The little girl’s face crumpled suddenly.“I want my daddy!”
Vanessa’s heart went out to her.She didn’t ask for Bennett often, and seemed to forget him completely some days.He’d been an absentee father even before the separation.Vanessa promised ice cream in an attempt to appease her, but Emily was beyond reason.She threw Penelope into the lake and screamed that the doll was drowning.Vanessa rescued her and set her out to dry.Then Emily flopped around on the ground like a fish.A full-scale tantrum ensued, one that simply had to be endured.
Twenty minutes later, Emily had fallen asleep on the blanket.Vanessa lounged next to her, listless.This summer vacation wasn’t turning out the way she’d hoped.She was tired and irritable.The heat she’d longed for all winter felt heavy and oppressive now that she couldn’t escape it.Sweat trickled between her breasts.She lifted the hair off her neck and glanced toward the air-conditioned cabin.
Paul appeared at the edge of the trees like a sexy mirage.He wore a pair of swimming trunks with canvas shoes and no socks.His short-sleeved shirt hung open, unbuttoned.He seemed surprised to see her, as if he hadn’t noticed their presence.She imagined he wanted to go for a swim, or maybe take the boat out.It was his summer vacation, too.She wondered why he’d chosen to work on a remodel project with an injured shoulder.Did he need the money?Was he a frivolous spender, like Bennett?
While Vanessa pondered the issue, Paul approached their shady spot.She rose to her feet with a finger to her lips.She didn’t want him to wake Emily.He paused midway to accommodate her request.She ventured forward, aware that her cover-up didn’t cover much of her body.He kept his gaze on the shoreline instead of her legs.
“How are you feeling?”she asked with a smile.
“Better.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I did not.”
That made two of them.Vanessa studied the strip of bare chest between the open edges of his shirt and narrow line of hair beneath his navel.Despite his shoulder injury, there was nothing weak or soft about his physique.She returned her attention to his face, noting that it looked flushed.
“Thank you again for your help,” he said stiffly.“Do I owe you anything?”
“Yeah.You owe me a Scrabble rematch.”
His cool blue eyes met hers.“That’s not a good idea.”
“Afraid I’ll beat the pants off you again?”
“I don’t think we should see each other.”
Vanessa’s mouth dropped open at his flat rejection.She’d invited him to a nerdy board game session, not on a hot date.Still, the refusal stung.It was proof that he didn’t appreciate her help or care about her situation.
“Enjoy your day,” he said with a mock salute.Then he walked away.
She gaped at his back as he strode down the dock.What a jerk!He’d left her speechless, unable to sputter a response.Whirling around, she returned to the shade with Emily.Her daughter was still sleeping like a little angel.
In the distance, Paul had shrugged out of his shirt.His shoulders were broad and tanned, his biceps well developed.She told herself she was making a professional assessment of his condition rather than shooting daggers at his hot body.She couldn’t see any pain-relief patches from this vantage point.If she were his physical therapist, she’d recommend rest, and maybe low-impact exercises.He was going to reinjure himself by doing heavy labor.
She muttered her opinion of him under her breath, but she didn’t look away.He kicked off his shoes and dove into the water for a leisurely swim.Suddenly parched, she grabbed a sports drink from her beach bag, twisted off the cap, and lifted it to her lips.
Out in the lake, Paul yelped as if he’d been bitten.
Vanessa frowned and shielded her eyes with one hand.He wasn’t swimming anymore.He was sort of flailing with one arm.
“Oh my God,” she said, setting aside her drink.She scrambled upright and ran forward.He probably had a muscle cramp in that shoulder, or another bout of respiratory distress.He shouldn’t be so far from shore.Why hadn’t she anticipated this and warned him of the danger?What if he couldn’t stay afloat?
Trying not to panic, she jumped in the lake and swam toward him.She wasn’t sure she could rescue him.He was a big man and she was no lifeguard.Thankfully, he didn’t sink beneath the surface or thrash around on top of it.By the time she reached him, he’d rotated onto his left side to perform a stilted breast stroke.
“I’m fine,” he said through clenched teeth.“Go away.”
She didn’t go away, but she gave him space to swim on his own.It was a short distance to the shallow water.As soon as his feet touched the lake bottom, he started wading to the shore.His left arm hung by his side, as useless as if he’d dislocated his elbow.She watched without speaking as he staggered forward, water streaming from his taut body.Her stomach dropped as she spotted the puckered flesh on his shoulder.
If she wasn’t mistaken, it was a scar from an exit wound.
He’d beenshot.
Vanessa had seen victims of gun violence in the ER.The impact of a bullet on the human body was devastating.She’d witnessed life-or-death battles in otherwise healthy young people.Paul had been lucky as far as the location of the wound.No major organs hit.Even so, it took time to recover from muscle and tendon damage.She wondered if he was getting the aftercare he needed or taking the right medication.
She followed him to the shore, her brow furrowed.When they reached dry land, he lowered himself to a sitting position and glowered at her.
