Sunbaked by Junie Coffey

Author:Junie Coffey [Coffey, Junie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781477823934
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2017-05-09T04:00:00+00:00

9

Nina slept fitfully and was up and dressed at dawn. She walked the length of the beach, to town and all the way back to Ted’s fishing lodge again, twice. She saw Ted Matthews down near his boats, tinkering with an engine. He looked up both times she came near and raised his hand in greeting. She gave a small wave back but turned around before she got so close she’d have to speak. She wasn’t in the mood. She sat down at her kitchen table and tried to read the book on the history of Pineapple Cay that she’d borrowed from the library. Finally, she heard Danish’s knock at the door. He had two cups of coffee in his hands.

“A peace offering,” he said. She sighed and took one. They drove to Delmont Samuels’s house in silence. Danish parked on the road, and Nina buzzed the intercom on the gatepost. She sighed again. She waited for someone to ask for her name and the purpose of their visit, but instead, the gate swung open. She and Danish walked up the long gravel drive to a large white villa. A woman was hanging clothes on a line around the side of the house.

“Good morning,” Nina said. “We’re here to see Mr. and Mrs. Samuels.”

“All right. They’re by the pool. This way, please.” She led them around the other side of the house and up three steps onto the pool deck. A wide view of the Caribbean Sea lay spread out before them. Nina could see the recording studio tucked into a grove of trees near the beach about a hundred feet down a gentle slope. A couple of little girls were playing in the kidney-shaped pool with a young blonde woman. They were laughing and chattering with each other in French. Delmont Samuels was sitting at a table with papers spread out before him. His wife, Lana, was on the other side of the pool, reclining in a swimsuit on a chaise longue while flipping through a magazine. She glared at Nina and Danish over the top of her sunglasses, then stood and slipped her feet into a pair of high-heeled sandals.

“Isabelle, please take the children inside for their snack,” she said, and she sashayed into the house without speaking to Nina or Danish. Isabelle herded the children out of the pool, pulled off their water wings, and wrapped them in thick beach towels. As they went inside, she smiled shyly at Danish and gave him a little wave. Delmont Samuels looked at Danish and Nina in stony silence until the children were gone, then said, “Well, if it isn’t Shirley Holmes and Dr. I-Haven’t-Got-A-Clue.”

“That’s a bit harsh, Mr. Samuels,” said Danish.

“You threw ink into my hot tub. I had to drain it. It will take a week to clean. Hands where I can see them, please.”

Nina wrung her hands with embarrassment but plunged ahead. “Mr. Samuels. We’re here to apologize for what happened last night. We trespassed on your land and damaged your property.

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