Sudden Legacy (7 page)

I managed a quick “Excuse me,” before bolting from the table. I bypassed the stairs and headed straight for the back door. I didn’t know where I was going; I just needed to get away for a moment. There was too much happening for me to take in and make sense of. As I was passing the barn I caught sight of my gelding, Chester. I hadn’t been riding in over a week.
No time like the present.
Not bothering with a saddle, I mounted him bareback and urged him out of the paddock.

I kept to a reasonable pace. For the most part I followed the fence-line, then veered into the woods, making use of a deer trail. Our property wasn’t large at twenty-five acres. I knew every piece of it, having grown up here all my life.

I slowed Chester with a gentle tug, then gave him his head to wander as he pleased. I could smell the smoke of a distant brush fire, and was lulled by the hum of bees as we passed near a hive. It wasn’t long before we ended up at the small stream that trickled through the oaks. I dismounted and scooped a handful of silty mud. Smearing a thick “O K” on Chester’s haunches, I smacked his rump, sending him on his way. It was a system I had set up with Pops when I was little. The mud message was my way of letting Pops know I was unhurt should Chester make it back to the house before I did. Chester was like a twelve hundred pound carrier pigeon.

I sat down against an oak, listening to the murmur of the water. I came here frequently. It was my thinking spot. The solitude of the woods, coupled with the trickling stream calmed me. I had conversations with my mother here. Well, I had conversations with my mother
everywhere
, but here, in my thinking spot, I always felt like she could maybe hear me more clearly.

“Mom, can you believe this? What does this mean? How is he here?
Why
is he here? How did he not know about Alex?”

My conversations with my mother were usually half spoken, half thought ramblings. I didn’t think I had to actually speak out loud for her to hear me, but I liked to nonetheless. I didn’t need to clarify whom I was speaking about. I had told her all about Julien, and our subsequent falling out.

I don’t know how long I was sitting there before Julien showed up. I knew he would eventually. He wasn’t quiet, purposefully making as much noise as possible as he made his way through the brush. He paused when he saw me, waiting for me to acknowledge him.

“Am I intruding,
Chérie
?”

I gave him an encouraging smile. “No, not at all. I think now would be a perfect time to sort out some unanswered questions.”

He nodded and joined me, leaning against the other side of my oak tree.

“I must admit, I’m rather impressed with your tracking abilities. I guess I’ll have to add that to your ever-growing list of talents. Nan would approve.”

He gave a half-hearted laugh. “Any idiot can follow a stream through a few trees. Your grandfather told me where to look.”

“Well, being predictable is one of
my
many talents.”

He looked over his shoulder at me. “You come here often.”

I couldn’t tell if it was a question or a statement. I just nodded. “Yeah. When I need to think.”

He picked a few burrs from the bottoms of his pants, then met my eyes with a steady gaze. “Well, let’s sort this out then. I have a few questions of my own.”

“Yuri stop!” squealed a petite, bikini clad blond girl as a young man I assumed to be named Yuri purposely sprayed her with champagne from our morning mimosas. I leaned a bit to my left to avoid the sticky mist, but otherwise tried my best to remain unnoticed. I was so caught up in watching the antics of Bikini Blond and Yuri, that I was startled by the two boys racing past my chaise from the other side.

Marla’s yacht was essentially a floating Calvin Klein ad. I was surrounded by probable underwear models with perfect bodies and devil-may-care attitudes. It was enough to make a girl a bit insecure. Luckily, I wasn’t just any girl. I was Julien’s girl. And no matter how many bikini clad vixens happened to be frolicking nearby, he only ever had eyes for me.

“Here you go, love,” Julien handed me a glass of sparkling water and motioned for me to scoot forward on my chaise so he could apply my sunscreen. He ran his lotioned hands over my skin and under the straps of my bathing suit, careful not to miss any spots. I felt unwelcome eyes on me and the hair stood up at the back of my neck as Julien dropped a kiss on my shoulder to signal his completion of the task. Glancing around as subtly as possible, I caught sight of Marla’s stony façade. She was wearing oversized sunglasses that gave her a decidedly bug-like appearance. I couldn’t see her eyes, but I got the distinct impression that she was staring me down.

She called out to Julien and said something in French. He sighed quietly behind me and kissed my cheek as he stood. “I’ll be right back,
Chérie
.”

As Julien approached Marla’s chaise, she untied her bikini top and dropped it to the deck.

Wow.

