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Annabelle’s arms sliced through the warm water. Dante’s pool was larger than the one at her father’s home, and she appreciated the extra workout. By the time she reached the end, she sensed she wasn’t alone. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw Dante watching her with one hand tucked into his pants pocket.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed off below the water and surfaced with strong kicks and arm strokes. Arriving at Dante’s end of the pool, she climbed the stairs out of the water, conscious of the string bikini barely containing her breasts and barely covering her privates. Pinpricks of heat scraped her skin as his gaze followed her walk across the concrete.
“You have a tattoo,” he murmured.
A colorful butterfly was inked into her hip. She’d gotten the design on impulse, months after her divorce from Dante when she decided to go to college. It was a symbol of her rebirth after she’d grieved the demise of her marriage. In her mind, she had been transformed, leaving the cocoon of being a daughter, then a wife, finally experiencing the freedom to learn who she really was and start a new life.
“I’ve had it for years.” Annabelle lifted a fluffy towel from one of the chairs and wrapped it around her body. She squeezed excess water from her hair and then sat down at the table. Picking up a few nuts from the platter of finger food Viviana had brought out for her, she popped them into her mouth.
“When did you get it?” he asked.
“Six months after we divorced.” She gazed up at him but couldn’t see his expression. With his back to the light and the glittering pool water, his face was cast in shadow. “Your text said you’d be back sooner. You missed dinner.”
“I stopped by the office when I landed.”
Of course he did. “Some things never change. How was your trip?”
There was a brief silence before he answered. Probably because of her snide remark. “Successful. I signed a deal to become one of several investors in a casino on the strip.”
Her eyebrows lifted higher. “Wow. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. It’s a deal I’ve been working on for a while.”
“I have good news too. While you were gone, my father offered me the CEO position.”
“Anna, that’s wonderful.” His voice held genuine happiness for her.
“Thanks.” Annabelle ate a peanut. “The past few days, I’ve been thinking about Albert. I haven’t heard from him since you saw him in my office. You went to see him, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t hesitate. No surprise. Dante never hid the truth. He spoke bluntly and truthfully, direct and cutting if necessary.
“After I asked you not to.”
“I told you why that was impossible.” He strolled over to the table and popped a cube of cheese in his mouth. Closer now, she saw his face clearly.
“Because I’m your wife. Yet you planned a business trip without telling me.” She failed at keeping the bitterness from her voice.
He studied her in silence, and she pretended not to notice, keeping her gaze on the rippling pool water.
“I… should not have left so abruptly. I should have told you about my plans earlier, and I should have kept in touch while I was gone.”
Wait a minute, hadDantejust apologized? Well, not apologized exactly, but certainly admitted he was wrong. Annabelle didn’t know what to say.
“You’re a busy man.”
His eyes bored into her. “That’s no excuse.”
She shrugged, though her heart ached for… something. “This isn’t a real marriage.”
“Why do you feel the need to remind me?”
She wasn’t reminding him. She was reminding herself. She hated the awkwardness between them and despised her internal longing for a connection to someone—tohim. They used to be close and shared everything. Told each other their secrets and dreams. They were playful. Comparing their marriage before and their marriage now… Well, there was no comparison, and in a short time, the difference already felt like torture.
“I never want to leave here,” Annabelle said, floating on top of the waves. She sighed happily.
They’d driven down to Galveston for the weekend to take a look at a vacation rental that Dante was interested in purchasing. He decided not to buy the property, but they took advantage of the idyllic location and spent hours deep-sea fishing and racing each other on jet skis. Last night, they dined at a restaurant with some of the best seafood she’d ever tasted. She could still taste the buttery, tender fish.
