exaggerate.” Kendra’s poised smile remained on her lips. “I don’t have time to be sick and we’re going to be late.”

  Vivian took Kendra’s hand and Melanie walked alongside them down the hall to the sound of boisterous people talking. Melanie glanced up the stairs, in the direction of Luke’s office. “Kendra, where does Luke keep the gemstones he needs to sell?”

  The lighthearted mood disappeared. “Why do you want to know?”

  “When we were in Madagascar, it occurred to me Luke doesn’t have an office in the traditional sense. He works out of his home and so do his brothers. They have to keep the gemstones somewhere. I’m curious, nothing more.”

  “I don’t know where they are kept. There are certain aspects of his job I’m not allowed to know about. My guess is as good as yours.”

  * * * *

  The small gathering of guests interacted with familiarity towards each other. Aside from Goldie, Melanie knew no one outside Luke’s immediate circle. Goldie and the other women dressed similarly, wearing silky, bright-colored tops and lots of gold, the official color of summer. They all wore a tan like an accessory and their hair down to their waist. The women walked out by the pool, carrying their drinks with them. Melanie felt a longing to be home with Jessie. They both reveled in spending their summer evenings wearing fun dresses and attending parties. Even if they didn’t know anyone else at the party, they had each other.

  Melanie spotted Luke instantly, and to a fault. Taller and leaner than the other men, he stood in the middle with his back to her. The wind fluttered through his hair as his hand extended, talking presumably about the property and the ocean view.

  A gaggle of giggles came from outside and Melanie saw Kari and Alyssa darting around the trio of men. “Girls, no running inside,” Goldie chastised, breaking through her protective ring of men. She flashed an apologetic smile to her admirers. “My regular babysitter is home sick. Or so she says. I happen to know she’s the mistress of a well-known attorney from Seattle, who always spends the month of June at his beach house in Lahaina.”

  Melanie stood back in the early-evening shadow and waited until Kendra had handed Vivian off to Stevie. She backed up to the stairs, turned around halfway up, and quickly moved up the steps and down to Luke’s hallway. One quick peek at his office couldn’t hurt. Whether or not Kendra knew the whereabouts of the gemstones didn’t make a difference. Melanie couldn’t rely on anyone else to help her. She assumed he kept his gems either in a bank or a private vault. The vault made more sense, given the easier access. She glanced on either side of the hallway to make sure nobody saw her, and then she entered.

  The early evening sunset deepened the hues of the office. The space suited him, Melanie concluded. Elegance and boldness tapered with the slightest touch of warmth, just like Luke. The water in the aquarium bubbled and gurgled from the filter and she walked over to the tank and squinted at the thick, gold coins at the bottom of the tank. She wondered if they were real or not.

  The shelves on the wall gave her nothing to go on in terms of hidden spots. She touched a few of the spines and pushed them, laughing at herself for watching too many mysteries. The bookcase is one of those places perfect for building access to a secret room, a vault, or a keypad. The books on Luke’s shelf, mostly dictionaries or old fiction, didn’t give way to anything. A cloud moved over the sun outside at the same moment her gaze met the silver candleholders. They didn’t fit with Luke’s taste or the rest of the décor. They looked cheap, maybe even plastic or another special material she didn’t know about. “Where are you?” she said, and reached out to touch one.

  “The better question is why you’re in my office?” Luke said with a shrewd voice.

  Melanie spun around and met his biting gaze. “Luke.”

  “I saw you go up the stairs and turn in this direction.” He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow. “Answer my question.”

  “I’m picking out a book.” She hated herself for the lame, last-minute comment. He would eat her alive.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I wanted to see the fish.”

  Ugh. Even worse!

  “Stevie told me you have fish and I thought Vivian would like to see them. Has she seen them? Fish can be therapeutic for some children.”

  Luke walked over to her. “You’re snooping and you shouldn’t be in my office.”

  “You know what? You’re right.” Melanie walked by Luke. “There’s nothing in your office I want anyway.”

  He whisked her against him with one grasp. “Do not come in here again. For any reason.”

