Retribution

Chapter Seven

Late Thursday afternoon, Wesley’s East Bay cottage was bustling with the after-tennis party in full swing. The ‘cottage,’ as it was affectionately called by the Grant family, consisted of a large sprawling, Spanish-style estate that seemed to grow in charm as it aged—and it was where Wesley spent his time on weekends when he wasn’t in his flat downtown.

The sky was cloudless and the tips of towering trees shaded the guests, who relaxed in lounge chairs by the heated pool; the water splashed over the edge of the pool as swimmers romped around. Katherine, her figure clad in a white swimsuit that hugged her curves, stood silhouetted against the sky for an instant before she dived into the cool water. The diving board continued to rock as Katherine’s head popped up from the water a moment later and, with a few sharp freestyle strokes, she reached the pool’s edge and hoisted herself out.

She was shaking her hair out of its cap when Johnny commented, “You really should teach me to dive sometime.” She joined him at the other end of the pool where he sat hunched, dangling his feet in the water. His green swimming trunks contrasted with his tanned skin made Katherine catch her breath and she tried to keep herself from staring at his rugged form.

            “It’s simple.” She teased. “You just have to get used to keeping your head down. Though it’d probably be easier to practice in a normal pool. This one feels like a bloody hot tub.” Instead of ribbing her in response as she’d expected, Kate was surprised to see her comment upset him. 

“What’s with these subtle jibes you’re always making at me?”

Slightly confused, she searched for a placating answer. “I didn’t mean anything. Of course I can teach you how to dive anytime you wish.”

“Anytime? Are you sure you’re not otherwise engaged?”

She glanced up from her cap that she had been twisting in her hands to look at him fully, yet he kept his gaze focused down at the water. “What are you talking about? You know I always make time for you when you want.”

His attitude was still surly as he responded, “I feel like you’re keeping stuff from me. It shouldn’t be that way between a man and a woman about to be married.”

Katherine’s felt her head spin. What was he referring to? “What do you feel like I’m hiding from you?”

“I can sense something,” he answered vaguely. “I just know something’s off . . . something feels different than it used to.”

Her mind went into offensive double action; she tried to think of something to tell him while she wondered if he was hiding anything from her. After all, he had been acting very strangely lately.  “Johnny, I’m not hiding anything from you. I think maybe you’re just overly stressed from work, and ever since this incident with Drake, you don’t seem yourself lately.”

He didn’t respond instantly, just sullenly kicked at the water with his left foot. “Maybe.” She had just time think that it wasn’t like him to drop an argument so easily when he continued. “A change of pace would be nice. We should get married and move to South America. Or Africa. Anywhere—just to get away from this place.”

Katherine stared at him in shock. “Get away? But I thought you loved the bay! You told me you didn’t like South America, that you wanted to get away from there. Now you want to get away from here?” Then a thought struck her and her voice turned indignant. “Are you sure it’s not me you want to get away from?”

“Of course not! You know how I feel about you. It’s this blasted place. You just don’t know what it’s like, the same people over and over again. I’m just fed up with it.”