“Any requests? He’s got a full bar.”
“Surprise me.”
“You got it.” She winked at him.
Mom turned and made her way back drinking his Bloody Mary. Justin plucked the carrot out of my glass and tossed it in a bush.
“Thanks.” I looked back at the lake, at Maddy fading into the distance on the pontoon. “And thanks for pushing her off.”
“Yeah, I think she had an ulterior motive in asking.”
I looked back at him. “Which was?”
“Uh, she threatened my life, actually. Told me if I hurt you, she’d kill me. Said they’d never find my body.” He looked back at the pontoon for a second and then back to me. “I kinda believe her.”
“Ugh. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. The good news is, I’m not going to hurt you, so I get to live.” He nodded toward the pool. “Are you really worried about this situation?”
I chewed on my lip. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s doing better? She looks good.”
He peered over in the direction Mom had gone. “You look just like her.”
“I know.”
“It’s kind of hard to imagine her in jail.”
I let out a sigh. “I know,” I said again.
But then this was Mom at her best. Charming and fun. When she was at her worst, it wasn’t hard to imagine at all.
Three hours later, we were in the pool.
It had gotten so hot, Neil offered us some spare swim trunks and bathing suits that he had in the pool house. I was in a slightly too tight tropical-looking two-piece halter with green palm fronds on it. Justin had on black trunks that fit him perfectly.
In addition to being handsome, Justin also had a very nice body.
Maddy had been right about his height. He was probably about six-one. He was on the leaner side, but toned. I’d had to put sunblock on him and there was not a single part of that that I disliked.
I felt a little bad that he’d stayed. I was only able to half listen to whatever Justin and I were talking about because I was so focused on Mom, which was funny because she was not focused on me.
Maddy’s impulse not to leave me as a third wheel had been right. Mom was so busy fawning over Neil, she was practically ignoring me.
“So what does she do for a living?” Justin asked, watching Mom laugh a little too loudly at something Neil said over by the outdoor grill. The lobsters had just been brought out and Neil was holding one up, showing it to her.
“She waits tables or bartends. She was a drink cart girl at a golf course until… today I guess.”
He peered over at her. “You said you haven’t seen her in almost two years?”
“Yeah.”
“Weird she isn’t spending more time with you.”
The tiniest twinge of… I don’t know what… pecked at me. Hurt? Jealousy maybe? Embarrassment that Justin noticed this—all three?
A part of me wished she hadn’t met Neil so I could have more of her attention. But there was another part of me that was glad she had a distraction. That I wasn’t going to have to entertain her or be fully responsible for her while she was here. But then I was simultaneously worried that she was going to do something to upset Neil and I’d have to deal with that and the Maddy fallout afterward.
My anxiety pitched around inside me, and I kept trying to bring it back to the fact that at least Mom was safe and I knew where she was and I was getting to see her—even if she didn’t seem that interested in seeing me at the moment.
“It’s okay,” I said to Justin. “Gives me more time to hang out with you.” I smiled at him, but it didn’t feel like it reached my eyes.
“So why did she come anyway?” he asked.
Then suddenly I remembered. Stuffie. I stood up. “Mom?” I called. “Where’s Stuffie?”
Mom looked over at me from her seat by the grill. “He’s in my luggage. Just wait, I’ll grab him.”
I started climbing out of the pool. “No, I’ll get him. I don’t want to forget him.” I picked up my towel from the recliner where I’d left it, and Justin started getting out after me.
“My bags are still in the yacht,” Mom said.
Neil nodded at us. “It’s open. Actually, Justin, would you mind pulling Amber’s luggage down for me? She’ll be staying with me.”
“Sure,” Justin said, toweling off.
Mom beamed up at Neil and he gave her a smitten look that I had to turn away from as I walked barefoot to the dock.
