Her green eyes lifted to mine, and she was all mysterious. Resting my elbow on the table, I nodded pretending to be serious. “Wow. That’s some trick.”
She bounced on her pillow grinning widely. “You think so? My grandma taught me how to do it.”
“The only problem is I’d never get on a boat. I don’t know how to swim.”
“What!” Kenny sat up fast. “Slayde! What about the other night in the ocean?”
“I’m not afraid of water, and I’m fine if I can stand in it.”
“Why can’t you swim?” Mariska looked straight into my eyes. She was still being mysterious.
“My mother drowned when I was a little boy.” The silence that fell over the room made me shift uncomfortably. “My dad never took me near water after that.”
“Yet here you are, living by the ocean.” Mariska was still searching.
Kenny slid her small hand into mine. “I’m so sorry.” Her beautiful blue eyes were full of concern.
“Wasn’t trying to be a buzz kill.” I pulled the back of her hand to my lips. “It was a long, long time ago. I’ve had plenty of time to get over it.”
Her smile was tinged with concern. “Still...”
“Your turn!” Mariska called, picking up Kenny’s cup.
She repeated the entire routine again, and then studied her grounds. “Humph. Not what I expected.”
Kenny’s brow clutched together. “That’s not what you want to hear from your fortune-telling bestie!”
Mariska laughed. “No, it just says you’ll have a change... or a discovery that will change your life. It could be anything!”
Kenny was thoughtful a moment. I noticed her glance move to my hand still holding hers and the smallest smile lift her cheek. Before anybody could speak, she hopped up and headed to the kitchen. “Let’s eat. I want some of that stuffed cabbage!”
We spent the rest of the evening talking about work, Rook and Tammy, Pete, w
ho apparently was in love with Mariska. I’d missed that altogether. With stomachs full, we said goodnight and headed back to the truck. I wanted nothing more than to take Kenny home and spend the rest of the night with our bodies tangled together.
“Can you believe those fortunes? Sea voyages, discoveries...”
She was in my arms, and I pulled her up, kissing her head. “I’ll trade you my sea voyage for your discovery.”
Her arms rose to circle my neck. “I’ve already had my discovery. Take me with you on your sea voyage.”
I couldn’t think of anything I liked better. “Deal.”
Chapter 20: “Scars show us where we’ve been, not where we’re going.”
Kenny
Exercising regularly had made Slayde’s physique even more defined. Tonight, after our dinner at Mariska’s, it took all the control I could muster not to beg him to remove the thin wife-beater he still wore. I wanted to see everything.
Sitting on my bed facing each other, he’d already removed my skirt and bodysuit. I sat in front of him in my black bra and panties while he ran his fingers up the lines of my stomach. I shivered, touching his stomach through the transparent white tank.
“You have a butterfly,” he said, lightly outlining the insect Carl had inked for me at the top of my ribs.
“I got it after my husband died,” I said quietly. “For a long time I didn’t even get out of bed, and then when I did, I thought of butterflies. How they practically die in the pupa before transforming into something completely different.”
As I spoke, I watched concern fill his beautiful blue eyes, only to be chased away by warmth.
“You never told me you were married.” His voice was soft as his hands moved to the tops of my shoulders and down my arms. “You must’ve been young.”