While Tara grinned at Matthew, recalling his movie dialogue, he observed that she was slightly bigger than Brooke with brown hair that was probably very blonde until recently. Her blue eyes were startling and her features more refined. In giddy innocence, she told Matthew King she knew all his lines by heart. And he believed her.
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He held her gaze until his assessment felt certain.
Tara was thrilled by romance on the screen. A skillful presentation fulfilled her. Brooke, however, demanded real-life passion. Her avidness was extreme even for someone too young to have learned caution.
Matthew King wanted to please and impress both girls. And he truly believed he had acquired the insight and control to keep his balance.
Thirty-two-year-old Matthew King had no need for the movie industry’s high-flying social life. That’s why he—and Sasha until she left—had preferred the Catskills to the Hamptons or wherever was that year’s “place to be.”
Planning his summer from L.A., Matthew had invited a dancer to visit him next week. But after watching Brooke ride up on her bicycle, throw it on the ground, and ring the doorbell, he had phoned Allegra, regarding a change in plans. He’d see her the weekend he saw Peter Morgan and company about playing the next James Bond. And if Allegra was free later that summer, perhaps they could meet after he read Jennifer Haley’s new play.
Other than that, he intended to stay in the Catskills. He imagined Tara babysitting Dexter and Ivy, as well as giving him an outsider’s opinions.
And he envisioned a little careful flirting with Brooke. They would hike in the woods and dive from the waterfall. Relying on self-control and genuine sweetness, he hoped to love Brooke—within legal limits. And without hurting her; or at least not much.
Earlier today, when Brooke and his kids swam in the turquoise pool, Matthew had congratulated his son’s progress. And from the deck chair, he had studied Brooke in her sleek red bathing suit, submerged to her waist. That was when unsteadiness seized them both. Matthew saw how risky it was, what he hoped to do with her. She sank into the water, splashing, and he registered her anxiety, which she generally kept hidden.
After swimming, the children ran around before drying off, because Brooke and Matthew were preoccupied with not looking at each other. Yet Matthew moved close enough to see the droplets traversing Brooke’s body. When he lowered his eyes, they were both conscious of her wet hair and soft breath. That’s when Brooke had phoned Tara, slipped a little red skirt over her bathing suit, and put on the straw hat.
And once Tara arrived, the urgency dispersed. A woman named Francine served the children sandwiches for lunch, and salads topped with grilled salmon for Matthew, Brooke, and Tara. In the background, Anden and two other men with earpieces roamed the area.
While Ivy napped, Matthew wondered if Tara would play with Dexter. He and Brooke would hike to the waterfall. “That is,” he said, “if nobody minds.”
Nobody did. Tara promised to teach Dexter secret tricks to his favorite video game. And soon Brooke and Matthew were walking side by side, arms swinging. Until Matthew slowed and whispered in Brooke’s ear, as if he needed to whisper. “Let’s sit in the meadow.”
He sat, his blue jean covered knees bent and bare ankles crossed. “Guess what I want more than anything in the world.”
“What?”
He wanted (more than anything) to hold her bare feet in his lap. So she slipped off her canvas shoes. Her feet smelled like chlorine from the pool and he said he liked that.
She plucked a green stem from the field and Matthew lifted one foot and then the other, kissing each arch. Brooke prepared to lie back but Matthew waved his fingers, indicating they should trade places.He laid his head, face up, in her skirt-covered lap. And she combed his longish curls with her fingers as if she often did, as if this weren’t the first time.
“Don’t answer if I’m being rude, but are you, um...are you heartbroken over Sasha?”
Amused, he raised his chin. “Heartbroken, me? No. I worry about Dexter and Ivy but they’ve stopped asking about her.”
Saying this, he touched Brooke’s face, which was brimmed by the hat. All he wanted in all the world was to kiss her upside down. But he didn’t.
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