Page 23 of The Homemaker (The Chain of Lakes #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Murphy

If you can’t be happy with what you have,

be happy for those who have what you want.

“I can’t believe we missed the show,” Blair says.

Vera glances back at us as Hunter pulls his Rolls Royce into the underground garage. “I’m sorry. I thought I purchased tickets for tonight.”

“It’s fine,” he says. “We’ll go next month on the actual date.”

“I have menopause brain. That has to be why I messed up the date,” Vera says with a long sigh.

“We can go for a swim.” Blair squeezes my leg. “Or sit in the hot tub.”

“You two have at it. I’m tired. The stress of messing up the show date just makes me want to crawl into bed.” Vera yawns .

We head upstairs to change into our suits, and just as we step onto the veranda overlooking the pool, Blair grabs my wrist, nodding in front of us at the pool.

“Alice?” Blair squints.

The couple in the pool whip around in our direction. Alice wrings out her hair and the guy standing behind her slicks his back.

“Oh. Hey. I could have sworn Vera said everyone would be out for the evening. I’m sorry if I messed that up. We’ll get out.”

“No. You’re right. We were supposed to see a show, but my mom mixed up the dates. Sorry to ruin your fun.” Blair shuffles in her flip-flops toward one of the chairs and drapes our towels over the back of it.

“It’s no problem,” Alice says.

The guy behind her clears his throat. “Um …”

Alice looks back at him and he gives her a wide-eyed look. Her nose wrinkles.

“It’s a big pool. Don’t get out on our account,” I say.

Alice and Blair study me like I’m crazy. Then they look at each other.

“I’m Murphy and this is my fiancée, Blair,” I say to the guy while descending the corner stairs into the pool.

He gives me a stiff smile and nods while grabbing Alice’s arms and pulling her in front of him. “Callen. Nice to meet you.”

“Babe?” Blair pulls her hair back into a bun and ties it while giving me a look that says I’m in trouble.

“Yes?” I act innocent.

Blair huffs and makes her way into the pool. “Brrr.” She quickly lowers her body into the water up to her neck as we stand on the opposite side of the shallow end as Alice and Callen.

“I don’t want this to be awkward later,” Callen says, “so you should know that I didn’t have a suit, so I’m in my underwear. Alice assured me no one would come home until after we were out of the pool.” He slides his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest to use her as a shield.

“Uh … there are extra swimsuits in the pool house,” Blair says.

Alice shrugs. “Sorry. I didn’t assume they were for my guests.”

“And it’s a little late now,” Callen says.

“Thanks for the warning,” I say. “It’s better than being naked.” I chuckle. “We’ll turn away to give you some privacy if you get out before we do.”

“Thanks,” he says before kissing the back of Alice’s head.

I hate how uneasy it makes me feel. She’s no longer mine, not that she ever was.

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend, Alice,” Blair says. “But I don’t know a lot about the help around here.”

I pinch Blair’s side, and she turns to give me a look like she doesn’t understand why I did it.

“Callen coaches lacrosse at the university. I don’t share my personal life with strangers, so I wouldn’t have expected you to know.”

Well, shit. Alice isn’t playing nice tonight either.

“What she means is our relationship is casual, so I’m not technically her boyfriend.” Callen makes an attempt to ease the tension.

I know why Blair feels animosity toward Alice, but I’m not sure why Alice is giving it back to her .

“Did you play lacrosse in college?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“I did. Have you played?”

I shake my head. “I played soccer in high school.”

“You know what I could use?” Blair says. “A glass of wine. Would you mind, babe?”

“I’ll get it,” Alice says.

“What? No.” I move toward the stairs, but not before she’s halfway out of the pool. “You’re not working.”

“Red or sparkling?” Alice asks, wrapping a towel around her head and another around her body.

“Sparkling,” Blair says.

“Anything for anyone else?” Alice smiles at me and Callen.

He folds his hands over his junk and shakes his head as I quickly dry off.

“Babe? Where are you going?” Blair rests her hands on the edge of the pool, peeking out at me.

“To get your wine,” I grumble, following Alice, who ignores me even when I’m only two feet behind her. “Forget about the wine,” I say when we reach the kitchen. “We’ll come inside and leave you two alone. You’re right. We weren’t supposed to be home.”

Alice retrieves a bottle of sparkling wine from the rack and opens the drawer to get the electric opener. “We’ve been in the pool long enough, so if anyone is getting out, it’s us.”

I take the bottle and opener from her and set it on the counter behind me, which makes her frown. “You’re off the clock.”