  Unable to decode his new attitude towards her, she laughed off the warning, knowing how silly she must sound. “I have to get back to the party.”

  The anger in Luke’s voice directed at her stuck with Melanie as she walked out of the room and down the hallway. He had no right to be mad at her for being in his office or letting go of the blue garnet. She, on the other hand, had a full list of reasons why she could hate him.

  “We’ve been over this,” Stevie said at the bottom of the stairs; flustered and red-faced and in the middle of arguing with Goldie.

  Melanie slowed her walk down the stairs and heard Luke not far behind.

  “Kari is a gentle soul. She wouldn’t hit Vivian on purpose.” Goldie’s lips coiled into a smile. Kari said something to her mother quiet enough for only Goldie to hear. “There’s no need to—Luke, I’m glad you’re back. Stevie thinks my little Kari hit your darling Vivian on purpose.”

  “She did, I saw her.” Stevie pursed her lips and Vivian went over to Luke.

  He picked her up. “I think we should all eat dinner.”

  Stevie and Melanie walked outside and over to the kids’ table and Stevie sliced up strawberries for Vivian. “I know what I saw,” she muttered.

  Melanie glanced over at Goldie. “I know you did.”

  “Anyway, where have you been?” Stevie paused at her with an accusatory look.

  “I went to the restroom.” Melanie didn’t dare tell Stevie about getting caught in Luke’s office. She’d try again, of course. Next time she’d wait until Luke wasn’t home. She turned her attention to Vivian. “Want to eat?” Melanie brought the tips of her fingers to her mouth, making the sign for eat.

  “Ah, more signs again. Nonsense, all trendy, useless, nonsense, you’re going to see. Vivian will talk when she’s good and ready.” Stevie helped Vivian up from the ground and put her in the high-chair.

  The table for adults gleamed beautifully with silver chargers and aquamarine plates on top. Beachwood infused with crystals and candles stretched the length of the table. Small flames rose up out of the candles and the dinner guests took their seats. The sky turned into a giant emerald. A waiter, unrecognizable to Melanie, poured from a bottle of wine for each of the guests. “Where should I sit?” Melanie asked.

  “You’re sitting with me,” Stevie said, tapping Melanie on the shoulder. “Right here.”

  Melanie gaze stretched over the table in front of them. Vivian sat strapped into her high chair at another, smaller table. Alyssa and Kari mocked making a toast and sipped their juice. “The kids’ table,” Melanie replied sorely.

  “You’ve already caught the attention of one of Luke’s business acquaintances, Mr. Coats.” She nodded to the gentleman sitting next to Goldie. “The evening will get awkward if he knows you skinny-dip in the pool with Luke.”

  Melanie snorted laughter. “You should mind your own business.”

  “I have no other business. I’m too old.” Stevie circled her glass so the ice chunks clapped together. “I must say, since you came here, the entertainment value in this house has gone up a notch.”

  “Find yourself a sugar daddy and get your own life.”

  “Who says I don’t already have one?” Stevie sipped her drink with a clever smile.

  “I was wondering where you get all those diamonds and rubies from.” She pinned her gaze down on one su
ch a bracelet dangling on Stevie’s wrist.

  Alyssa yanked on Melanie’s dress. “I have to go potty,” she announced.

  “Where’s your mother?” Melanie craned her neck over to the big kids’ table. Goldie laughed, knee-deep in Brent’s lap.

  “You have to take me. You’re the babysitter.” Alyssa stuck out her tongue and she whined, “I have to go now.”

  Stevie leaned in and whispered, “Give up on Goldie taking them. She’s trying to secure an evening with Brent. Her daughters might as well be invisible.”

  The trip to the bathroom took place without fuss. Melanie didn’t think Goldie had even noticed her daughter wasn’t at the table. They returned and resumed their meal. The evening wore on Melanie in the way exhaustion of keeping-up-appearance does. It took more strength to not look over at Luke than it did to look in his eyes and bear the brunt of his mood.

