Page 6 of Forbidden Fruit

“What?” I stare at Kay, trying to see what her angle is. A tropical vacation? With her? That’s like asking to get food poisoning in paradise. She’s making it sound like we’d be going on a cruise, a big happy family all over again. Only this time without the family part.

“You look confused,” she says. “Maybe you’re going deaf in your old age?”

“No,” I say. “I heard you. I just don’t believe it.”

“We have that place in Cozumel,” she says.

“I have that place,” I say. “You said you preferred the house in St. Moritz.”

“Yes, that’s the far superior property, but I’ll miss Mexico. The ocean, the sun?—”

“The tequila.”

She shrugs like that’s a given. “We’ll take one last trip. The four of us.”

I can’t decide if she’s serious or if this is one of her old mind games. Either way, I don’t like it. “And I suppose this is all about Jack,” I say.

“I think we could have a good time,” she says. “After everything that’s happened.”

“I’m not sure Jack’s the one you should worry about.”

“That’s exactly why we should go.”

I lean back in the chair. It creaks a little, not used to the weight of a human. “What’s your angle, Kay? We’re not getting back together.”

“Angle?” she says. “You wound me, Clive. And you’re arrogance is staggering. I don’t really want to reconcile.” She almost sounds offended, but there’s that gleam in her eyes. I know it too well. She’s up to something. I take the bait.

“All right,” I say. “I’ll bite. Tell me what you’re getting at.”

“It’ll be like old times. Before things got…difficult.”

“Is that what you call it?” I say. “Difficult?”

“Before you lost interest,” she says. “And started spending more time with your other wife.”

“The one that doesn’t give me trouble?”

“The one that pays you more attention.”

“The company,” I say. “It doesn’t talk back.”

“Jack could be like that.”

“He is like that,” I say. “Since he’s typically nowhere to be found.”

“Which is why we should do this.”

“Kay, listen,” I say. “I’m just now getting out of this. Do you really think I want to spend more time around you?”

“It won’t be like that,” she says. “It’ll be different.”

“How?”

“You’ll have a tan.”

I let out a long breath. “I’m still not seeing why you even want me there.”

“You need a vacation, Clive. You’ve been working too hard.”

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