“So.”

“So go be with your boyfriend.”

“I’m fine.” She reaches for the bottle. “Go be with your fiancée.”

I grab her wrist to stop her. She stares at my grip on her, and I can feel her pulse against my thumb.

“Who was she?” Alice whispers. “The person you think I remind you of?”

I move my thumb in a tiny circle against her skin, against her scar. “She was the best two weeks of my life.” My heart sinks into my stomach.

“I wouldn’t tell your fiancée that.” She lifts her gaze to mine.

I release her wrist.

Alice draws in a shaky breath and takes a step back, balling her hands. “I’m sorry you miss her. The past has a way of ruining the future, but only if you let it.”

My past is staring me in the eye, daring me to acknowledge it—to acknowledge her.

I glance over her shoulder. So this is how it’s going to be? On a sigh, I brush past Alice and return to the pool. “Sorry, Blair. There’s no wine left.”

“What?” She wrinkles her nose just as I dive into the deep end. “Murphy!”

When I emerge, she scowls. “I didn’t want to get my hair wet.”

Callen watches us from the corner where he’s still covering his junk with his hands.

“Here’s your wine,” Alice says, setting a glass of wine and the rest of the bottle on the table by Blair’s towel.

“Thank you. I guess there was wine after all.” She narrows her eyes at me before climbing out of the pool. “Alice, aren’t you having wine with me? Please join me. I don’t want to drink alone. ”

“Sorry, I don’t drink. Perhaps I can get a glass for Murphy.”

Blair pouts. “Murphy doesn’t drink wine. He had a friend who drank wine for breakfast and then sort of lost his mind, so it ruined it for him.”

Jesus …

I never said my friend was a “he,” and I don’t think I used the words “lost his mind.” But it doesn’t matter. Alice clearly didn’t lie about her amateur acting. She keeps a stiff upper lip, not so much as a flinch of recognition or glance in my direction.

“Maybe I can get him a beer,” she says to Blair as if I’m not in the vicinity.

“Babe, will you drink a beer?”

“I’m good, but thanks.”

“Callen?” Blair looks at him.

“No, thank you.”

“Fine.” She plops down onto the lounger and lifts her wine glass in a toast. “To me. The only one who knows how to have fun on a Friday night.”

“So how did you two meet?” I ask as Alice reenters the pool and everyone ignores Blair.

Callen immediately grabs Alice to use as a shield again, and he kisses her neck. “She was at my son’s soccer game by accident.”

“How does that happen?” Blair asks.

Alice scrapes her teeth along her lower lip and dips her chin while shaking her head. “Just something stupid. It doesn’t matter.”

“She was at the wrong field. Her nephew was playing on the field across the street,” Callen says.

Alice said she was an only child. Either she lied, or she has a nephew by marriage. Was she married? I need the truth. I gave up on knowing and walked away. But now she’s here, and not knowing is driving me fucking crazy.

“The following weekend, I saw her again at the soccer complex,” Callen says. “She was in line at the concession stand. I think I said something cheesy like, ‘Isn’t this a lucky coincidence?’ And that led to her agreeing to have dinner with me.”

Alice doesn’t look at me or anyone else. Her discomfort is palpable.

“What does your nephew think of you dating a college lacrosse coach?” I ask.

Alice offers a quick glance and a one-shoulder shrug.

“I haven’t met him. We’re not at the meeting family part of our relationship,” Callen says.

“Do you have a brother or sister, Alice?” I slant my head to the side.

“What’s with the personal questions?” Blair asks me with a little laugh.

“Didn’t you say you have an older brother?” Callen asks Alice. “And very protective?”

My mind is so twisted into knots that I don’t know what’s up or down.

Alice turns in his arms and kisses him, and not a quick peck. She kisses him like she used to kiss me. The intentional PDA makes me nauseous. Then she whispers in his ear.

“I guess we’re leaving,” Callen says, like it’s an afterthought not meant for anyone’s ears in particular.

She wraps her legs around his waist, and he carries her out of the pool and straight toward the guesthouse without grabbing towels, saying goodnight, or offering a look in my direction.

“Well, damn.” Blair whistles. “Alice is getting some tonight.” She waggles her eyebrows at me before sipping her wine. “I guess we can lose our suits now that they’re gone.” She stands, sets her glass on the table and unties her bikini top, unbothered by potential neighbors seeing her.

Closure has always seemed like a cliché. But right now, I’d do anything to get closure before the unanswered questions upend my future.