Page 61 of Troy Story
“I think it’s a fabulous idea,” Clarissa said. “I could go with you and bring a peace offering. If I could find the right ingredients, I’d be glad to bake him an apple strudel. I love baking. Cookies, pies, pastry, you name it. It’s one of my hobbies.”
Of course it is. But now that Dusty wasn’t competing with her, she didn’t care if Clarissa outshone her in every way. “Sounds perfect. We’ll call it Operation Strudel. After our beach day, we can stop by the grocery store in Güzelyali, and you can pick up the ingredients you need.”
“I’ll pass,” Emilia said. “I need to stay out of trouble.”
“No problem,” Dusty said. “It shouldn’t be a big deal. I just want to make things right.”
* * *
Stuart wasin a rare state of bliss. It was his day off, he was sitting on a towel facing the Aegean Sea, and Dusty was smoothing sunscreen over his back. She took her time with it, massaging the lotion onto his shoulders and rubbing it along the nape of his neck. Her every touch reminded him of their night together. The feel of her bare skin, the taste of her lips. What he wouldn’t give to lower her onto the blanket and continue where they’d left off.
Enough. Since they were on a public beach, he couldn’t exactly give in to his fantasies.
“I’m done.” Dusty handed him the bottle of sunscreen. “Do you want to do me now?”
He turned to face her. “Do I want todoyou? Is that a trick question? Besides, I already got your back.”
She thrust her chest out at him, the swell of her breasts barely covered by the tiny bikini. “How about you do my chest and shoulders?”
“Not until I get things under control here.” He adjusted himself as discreetly as possible.
“Sorry about that.” Laughing, she stretched out on her towel, tilting her face up to the sun. “Isn’t it gorgeous out? I love the beach.”
Right now, he wasn’t focusing on the beach. Instead, he could barely draw his eyes away from her. He wanted to lean over and brush his lips against her bare stomach. Stroke her beneath that bikini until she made more of those delightful noises. But he forced himself to look away.
Shading his eyes, he gazed out at the water. The Aegean was a perfect shade of turquoise, glimmering in the sunlight. Though the tourists were out in full force, their group had gotten to the beach early enough to stake out a large swath of sand. Ever thoughtful, Clarissa had purchased a giant beach umbrella in Güzelyali in case anyone needed a break from the sun.
He lay down beside Dusty. Lulled by the steady crashing of the waves, he’d almost fallen asleep when her voice roused him. “Stuart? Can I talk to you about something? Before I do, promise you won’t get mad?”
His serenity vanished, but he refused to let his anxiety get the best of him. Opening his eyes, he turned on his side so that he was looking at her. “What’s up?”
She rolled over to face him, propping herself up on one elbow. Giving him a mischievous grin, she traced her fingers along the curve of his shoulder. “I came up with a new plan this morning. I’m calling it Operation Strudel.”
As enticing as her touch was, he couldn’t let it sway him. “No more covert ops. Please. Even if I’m grateful Operation Aphrodite worked out, I’d like to keep things above board.”
“Above board? Who says that? You sound like my dad.” A little furrow appeared between her brows. “Anyway, it’s not about spying. It’s about making peace with the Germans. And bringing them strudel.”
Rather than dismiss her idea outright, he forced himself to listen. To his surprise, she and Clarissa had dreamed up a thoughtful way to repair the damage done by their first spy mission. He waited until she finished speaking before he weighed in. “It’s a good plan, but you don’t need my permission to run with it. You’re not doing anything wrong.”
“I didn’t want you to be blindsided. You hate that. So, if you’re okay with it, Clarissa and I are going to stop by the Germans’ site on Monday morning.”
He liked that she’d asked. That she’d told him everything and hadn’t tried to sneak it past him. “I’m definitely okay with it. Anything else you want to share with me?”
“Well, actually…”
“Just tell me.” Brushing his hand across her cheek, he softened his tone. “Whatever it is, I won’t get angry.”
“It’s not that bad. But remember yesterday evening when you came into the library? Before we went off to snitch Hughes’ wine?” When he nodded, she continued. “I couldn’t focus. Not just because of our fight but because I was having such a hard time with the opening chapters of my dissertation. I couldn’t figure out what to say or how to approach my topic in a way that didn’t sound trite or boring.”
At the risk of coming across as too eager, he spoke up quickly. “Do you want my help? I could read what you’ve written and give you some feedback.”
“Hold it, Professor. I’m not done. What I’m trying to say is that it’s still not going well, despite all the help you and Kerim have given me. And this morning, when I was drawing, I had an epiphany. It’s amazing the clarity really great sex can bring.”
He grinned. “Really great sex, huh? Glad I could be of service.”
“You wereextremelyhelpful. Anyway, I started thinking about this fall. If I want to stay on my mom’s good side, I need to go back to Boston. Which wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t facing another year of grad school. It doesn’t matter what my topic is, I’ll never want to write that dissertation. So it’s time I faced the facts. Getting a doctorate isn’t the right path for me.” She gave a short laugh. “I know you already told me that, but I had to figure it out by myself. I’d be much happier if I was doing something I loved. Like my artwork.”
Hearing her speak with such honesty made his heart soar. Not that heeverwanted to discourage her from finishing her degree, but she’d spent far too long struggling over a task that made her miserable. “That’s a great idea. You’re such a talented artist. I’ll bet you could find illustration work if you wanted it.”
