Page 79 of Reckless Temptation

I shook my head. “No. I didn’t forget. It’s off. It was disconnected when the electricity lines were redone.”

“Nope.” She let thePpop. “It’s on.”

“It’s not,” I shouted. “I was just looking at the cameras yesterday and it’s not there.”

“Because it’s saved under a different folder,” she said as movement behind her caught my eye.

My mother ran up, worry etched on her face as she took in the scene of me and Sabrina soaking wet.

“It’s… it’s you,” she said, recognizing Sabrina. Then she furrowed her brow to study me. She had to be so confused about why I was holding her so closely and protectively, but she didn’t focus on that. She glared at Tiffany instead. “Andyou!”

“Leslie.” Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Now’s not the time?—”

“I saw you!” My mom jabbed her finger at her again. “I was on the third floor and I saw you push this woman into the pool!”

“So the fuck what?” Tiffany snarled.

“So what?” George demanded, coming up behind them. “What kind of behavior is this, Tiffany?” He glowered at her, thoroughly pissed. “You know, as the rest of the applicant members do, that Sabrina can’t swim.”

“Daddy,” Tiffany said, dropping into her sweet tone she used to butter up to him. “It’s not what it looks like. She was just lost and she tripped?—”

“Youpushedher!” Mom accused. “I saw. Isawyou, and I’ll be damned if I can live in a place like this any longer.” In a show of anger I was glad to see, relieved to see her riled up about anything and not distant or vacant, she thrust her arms down and fisted her hands. “I’m sick of pretending to be happy here and acting like a docile wife.”

“Leslie?” George frowned at her, taking his attention off his daughter.

Sabrina trembled in my arms, and I hugged her closer.

“I’m not staying here with your… your mean, murderous daughter,” Mom shouted.

“I’m not a murderer,” Tiffany scoffed.

“Don’t speak,” George ordered her with a stern glare. He faced my mom again. “Leslie, I will handle this. I will handle her.”

“No.” Mom slashed her arm through the air. “It’s not just this incident. It’s all of it. It’s you sleeping with some younger woman on the side and not giving our marriage a chance.”

“What?” George demanded it with equal parts shock and dismay that she’d say such a thing. He didn’t look guilty, but confused.

“I saw, too,” I said. “I saw on the cameras how you’ve been getting cozy with some young blonde.”

George’s mouth hung open as he looked at me. “No. That’s my niece who wants to apply for tenure at another university.” He shook his head as he argued. “You’ve got this all wrong.”

Tiffany stopped scowling at me to speak up, clearly realizing I was not going to ruin Sabrina for her. “Yeah. You do have it wrong.” She pointed at Leslie. “She’s cheating on you!”

Mom gasped. “I am not!”

“How the hell can you accuse her of that?” George demanded of his daughter.

Tiffany crossed her arms. “Come on, Daddy, don’t be so blind. She’s distant and?—”

“She’s distant because her first husband died!” he roared. “I’ve been struggling with the grief of losing one of my oldest friends. No one is cheating on anyone. I’m only sorry that I can’t give you what you need.” He lowered his voice as he faced my mom, his expression one of sorrow. “I can’t give you what you want or need. I can’t give you love because you’re still in love with David. I promised him that I’d take care of you after he was gone. You know that’s why we married. But I hadn’t counted on starting to wish we could build something more.” He hung his head and shook it slowly. “I’m faithful, Leslie, and it pains me that you’d think otherwise.”

“That’s not true.” Tiffany blanched when George turned to scowl at her.

“Just what the hell is going on, Tiffany? How dare you stir up trouble like this? And to accuse Leslie of such a horrible thing?”

Mom glanced at me, concerned, but then she studied Sabrina too.

My wonderful girl nodded once at my mom, and I sat there in awe as my mother started to lift her lips.

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