right, but I’m supposed to know as well when it’s early dismissal,” he told his daughter.
“Dad,” Amber said, and there was a slight note of reproach in her voice. “You have the school calendar. You just don’t always pay attention.”
Ben opened and closed his mouth. “Yeah, I have the school calendar,” he said finally. He sounded gruff. He turned and walked away.
Amber stared after him, thinking he was still angry. Beth knew better. He was just feeling as if he’d somehow failed as a parent.
Amber stared at Beth again, and Beth was startled to see tears rising in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Aunt Beth. Really sorry.”
“Don’t do it again,” Beth said softly. “And your dad lives for you. Give him a break.”
Kim slipped an arm around Amber as they walked off together.
“Hey,” Beth called. “Kim—what’s the story? Am I driving you home later, or are your folks coming?”
The girls turned back to her. “I’m getting picked up at five-thirty by the guardhouse,” Kim said. “Thank you,” she added quickly.
“Right,” Beth murmured. “Amber, after Kim’s folks have come, we’ll find your dad and have dinner before we leave, okay?”
Amber nodded and took off with Kim.
Beth watched them go, forgetting her own anger. This aunt thing wasn’t easy, she thought. Of course, life never was.
She smiled slightly, turning back to her work, writing herself a mental note that she should be checking up on Amber’s school schedule more than she had been.
* * *
Ben wasn’t angry; he felt depleted. He was actually a pretty good father. He just sucked at trying to be two parents at once.
He sat at the outside bar, sipping a beer. “Hey,” came a call.
Looking around, he saw Mark Grimshaw. As kids, they’d taken sailing lessons together. Then they’d wound up at law school together upstate, and, like their fathers before them, they’d both become members of the club.
“Hey yourself.”
“Your latest case is sure making headlines,” Mark told him.
Ben must have winced, because Mark quickly apologized. “There’s a group of us—and not all attorneys, honest—at the pool. Why don’t you join us?”
Ben lifted his beer. “My daughter’s here. I think we’ll just grab a bite and go home.”
“It’s early. They’re not even serving dinner for another hour. Maybe your daughter wants to hop in the pool, too.”
No, his daughter wouldn’t want to hang with her old man. But maybe a few laps would tire him out, if nothing else.
“Sure. Let me go to my locker. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
Mark nodded, smiling. He was a pleasant guy. Worked on civil cases, had a great reputation. Ben had tried to set Beth up with him. Beth liked him well enough but insisted there was just no chemistry.
In the locker room, Ben shed his coat, eased out of his tie and began to turn the wheel of the combination lock on his door. As he did, he thought he heard a noise and hesitated, looking around.
He wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone. Lots of guys came straight from work, changed and headed out to the pool or their boats.
What surprised him was that he didn’t see anyone.
He was certain that he hadn’t been alone a moment ago.
Working too hard, too much. Worrying too hard, too much. Hell, if life was just a jaunt out on the boat, days on an island...
Hell. He suddenly wanted to give Beth a good shake. He was jumpy because of the stinking island!
With a shake of his head, he turned back to his locker and started the combination over.
Click...click...click.
The lock opened.
He changed and went out to the pool.
It wasn’t even dark yet. He’d been ridiculous, thinking he’d heard something. Someone.
Disgusted with himself, he strode out to the pool and dived in. Strong-armed, he did lap after lap. When he came out, dripping, his friends were waiting with a beer.
Amber had come out. She smiled, waving to him. Apparently Kim’s folks had picked her up. She walked over. “Dad, think Aunt Beth would mind if we ate burgers out here? I was thinking about hitting the pool, too.”
“Sure. Aunt Beth won’t care. It’s a nice night, and you’re right—we should just be casual out here.” He left it at that, but inside he was inordinately pleased that she’d wanted to spend some time with him after all.
She smiled again, then scampered off to change. His heart took a sudden plunge.
It was hard to love someone so much and not smother them with that love.
As he watched his daughter walk away, he felt again the pinpricks that had haunted him in the locker room.
Fear.
Irrational but all too real.
He was scared. And he wasn’t at all certain why.
It just seemed that suddenly a shadow, something dark, had entered his life, stealing away comfort and ease....
He looked up.
The sun was still out, brilliantly shining.
The shadows, he tried to tell himself, were all in his mind.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
