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“Your girlfriend.”
“She knows we’re friends, and she’s fine with it.”
“I just worry about you.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t have the best luck with relationships, and I worry about you getting hurt again.”
“It’s different this time,” he replied with a little smile.
That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “How so?”
“I guess because Ivy is also an attorney, it feels like we’re on equal ground or something.”
Ugh! There was that beaming face again when he mentioned her.
“I’ve always dated women who relied on me. I was the money in the relationship. But Ivy has her own money. She doesn’t need me to take care of her in that way, and that’s a nice change.”
I don’t need your money either. Just you. Skylar wished she had the courage to voice her thoughts.
“And because we work together, she understands me and the demands of my career. She just gets me.”
Skylar’s heart shattered all over again. She thought she was the only one who truly got him.
“I hope the three of us can spend some time together. Once you get to know her, you’ll like her too, Sky.”
She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to tell him that spending time with them would be more than a little awkward and why. She wanted to tell him that he should stop seeing Ivy and give her a chance instead. But she couldn’t, and she wouldn’t.
Instead, she said, “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
Maybe she was a decent actress after all.
The next morning, Skylar awoke early and headed down to the hot tub again. The snow was falling lightly, and she loved the feeling of soaking in the bubbly water while the snowflakes tickled her nose.
She tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to disturb anyone, and headed out the back door to the deck. It was warmer outside than she remembered, probably because she was wearing her pajamas and not a bathing suit. The sun was shining between the clouds, unlike yesterday’s overcast sky.
Her steps felt funny as if she were walking on clouds. She stared down at the layer of snow beneath her feet and realized she hadn’t put any shoes on. Come to think of it, she had forgotten to put her swimsuit on under her pajamas.
She shook her head in confusion and was about to turn back toward the house to go change when she spotted something in the hot tub. She stepped closer and noticed the edge of a robe sticking over the side.
Something about it filled her with a sense of dread as she moved closer and saw the robe was worn by a man floating face down in the still water. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, like the rhythm of a racehorse running full speed ahead. She rushed to the side of the tub, grabbed hold of the man’s ankle, and tugged. His body glided through the water and rolled over, and her breathing stopped at the sight of Franky’s cold, lifeless face staring up at her.
Skylar cried out as she shot up in bed. Her breathing was erratic, and her heart continued to race. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her pajama top was soaked clear through. She covered her face with her hands and let the tears fall. It had been years since she’d had a nightmare about someone drowning. Why now?
She climbed out of bed and headed into the Jack and Jill bathroom just as the door to the adjoining guest bedroom opened.
Ivy gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was going to brush my teeth, but I can wait.”
Skylar’s eyes traveled past Ivy and caught a glimpse of Franky. He was alive and well, still asleep in bed, his bare torso on full display, and sudden and unavoidable tears burned her eyes.
“You can use it first,” Skylar managed as she spun and rushed from the room, shutting the door hard behind her just as the dam broke.
She threw herself onto the bed and tried to silence her sobs by burying her face in the pillow. The last thing she wanted was for Ivy to hear her crying. But she couldn’t control it.
Minutes later, a soft knock sounded on the door, but before she could reply, the latch clicked, and the door opened.
“I’m finished.”