His Sleeping Beauty. Carol Grace
or not.
When he got back to the party, the atmosphere had changed. There was a pall hanging over the gathering. The music continued, but no one was dancing. The guests were no longer playing games around the pool. It was as if they’d been frozen in place until he returned and assured everyone that his neighbor was fine, that no one was to blame.
Personally he thought it was possible the guests had been imbibing too much, playing ball and jumping around the pool in a careless way. They were his clients, not his friends, if that was any consolation to him. They weren’t all people he’d hang out with if he hadn’t handled their divorces. On the other hand, why didn’t she know how to swim? He was going to rectify that starting tomorrow.
The party went on for just a short time. The margaritas were still available, the food was still plentiful, but a few people had left and others were saying goodbye, as if they’d been waiting for his report before taking off, and were now blowing air kisses all around.
He was just as glad. He’d had enough of schmoozing, enough of empty chatter and pretending everything was fine. He couldn’t get Sarah out of his mind. She’d looked so vulnerable, felt so fragile in his arms, but back in her room she’d bounced back, and had been well enough to order him out. She had guts. Imagine being pushed into a pool when you couldn’t swim and recovering so fast. At least he thought she’d recovered. At soon as everyone left, he’d go back and make sure she was okay.
But when he knocked on her back door an hour later, there was no answer. He let himself in, walked up the stairs and stood in the doorway. She was lying on her side, and breathing evenly. He heaved a sigh of relief.
It was dusk, but from the pale beams of the night-light, he could see her face was flushed, her eyelashes shadowing her cheek. He stood there for a long moment, the faint smell of eucalyptus in the air. Oh, yes, the nuts from the tree on her bedside table. He picked them up and inhaled the fragrance. Hadn’t she noticed? Hadn’t she wondered how they’d gotten there?
He was jarred by the ringing of her phone.
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