Julien continued toward her as if her nudity didn’t even register on his radar. I don’t know why I was so shocked. She certainly wasn’t the only topless woman onboard. I tried not to watch as they exchanged a few short sentences. She handed him a bottle of oil and presented him with her back. When he finished with her back, she flipped over, clearly expecting him to continue with her front. I was openly staring at them at this point, unable to hide my curiosity. He offered her the bottle of oil, but she waved it away impatiently. Sighing in resignation, he poured a dollop of oil into his hands and began rubbing them across Marla’s front.

I just sat there stupidly, unable to pull my eyes from the two of them. His hands traveled over her flat stomach and perky breasts, her nipples hardening at the attention. He didn’t seem to notice the effect his touch was having on her. He just finished applying the oil to her neck and placed the bottle on Marla’s side table. The whole thing had seemed very clinical.

Marla grabbed his wrist as he was turning to go. He leaned over to catch what she was saying, and she kissed him full on the mouth. I couldn’t be sure from my vantage point, but it appeared as if he kissed her back. I became very interested in studying the condensation on my glass of water as Julien returned to my side.

“
Je suis désolé, Chérie,
Marla needed some oil.”

I looked at him wide-eyed, unsure how I was supposed to react to his kissing another woman in front of me. After all, I had only known this man eight days. I had no hold over him. He didn’t owe me an explanation.

“Marla is a friend of your mother?” was all I could think to say. I was irritated at how meek my voice sounded.

“
Oui
.” His eyes were wary, searching my face for signs of upset.

“And are they very close? Your mother and she?”

“
Sí...
” Uh oh. He had switched to Italian.

“But I’m guessing you don’t call her
Auntie Marla
.”

He laughed nervously at my quip. “No. Marla and I do not share a familial bond, that is true.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t like the way he was skirting the issue. “And what kind of bond would you say you two
do
have?”

He gave me a lopsided smile before answering with an apologetic shrug, “
Siamo amanti.
We are lovers.”

I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly. He seemed so composed and matter-of-fact as if he had said ‘I deliver her groceries’ or ‘she collects my mail when I’m on vacation’. Surely I wasn’t the only person that would take pause at their unconventional relationship. She was twice his age! She was his mother’s friend! She had been watching the two of us canoodling on her yacht for over a week now!

I opened and closed my mouth several times before managing to finally make sound come out. “You are lovers? But doesn’t she mind? You and me...? Doesn’t it bother her...?” I didn’t even know what I was trying to ask. Julien took pity on me and flashed me his hundred-watt smile. “Marla’s not the jealous type. She’d never begrudge a man some fun.”

“Some fun?” I frowned with indignation.

He was quick to soothe my ire. “Is that not what this is,
Chérie
? Two strangers stumbling upon each other while on holiday. Sharing passion, the beauty of the Mediterranean, and the finest accommodations? Forgive my words, they have clearly upset you. How would you prefer me to label our time together?”

Suddenly I felt very foolish. He was right. We were strangers. I meant nothing to him. Why should I? I was just a cheap girl he met in a nightclub for all he knew. No wonder Marla looked at me with such condescension. I was no threat to her. I was but a temporary amusement for her pet.

I took a steadying breath, not wanting to appear petty or heartsick. My bruised pride wouldn’t be able to handle the humiliation of being found out to be the starry-eyed virgin that had fallen for the rich woman’s gigolo. I tried my best to smile reassuringly. “No, you’re right. Of course. ‘Fun’ is an accurate label...”

He took my chin in his fingers and held my face to meet his gaze. I was momentarily distracted by the coconut scent of Marla’s oil on his hand as he said, “Come
Chérie
, let us go to your cabin. You must allow me to make amends for upsetting you so.” My heart skittered at his suggestion, and I knew even before I let him help me up that he was forgiven.

“Why didn’t you call me when you realized you were
enceintes?
”

I raised my brows at his question. “I
did.
I left several messages. The only response I ever got was a text.”

Julien frowned in thought. “I never received any messages. You’re sure you had the correct number?”

“Absolutely. It was the number you called me fro-” My memory flashed. A text from Julien telling me he had changed his phone carrier. I quickly dismissed the thought as another occurred to me. “It was your voice on the outgoing message of your voicemail. “

He shook his head. “No one had access to my phone to erase any messages...”

I scowled with contempt, angry with myself for having been so stupid. “Julien, did you change phone carriers after I left?”

He shook his head again. Suddenly it all made sense.

His eyes shot to mine and I could see understanding wash over his face as his eyes hardened. We spoke at the same time.

“Marla.”