Page 94 of Dreaming at Seaside
Bella wished she had as much faith in that scenario as she claimed.
A light clicked on in Theresa’s house.
“Shh,” they said in unison.
“Bella, come over to the edge.” Jenna grabbed her arm and dragged her into the darkest corner of the pool. “Shh.”
They clung to one another in the cold, dark corner of the pool until the light went back out.
“We’d better get out,” Amy whispered.
They scrambled out of the pool, and Jenna’s white butt wiggled all the way up to the far end of the pool, while Bella and Amy were wrapped in towels and ready to go in seconds.
Bella snagged the wine and headed for the gate. “Jen, if a car drove in, they’d see you in all your glory, running from one end of the deck to the other.”
“Hush up,” Jenna said as she wrapped her towel around her and reached for the gate. “I always leave my stuff there.”
A flashlight shone in on them. Theresa stood at the entrance with a stern look in her eyes. She wore a pair of men’s pajamas beneath a maroon robe, tied around her middle, and on her feet were indoor-outdoor slippers.
“Are you kidding me?” Bella mumbled as she slid the bottle of wine beneath her towel.
“Ladies.” Theresa stared at Bella.
“Hey, Theresa.” Bella feigned a smile. “We were just…closing the umbrellas. We thought it was supposed to be windy tonight.” Water dripped from the ends of her hair onto her shoulder. She reached up and touched the drip. “And my shower pressure is just awful tonight, so I used the shower.”
“Yeah. We all did.” Jenna took a step behind Bella.
“Is that right?” Theresa pulled the gate open, allowing them to pass through. She shined the flashlight on Jenna’s wet footprints, which led from one end of the pool to the other. “Because I’d hate to think you were breaking the rules and swimming. That’s dangerous in the dark, and we can’t have such risks being taken in the community.”
“Oh no. Of course not.” Amy swatted the air.
“Good.” Theresa closed and locked the gate. “Because I know how enticing it can be to swim after dark.”
Jenna sidled up to Theresa and whispered, “Doyouwant to go skinny-dipping?”
“Jenna!” Bella pulled her away from Theresa. “She’s kidding.” She dragged Jenna up the hill toward Bella’s cottage, feeling the heat of Theresa’s stare following them up the road.
“I think she knows we were swimming,” Amy whispered. She clung to Bella’s towel.
“Gee, ya think?” Bella glared at Jenna.
“And the toilet, too. Of course she knows it was us.” Jenna’s eyes widened.
Amy gasped. “Maybe she likes this whole game as much as we do.”
“Or maybe she’s plotting her sweet revenge,” Bella suggested.
This was exactly what Bella needed. A distraction. Or many. She was either going to collapse into a pit of sorrow or sidetrack herself with her girlfriends. She tightened her grip on Jenna’s arm and reached for Amy’s hand. If only they could remain glued to her side until the pain subsided.
Or she died.
Whichever came first.