  Pretending to be distracted didn’t work too well either, considering the company at the table of three little girls and an overbearing grandma-type. Melanie cleaned up the bits of red sauce off Vivian, wiped down her sticky hands, and unclipped her buckle. The other girls got up and gravitated towards their mother and were promptly shooed away. They began chasing each other at the other end of the pool, much to Goldie’s irritation. She looked over at Melanie every ten seconds with raised eyebrows and big eyes as if to say, “Do something about them, will you?”

  Vivian wiggled out of her seat and ran over to Alyssa and Kari. The sister duo ran circles around Vivian, screaming and laughing, playing tag. The adults occasionally took a moment to check out the kids and promptly returned to their conversation.

  Melanie kept strict watch on the children. The loud laughter and shrieking girls faded for a moment. The rosy, serene moment passed in a heartbeat. Luke’s ardent gaze switched abruptly to horror. The girls, including Vivian were on the opposite side of the pool. Melanie turned in time to see Kari’s hands extend and push Vivian in the chest. Vivian lost her balance, falling straight to the water. The splash of clear water burst over her head along with a back-breaking scream. Melanie bolted from the table and jumped into the pool without pause. She swam to Vivian, grabbed her, and gasped with water running down her face, all to the beat of her fast-pounding heart.

  Everyone had moved from table to the pool. Someone grabbed Vivian. The adults hovered around and shouted at once. The pool water stung her eyes as she blinked and tried to assess the situation. Brent pulled Melanie out of the water. The dress she wore glued to her skin and she stood there. “Get her a towel,” Brent roared.

  Stevie appeared a moment later with a towel. She wrapped it around Melanie and guided her over to one of the lounge chairs. Goldie sat down on the chair next to Melanie’s and sobbed into Alyssa’s head. “How terrifying, how scary…my girls.”

  “Everyone’s okay,” Stevie reassured and draped a second towel around Melanie’s shoulders. “Go inside and get dry, Luke and I will be with Vivian.”

  “She’s okay?” Melanie finally asked.

  “Thanks to you, she’s okay.”

  Melanie left the scene and made her way up to her room. The commotion subsided altogether by the time she walked into her bedroom. She went over to her dresser and pulled out a new set of clothes.

  The hot shower warmed up Melanie and calmed her nerves. She worried for Vivian. She dried her skin, applied lotion to her legs, and settled into the comfort of her firm bed. She wouldn’t return to the party. Those people meant nothing to her. Vivian’s condition was all she cared about in the moment. She thought about checking in on Vivian and changed her mind, knowing the more adults in the mix made the situation more uneasy for children.

  The doorknob on Melanie’s door began to turn and she jumped up and grabbed the knob, expecting to see Kendra or Stevie. Instead, she found Luke standing in her doorway. The moonlight from one of the windows in the hallway shed light on him, outlining his broad shoulders and half-lit face. A profile she’d know anywhere. “Thank you,” he said with genuine affection. “Vivian’s doing fine. I ended the dinner party and Stevie put her to bed. I think appropriate, considering the events of the night. May I come in?”

  “Yes,” she said and allowed him to walk through. She closed the door. “I’m glad to hear she’s okay. I saw the whole thing happen.”

  “I don’t want to discuss what happened right now.” Luke ran his hand down his jaw, like a man running all the doubts out of his mind and off his chin. “I owe you an explanation.”

  “You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

  Luke dropped his hand to his side. “I owe you a personal explanation about why I sent a lawyer to break off our relationship.”

  This wasn’t what she had expected. She hugged her arms closer to her chest. “I thought you must have despised me to send your lawyer.”

  “I didn’t despise you. I simply didn’t see how we could have continued with everything going on with the trial. I thought a quick, painless ending would be best.”

  “How could you think such a thing? You sent your lawyer to my house. Do you know how hurt I was to find him at my front door? He stood outside my door and told me you had sent him. You humiliated me at the worst possible time.”

  “All of the reasons I can think of for doing that at the time are pointless. I was lazy. I thought shutting you out would be easier. I didn’t have the balls to go to you myself. You deserved a man with enough integrity to look you in the eyes and tell you it’s not going to work out anymore.”

