The Rising Tide by The Rising Tide (US) (epub)

Author:The Rising Tide (US) (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Epub3
Publisher: Penzler Publishers

TWENTY-TWO

1

Sitting at her desk, staring at the subject line of Daniel’s email—Over and Out—Lucy falls into a memory.

Saturday night, a week ago. She should be at home, helping Billie with her college work. Instead, she’s standing in darkness, halfway up Skentel’s wooded slope. The hood of her sweatshirt is raised against the rain. Water has soaked through it, matting her hair to her scalp.

Through the trees, she sees glimmering lights.

Lucy glances over her shoulder to the darkened lane at her back. No way she can risk being seen. Shivering, she starts walking.

The house is a world away from the whitewashed buildings on Skentel’s main street. It’s ultra-modern in design: all glass, aluminium and silvered wood.

The front door—a single glazed panel—is flanked by two topiary trees in black planters. Lucy presses the ringer. Moments later, light spills into the hall. Nick Povey appears, holding a whisky tumbler.

He hesitates when he sees her. Just for a beat. Then he comes forward and opens the door. Warm air, laced with cigar smoke and Nick’s citrus cologne, wafts out.

They examine each other for long seconds. Then Lucy says, ‘I’m not sure this was wise.’

Nick takes a sip of whisky. ‘Probably not.’

When he steps back, she walks in. With the door closed, the tension between them intensifies. Rainwater drips from Lucy’s clothes. ‘I’ll get you a towel,’ he says. ‘And a dry top.’

Nodding, she kicks off her soaked trainers. Then, seeing the puddles they’re making on the hardwood floor, her socks. Nick returns and leads her to the living room.

It’s an impressive space, conspicuously masculine. Logs crackle brightly on a circular stone-built firepit at its heart, sending smoke up a suspended copper chimney. A huge TV on one wall offers the only other source of light. Its screen is frozen partway through a boxing match. A black leather couch is arranged opposite. Cowhides and reindeer skins cover sections of the floor.

Lucy strips off her wet hoodie. She accepts the proffered towel and dries her hair. Nick goes to a drinks cabinet and pours her a cognac.

At the firepit, she holds out her hands to the flames. She’s conscious, suddenly, of her damp vest and what it exposes. On her arms, her flesh puckers into goosebumps.

Nick brings over her drink. He sets it on the edge of the stone surround.

She stares at him. He stares back.

‘Lucy,’ he begins. ‘I always—’

‘Daniel doesn’t know I’m here.’

He nods, eyes wandering over her bare skin. His throat bulges as he swallows. ‘I hardly imagined he would.’

Another long silence as they appraise each other.

‘It’s been a while since I came to the house,’ Lucy says. ‘You’ve done a lot of work. It looks . . . amazing.’

Nick swells a little at that. He takes another sip of whisky. The ice cubes clink together in his glass. ‘Some might say it needs softening. A feminine influence.’

Already, the heat from the firepit has dried Lucy’s vest. She pulls on what Nick brought from upstairs—an old rugby jersey with his name printed across the back.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.