Page 18 of My Wife

I take a few steps closer to Vee.

Tommy catches my attention. He puts his finger to his lips, eyes sparkling with mischief.

He ducks under the water again. From the ripples on the surface, he’s heading toward Vee.

Vee crosses her arms over her chest with one arm. With the other, she points toward the shore. “Hey, guys? Did anyone else see?—”

She goes under. It all happens so fast. Her arms go up, her body goes down, and before I know it, she’s gone.

I panic. “Vee!”

Seconds later, she resurfaces, hair sticking to her face, eyes blazing with fury. Right next to her, Tommy pokes his head out of the water, keeping the rest of hid body hidden as though he’s kneeling in the lake.

“Gotcha,” he says, laughing.

He thinks it’s funny. Fuck. As I clutch my chest, willing my racing heart to slow, I’m thinking he’s the only one.

Vee sputters, slapping her hands against the lake’s surface, sending water everywhere. “You asshole!”

Tommy’s laughter dies. Luckily, it’s the only thing that does. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Your fucking stunt! I’d expect that from Aaron. Not you, Tommy. What the hell?”

“I’m so sorry, Vee. I was just?—”

“Dicking around. Are you serious? With Cyn right there? Did you want to remind her of how her mom died?”

Oof.

Tommy’s expression is suddenly horrified. His spins around, soaked curls spraying water everywhere again as he searches for me. “Cyn, you know I didn’t?—”

I know.

He’s so damn determined to help me forget what happened on the island, he completely forgot how fucking easy it would be to re-traumatize me.

And there’s no way any of us can leave until Monday morning.

So I smile at him. It’s shaky at best, probably because the rest of me is trembling, but damn it, Ismile.

“It’s okay,” I lie. “But, if you don’t mind, I think that’s enough of the lake for me tonight.”

This time, not a single person tries to make me feel bad for wanting to end the night earlier than the others.

The walkback to our cabins is a lot more awkward than it was when I was dreading reaching the lake. At least, then, I was the only one who was hanging back, staying quiet, holding onto Tommy’s hand so that I didn’t lose my nerve and turn back.

Now? I know that everyone is remembering what happened to my mom at the lake.

Tommy tried to apologize on three separate occasions. I cut him off each time. He doesn’t have anything to be sorry about. He was having fun with an old friend. If anything, it’s Violet who’s stewing quietly as she marches ahead of us.

She has her phone out, flashlight on as she sweeps it through the trees. There’s a couple of worn dirt paths that lead from the camping area to the lake. They’ve existed for decades, from every local mainlander who came to visit Halo Island over the years. The new owners might have renovated the actual cabins, building an honest-to-God bonfire pit instead of us all relying on some dried wood, a match, and a prayer, but they’ve left these old paths alone.

It’s weird that Vee’s searching the woods. The path is clear in front of us, and the best thing about island life is how we don’t have to worry about black bears and mountain lines. Most ofthe wildlife here are small mammals: foxes, mice, squirrels, and skunks. If we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us.

But when Chase asked what Vee was looking for, she shot Tommy a dirty look, shook her head, and picked up the pace so she could get further away from the rest of us.

I didn’t know what that was about. I didn’t really care that much, either. I just wanted to get back to the cabin, shower off the lake, and settle into bed with Tommy.

It’s been a long, emotional day. Tommy can sense how worn out I am. Instead of offering for us to share the shower—knowing we’ll do a hell of a lot more than getting clean if we do—he turns the faucet on for me, getting it to the perfect steamy temp, then heads back into the bedroom while I shower off first.

---