Sanctuary by I. Beacham

Author:I. Beacham [Beacham, I.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Lesbian, (v4.0), Mystery & Detective, Women Fashion Designers, Contemporary, General, Romance, Boston (Mass.), Lesbians, Fiction, Businesswomen, Love Stories
ISBN: 9781602820555
Publisher: Bella Distribution

Chapter Eleven

Dita reclined in a chair on her balcony, gently dozing in the sun. The hotel overlooked a quiet, winding side street lined with pale villas. Beyond the rooftops a myriad of small fishing boats could be seen nestled in a tight corner of the harbor. Dita loved the view but she was too exhausted from lack of sleep to enjoy it as she usually did, content to watch passersby chatting in the street. Lulled into slumber by the gentle, distinctive metal rattling of the rigging on the boats nearby, she drifted in and out of sleep and dreamt uneasy dreams. Somewhere in the tangle of her mind and her senses, she became increasingly aware of familiar laughter, of whispers on a breeze, of something tangibly welcome. The distant sensations became closer and more physical as something landed in her hair, waking her as it rolled down and into her lap. Opening her eyes she examined the offending article, a Galatine. Still caught in the remnants of sleep, she was wondering where it had come from when another one hit her squarely on the nose.

Sitting up and peering over the side of her balcony, she saw Cate wearing the biggest grin, about to fire off another of the milk candies.

Her tanned face beamed with affection and her infectious laughter was reminiscent of childhood, when nothing was held back. Its sound brought joy to Dita, like ice cream on a hot, humid summer’s day.

“Hey, sleepyhead, what happened to you this morning? We were supposed to go to Ravello, remember?”

This time Dita caught the Galatine. She smiled back apologetically.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night…and I forgot. You’re back early.”

“Never went.” Cate couldn’t hide her joy at seeing Dita. “When you didn’t turn up, I came to your room and saw the ‘Do not disturb’ sign. The maid said you wanted a sleep-in, so I thought I’d leave you alone for a while. But now I’m bored.”

Again, the familiar grin reappeared, only serving to remind Dita that she had fallen hard for the unobtainable. “I should have called you this morning and let you know. I’m sorry…I’ve ruined your day.”

Cate saw the change register on Dita’s face, saw the lines of tension appear that had not been there a second ago. “You are okay, aren’t you? Can I come up?”

Dita attempted to conjure up some excuse, but Cate had already disappeared and even as she leaned further out to try and see her, there was a gentle tapping on her door.

“Did you fly up here?” Dita asked as she opened it.

Standing there, out of breath, Cate wiggled her fingers in the air.

“Spider-Man, remember?”

She immediately sensed Dita’s discomfort. Usually happy and vivacious, she seemed unable to make even the simplest conversation.

In the limited time Cate had known her, she’d never been short on words. Her concern grew. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Dita waved a hand, dismissing the question. “Yes, really. Just woken up, that’s all.”

Cate didn’t believe a single word and knew Dita’s awkwardness had everything to do with what had happened last night.

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