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We left before Emma and Michael, who wanted to stay a bit later with Fiona. I called the house and asked Matthew, the head of the household staff, to turn on the hot tub for us before he left for the night. When we got home, we wasted no time opening some wine and heading down to the pool.
The indoor pool, sauna, hot tub and fitness room were all in the basement. The white marble columns and floors had been added to the house in the first decade of the twentieth century, when the space had been repurposed as a gymnasium. The pool had been updated since then, and modern facilities added, but I always kind of expected Annie to burst in singing about how she was going to like it here.
Neil turned down the dimmer switch from the inset lighting and pulled his loose tie from beneath the collar of his white dress shirt.
“Do you think it’s safe to get naked?” I asked him as I raised my shirt over my head. “What if Emma and Michael come back?”
“I’ll lock the door,” he assured me. “Besides, they can’t really fault me for needing a diversion, can they?”
“True story,” I agreed. “Although, I’m not sure what kind of ‘diversion’ you have in mind other than a nice long soak.”
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
I changed the subject. “Do you think Michael is going to ease up a little? He seems a bit…smothery.”
Neil didn’t look at me as he toed off his shoes and set them carefully aside, far from the water. “Better than cold and detached.”
Neil had massive guilt—and a part of me felt he probably should—over the way he’d treated Valerie during her pregnancy with Emma. He’d traveled non-stop to avoid the reality of becoming a father. He’d cheated on her with a woman from his father’s office. While I loved the man, I didn’t mind him feeling guilty about that forever, no matter how much I disliked Valerie.
“That’s true. But I think she’s getting tired of it.” I shed the rest of my clothes and put my toes in the water. Oh, that was heavenly. We had a hot tub at home, but I never really got a chance to use it; there were too many other distractions competing for my time.
Our London house held a lot of memories for me, but only a few of them were pleasant. We’d stayed here during Neil’s chemotherapy and the transplant that had almost killed him. It would never be my favorite place on Earth. I’d spent too many nights in our bed alone, sobbing at the unfairness and uncertainty of life. At least I could appreciate the hot tub.
I sank into the water and watched as Neil unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it from his shoulders. His thin white undershirt came off next, and I took a moment to shamelessly appreciate his shoulders and back. Something about men’s backs—Neil’s, in particular—just did it for me.
Neil slid off his trousers and boxers and joined me in the water.
I regarded him with a cocked head as he settled against the curve of the tub. “You know, we’re naked around each other so often, sometimes I take it for granted. Then, I look at you, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, fifty is really his year.’”
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I’ll be sure to tell Dawn that you approve. Perhaps she’ll ease off a bit.”
His personal trainer, Dawn, was a loud, scary former Marine drill instructor who looked like Barbie and employed some pretty tough methods. Bringing a body back from the ravages of cancer had been harder than Neil had anticipated, and I knew that secretly, he was grateful to have found her.
I’d worked out with them once. Once was enough. I like being able to walk too much.
I stretched my leg above the water and rotated my ankle. “Remind me not to wear those shoes ever again.”
“Oh, the eight hundred dollar pair that I told you not to buy because they were shaped similarly to the other pair that you hate?” He raised his head to smile at me. “Thank you, Sophie.”
“For what?” I dropped my leg and snuggled down in the water farther, letting it rise to my neck.
“For being exactly the way you are.” He moved closer to me, until our naked skin brushed under the water. “Very little could raise my spirits today. You’re one of the few people who have cheered me. And you’ve looked after me; I appreciate that.”
“Well, you refuse to look after yourself.” I reached behind me for the bottle of 2002 Le Pin. We’d opened it, but we hadn’t bothered to bring glasses. I took a long drink and passed it to him.
He contemplated the bottle in his hand. “That’s too true. I don’t believe I thanked you for your help yesterday. With…” He gestured vaguely then took a drink.
“If we can’t rely on each other, who can we rely on?” I leaned my sweating head against his shoulder. “Do you want, like, a condolence blow job or something?”
Neil jerked forward, sputtering wine everywhere. He choked and coughed and wiped his mouth, still laughing. “Not while I’m taking a drink, Sophie. That’s really not fair play.”
“Sorry.” I giggled. “But the question still stands.”
“I’ll take you up on that, perhaps, in the morning.” He leaned his head back again. “I’m so tired I wouldn’t stay awake long enough for the pill to kick in.”
“In the morning, then,” I promised. “Is there anything else I can do for you, though?”
He thought for a moment. “Be with me. That’s all I need, right now.”
