Tangled Destinies

“It would indeed.” Especially, she added silently, after the circumstances under which they’d parted. Her heart might be vulnerable to Marc, but her mind wasn’t. It had vivid total recall when it came to the past.

“Want to go meet them?” Joe asked.

“No, but you go ahead,” she said quickly.

“Alone?” He gasped theatrically. “And watch Lana drool all over him? Never! Race you down to the wall!”

And he dived in headfirst, leaving her to catch up.

The helicopter took off again, and they swam for a while and then moved back up to the secluded swimming pool where Carla served iced drinks and dainty sandwiches and cakes. The Italian woman was huge and merry and middle-aged, and Gaby liked her on sight. The feeling must have been mutual, because Carla immediately adopted her and began to push food at her.

She refused gently, explaining that every ounce counted in her line of work.

“Better you get married,” Carla chided. “Have babies. Work, what life is that for a young woman, hah?”

And delivering that bit of wisdom she turned and ambled back into the house.

“I guess she told you, huh?” Joe said teasingly. He’d pulled on a shirt and looked as relaxed as Gaby did in her short white beach robe. She’d loosened her hair and let the breeze catch it, blowing it around her face as she sipped a cooling citrus drink. She seldom drank. She’d seen too many young lives ruined by it in the circles she frequented.

Joe seemed to be just the opposite. He put it away with enthusiasm, never seeming to show intoxication. She wondered how long it had taken him to reach that immunity and worried about the next few days. Well, if it got rough, she could always go home.

She glanced toward the house. She wanted to go in and change, but she was having the most vivid, painful images of Lana and Marc together inside, and she couldn’t have borne accidentally seeing or hearing something private between them. It had seemed like a good idea to come here and show Marc that she was over him. But now it was backfiring. She wasn’t even sure anymore, herself, that she was over him now. Perhaps she’d only been fooling herself.

As if he sensed her thoughts, the patio door suddenly opened and Marc came out to join them. He looked as if he’d just had a shower, and he was dressed neatly in white slacks and an open white-and-red patterned shirt. Gray hairs mingled with the black ones on his bronzed, muscular chest. He looked as fit as he had in his twenties, when Gaby had first known him.

She lifted her face bravely, determined not to back down. Had he been making love to Lana, was that why he’d showered? Had he showered with her? The thought tormented her.

“So you came,” he said to Gaby, his face giving nothing away even as his eyes narrowed and stared at her.

“I was invited,” she said.

He laughed coolly. “So I understand. Well, I don’t mind showing the hired help a good time if it doesn’t become a habit.”

“Hey, Marc!” Joe began hotly, half rising out of his chaise lounge.

“Don’t start World War Three on my account, Joe,” Gaby told Joe. She leaned back, stretched and smiled at Marc. “You and I understand each other very well. Don’t we, Marcus?”

“Do we?” he returned.

“I can think of five thousand reasons that we should,” she said sweetly, and watched his eyelids flicker with understanding. It made him even more rigid.

Joe frowned. “What is going on between you two?” he demanded.

“Mutual aid,” Gaby said innocently. “If Marc will mind his manners, I’ll mind mine.”

Marc looked near an explosion. He’d only started to speak when Lana came out the door, looking exquisite in a floral-print sundress. She stretched, ruffling her long blond hair. “Hi, everyone,” she called gaily, smiling at all three of them. “Oh, what a gorgeous place! Don’t you love it, Gaby?”

“It’s beautiful,” Gaby agreed, holding her tongue. “Joe and I have been swimming already.”

“You’ll have to try the seafood at La Mer, down the road,” Lana continued, dropping down onto a lounge. “They have it fresh daily. And there are truck farms galore. Historical points of interest... Joe will have to show you around, it’s just magic here.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing it,” she replied, forcing a smile of her own. “You look very pretty.”

“The dress is old,” Lana confided. “I bought it in London last year, but it wears so well that I can’t bear to part with it.”

Gaby did laugh then, despite herself. “I know what you mean. I have a pair of jeans that I’ve worn to death, but I’ve only just got them broken in.”

“Isn’t it just awful, trying to make things stretch enough?” Lana sighed, glancing at her full hips and rather wide thighs. “I guess you’ll never have that problem, you’re so delightfully thin—”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.