“Everyone, huh?” Rachel says nervously to Anvil when Trick and C come through the gate with food to grill.
C and I haven’t spoken since opening night, which Rachel knows has been hard for me.
“Trick invited himself. I told him just because his wife’s welcome, doesn’t mean he is,” Anvil says.
“Sasha,” Rachel says with a frown. “Come on.”
Anvil shrugs and then smirks. “Since Trick was coming, I invited C.”
I lie on a lounge chair with a G&T, pretending to relax. The guys put the food inside the house, and when they return, they’re talking about playing volleyball in the pool.
C shirtless is so damn hard for my eyes to resist.
“Laurel’s a great volleyball player, actually,” Trick says, looking speculatively at the water. Then he shakes his head. “Too risky. She might get bumped. Next summer though, it’s you and me, babe. You need anything before we get in?”
She sips her strawberry lemonade and shakes her head. “Go play.”
He kisses her, and there’s a sweetness to it that I’m not used to seeing from him.
The guys get in the pool, and Sasha waves for me to come on his side of the net. With his arm-span, I’ll probably only need to cover the corner, so I nod.
The guys quickly start slamming the ball so hard that it slaps the water or the other players.
Sasha has so little need of me that I sit on the pool’s lip, drinking Gin and Tonics and occasionally knocking the ball back his way when it comes right to me.
I think the game’s a draw so far, but it’s not clear. And the men are competitive.
When Trick and Sasha start to exchange curses, C calls an end to the game and climbs out.
My eyes follow Connor. His body is so gorgeous. He surprises me by coming over. We have been carefully avoiding getting too close.
“Here, give me your glass. I’ll make you a fresh one.”
I hold out my glass, and my fingers brush his. At first, I don’t think he’s going to react, but then I see his eyes cut to my hand for a second.
“Trick, ‘Vil, you want a drink?”
Trick pops out of the pool. “Just Coke for me. I’ll grab it.” He checks Laurelyn’s glass, then Rachel’s.
Rach is drinking Gin and Tonic, too, but her glass is almost full and she’s got the baby on one arm. When Sasha gets out and walks over to talk to them, Irina reaches for him.
Rachel starts to hold her out.
“Wait. Chorine.”
The baby fusses when Rachel pulls her back. Sasha goes over to the outdoor shower and rinses off, then goes back to get her. He speaks to her in Russian, and she stares at him with her little brows crinkled, watching him intently.
“That’s adorable,” I say.
Sasha goes inside the house with her, and Rachel nods with a smile. “Remember when he wouldn’t pick her up? They’ve come a long way.”
“Is he teaching her Russian?”
Rachel nods and takes a swig of her drink. “Two days a week, he speaks to her only in Russian. Sasha has such an ear for languages. I’m hoping she will too. I know a little Italian, but not much. Sasha understands Italian better than I do actually, but neither of us can speak it, which is too bad. One of my cousins on my dad’s side has invited us to a couple of things, but so far we haven’t gone. They were close to my brother Enzo, so it’s hard to trust them. So far the only people Sasha trusts with Irina are you, Laurelyn, and Trick’s younger sister.”
Trick’s younger sister, the beautiful Ash. “What about your mom? She came to stay right?”
“Yes, she and her husband were here for a few days. They offered to babysit, but Sasha said no.” Rachel grimaces and takes a sip. “It was pretty awkward because you know Sasha. It was just a one-word answer. And she was like, ‘Don’t you trust me?’ And he said, ‘No.’ Just so final. They were both really shocked. I tried to smooth things over, but what am I supposed to say? I actually kind of agree with Sasha. I love my mom, but when I was little she used to put me in a room for hours when Frank came to see her. And when Frank wasn’t nice to me, she didn’t intervene. Then she left town without me when I was a teenager. It’s true that Frank would’ve killed her if she’d come back, but you know Sasha. He thinks she should’ve rescued me or died trying.”