  Melanie reached out and put her hand over his. Her heart felt light. Flutters flapped through her stomach. “You don’t know how much I’ve needed to hear you say that.”

  “I think I do.” He brought his hands underneath hers and made their fingers intertwine. “I didn’t think we would have been able to survive the outcome and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I know because I felt the same way. Don’t you think I stayed up at night trying to figure out how we could continue? I don’t think we would have lasted. Not how we were back then. We were both different people living different lives.”

  Luke kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

  Melanie gave in. “Why do you act like you can’t stand me?” Tears began to form, she could feel them ping the backs of her eyes and cling to her eyelids. One blink and they’d slide down her cheeks. She could see how much he felt for her, but she couldn’t pull it out of him. The barrier in his gaze was too big for her to extract.

  “On the contrary, you’re on my mind all the time.” Luke put his hands on her waist. He put his forehead to hers and for a moment, they did nothing. Their breaths swirled in the same space.

  She expected Luke to kiss her; to drag his fingers down her arms and lower, to wherever his fingers led him. The tip of her finger touched his chest in an offer to explore her body the way he had in the dumpy tent in the middle of nowhere. The breath rolling off her lips in heated waves blew into his neck.

  Luke did the opposite of what she needed him to do. He lifted his head and stepped back. “There’s nothing else. I came here to thank you for saving Vivian and to apologize to you.” Without further explanation, Luke opened the door and walked away.

  Chapter 17

  Luke returned to his bedroom after seeing Melanie. Thankful for her quick action back at the party and jumping in the pool, he owed her more than a thank you. The long, overdue apology is what she deserved and he gave her the explanation. He could have kissed her. He could have taken her right there on the bed, if not for the lines he’d drawn between them after coming home from their flight.

  He had no idea what do now about Melanie. He did want much, much more from her. Maybe just a moment. Maybe a lifetime. All of these thoughts rushed from his heart to his head at the exact moment he knew the truth. He couldn’t touch her. Their past proved to be a bigger problem than he’d anticipated. When he’d found her in his office earlier, he knew she’d been scoping out the room, looking for the tourmalines, which meant
she clung to the past. She didn’t fully trust him. He couldn’t convince her of her brother’s guilt and he couldn’t be with her until she saw him as innocent. He couldn’t make love to her knowing she saw him as a liar. He tossed his suit jacket and shirt in the laundry bin and walked half-naked over to his bathroom.

  * * * *

  The next morning Luke found the breakfast table abandoned and Latonya mulling over a tray of prawns. A fishy smell hung in the air and Luke grabbed a mug for his coffee and began pouring.

  “How’s Vivian?” Latonya said, peeling back one of the shells. “I’ve been worried about her all night.”

  “Stevie updated me this morning. Vivian’s getting up now, and she’s doing well.” A spear of anxiety shot through him at the thought of how ignorant and careless he’d been about the pool. “All those adults sitting and standing around the pool and she still fell in the water.”

  “Children are quick.” She removed another tail and lopped another prawn in the bowl, adding to the pyramid of translucent shells. “I saw Goldie’s girl push Vivian, in case you’re interested in my point of view.”

  “Your point of view always merits value.” Luke spoke the truth. “I’m planning on speaking with Goldie later this morning.”

  “Thank goodness Melanie acted fast.” Latonya dumped the stack of shells in the garbage, tapped the metal bowl to make sure all of the unused prawn bits made their way to the trash, and continued, “I’m glad to see her watching after your daughter.”

  “You complimented my judgment.” Luke put down the coffee pot.

  Latonya wiped down the counter using her muscles and eradicating every possible crumb unfortunate enough to be in her path. “Don’t underestimate her. I heard she’s been asking Kendra about where you keep your gemstones.”

  Luke narrowed his gaze. “What?”

  “During the party last night. Kendra said she approached her and asked.” The towel slopped into the sink and she washed her hands. “I don’t know what happened out there in Madagascar, but I also know you’ve never come back from a hunt so distracted. Don’t go giving her too much space.”