Counting on Love by R. L. Burgess

Author:R. L. Burgess [Burgess, RL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781642470628
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2019-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

It felt good to get out of the stuffy dining room and into the cooler night air. She actually shivered a little, remembering that the temperature at night in the desert was always much cooler. It felt good to be cold after the furnace of the day.

In the darkness, she could see the shapes of people dotted around the pool, quiet murmurings and the occasional bark of laughter drifting across the water. It would be nice to sit by the water for a moment before bed and feel the stillness of the desert evening. The pool, which had looked so inviting during the day, was now lit up with an array of discreet yellow lights, creating a warm and romantic environment. She hadn’t had a chance to swim yet and she realised there were actually people in the water now, their heads bobbing in the darkness like seals. She let herself through the gate in the pool fence and scanned for an empty lounge chair, spotting one over by the children’s splash pool.

She plonked herself onto the chair and leaned back, letting the tension flow out of her body. It was going to be a big week and she needed to pace herself.

“Zoe?”

She sat up with a start as she realised Reyna was saying her name from the table next to her. She was seated with a woman whose silhouette Zoe couldn’t identify in the dark. There was a candle flickering at their table in a glass jar and an ice bucket with a bottle of something sticking out of it. “Oh, hi. I didn’t see you there.” She eased herself up off the lounge with a little groan.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, just tired.”

She stood and stepped into the light of their table.

“Zoe, this is Jessica.” Reyna gestured to the woman sitting at the table, who on closer inspection she instantly recognised as Jessica Myers, the conference’s plenary speaker. “Jessica this is a colleague of mine, Zoe Cavendish. Zoe is one of our star employees at Azoulay House.”

“Great to meet you, Jessica.” Zoe extended her hand. “Your talk today was excellent.” Jessica took Zoe’s hand in both of her own and pressed it lightly, her skin smooth and cool to the touch.

“A pleasure to meet you, Zoe Cavendish,” she purred, holding Zoe’s hand for a moment longer while she smiled slowly in the candlelight. “Will you join us for a glass of champagne? We have a whole bottle to get through and neither of us seem able to make much of a dent in it.”

“Well, I…” She trailed off, unable to think of a reason not to stay. Would it be awkward with Reyna? She glanced at her as if to ask for permission and immediately felt irritated with herself, as if Reyna cared what she did. “I’d love to,” she finished, pulling out a chair and sitting decisively.

“Wonderful. We don’t have another champagne glass but if you don’t mind using a water glass, I’ll pour you a drink.”

“I’m not fussy.” She glanced again at Reyna, aware of the dark eyes on her.

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