Maybe it was having just shared confidences, or maybe it was because Elise had called her elegant, but Olivia told the truth. “It’s where my husband and I made mad, passionate, all-consuming love back in the summer of 1970. When the caretaker came after us with a shotgun, Kit and I climbed over the stone wall in our birthday suits and escaped.”
Elise looked at her for a moment, eyes wide. “I wish I could have an adventure like that. But Kent saves everything for Carmen. I’m the one who picks up his dry cleaning.”
Olivia smiled. “It was an adventure, and a bit dangerous. But back then, I would have followed him anywhere.”
“Even past firearms.” Elise sighed. “That’s what I want. A man who’d brave a shotgun for me.”
Olivia looked serious. “I bet if you broke into the dry cleaners at night, there’d be all kinds of guns involved.”
Elise laughed. “You are making me feel better! You think we should go back and see if Ray is starving or not?”
“It’s funny about men. They’re only helpless when they’re sure someone who will wait on them is nearby.”
“So what’s his problem?”
Olivia started to tell but thought better of it. “Let’s go back and ask him.”
As they started toward the bridge, they heard a car door slam, then a woman’s voice.
“Kevin! I told you she wasn’t here, now let’s go!”
Instantly, Olivia stepped back into the trees, and Elise moved behind her. “Who are they?” Elise whispered.
Olivia’s face fell. “My stepson and his wife. They are very, very angry at me.”
“What dreadful thing did you do?”
“I got married and moved out of their house. No more free cooking and cleaning.”
“I had no idea you were such a selfish person.”
Olivia put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“Come on, Hildy,” Kevin said. “I brought a picnic basket and two bottles of wine. You know her plane gets in today and of course she’ll come here. Let’s wait.”
“Why she’d want to give up our beautiful new home for this horrible old place, I’ll never understand. Or why she married that old man.”
“He’s rich—you know that,” Kevin said. “Olivia has always loved money. When I was a kid she was always working. If it hadn’t been for having a home with Willie and Alana, I don’t know how I would have survived my childhood. They always had time for me.”
Just a few feet away, across the narrow piece of water, Olivia’s whole body stiffened. This was something she hadn’t heard before. She’d had to work. She had to support all of them. She had to—
“So who the hell does he think paid for that home?” There was a great deal of anger in Elise’s voice. “Who gave them the time to do nothing?”
When Olivia turned to look at her in gratitude, she saw that Elise was pulling her T-shirt off over her head. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to escape by going over that wall in my birthday suit. I need an adventure.”
Olivia hesitated for only a second. She didn’t have the beautiful body she’d once had, but she’d kept in shape. She had a wooden ski machine in her office and spent twenty minutes a day on it. Expending the pent-up energy kept her sane, and vendors were used to talking to her when she was out of breath. She unbuttoned her blouse. “I’m with you.”
Under her T-shirt, Elise wore a very pretty white bra made of lace. As she unsnapped it, Olivia said, “If you leave that here, Young Pete can add it to mine that he found so long ago. I’ve been told that it’s in a frame and on his wall like a trophy.”
With a wicked little smile, Elise dropped the bra to the ground, then removed the rest of her clothes and tossed them over her arm. She unabashedly watched Olivia undress. “My mother would kill to have a body like yours. But lying on a table and having gorgeous men run their hands over her and calling it a massage hasn’t helped.” She nodded toward the house. “Are they still there?”
“Oh yes,” Olivia said. “But they’re looking the other way. I think we can make it across the bridge without being seen.” As she stood there naked, she felt silly and embarrassed, but also a bit excited. She’d had her clothes off for most of her honeymoon, but this was different. This was someone else’s fantasy.
Elise picked up a stone. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to throw it at the end of the terrace to distract them.”
Olivia took the rock from her. “Let me.” It had been a while since she’d thrown anything, but she’d kept her arms strong—and well, maybe Kevin’s ungrateful words would help her aim.
She drew back into a pitcher’s stance, leg lifted, and threw the rock. It sailed over the strip of water and hit the bottle of wine standing on the cooler. The bottle hit a rock and made a loud sound as it broke into pieces.
“Impressive!” Elise said.
“What the hell was that?” Kevin shouted as he jumped up.
“It’s this horrible old house,” Hildy yelled back. “It’s falling down. I told Olivia that man was a charlatan. He’s put her in this house and he’s left her—just like he did before. Kevin, we must get her out of here. If we have to move into this place, we’re going to be here when she gets back. I bet if we look hard enough we can find a key hidden somewhere. We must do whatever we have to to make her see reason.”
“Is there a key?” Elise whispered.
Olivia gave a nod. “I think I’ve just seen the gates of hell.”
“Come on,” Elise said. “Race you across the bridge.”
Olivia started to follow, but on impulse, she tossed her pretty blue and white satin bra through the trees. Naked, clothes over her arm, she ran after Elise, across the bridge, then took a sharp left over a shallow part of water that lapped about their bare ankles.
At the tall stone wall, Elise hesitated, unsure of how to get over. Olivia came up behind her and began throwing clothes over. The stump she’d used so many years ago was gone, but a thick tree branch hung down low and ended on the other side of the wall. Olivia jumped up, caught it, swung herself up, then looked down at Elise on the ground.
Bits of sun sparkled on their bare bodies.
“Come on.” Leaning down, Olivia stretched out her arm to Elise. “Don’t back out now.”
Elise grabbed Olivia’s arm in a grip so secure that it felt as though she’d rehearsed it, then propelled herself upward. The two women scooted across the branch.
Olivia groaned. “I do not want my gynecologist to see what I’ve just done to my nether regions.”
“A gyno would be the only one to see my injuries.”
“I don’t know. Ray seems to like you.”
“Bad Olivia!” Elise said as she came to the end of the branch and dropped down beside the older woman.
As soon as they were on the ground, they began running, body parts bouncing. In spite of their age difference, both of them were tall and thin, and as pretty as wood sprites.
Abruptly, Olivia grabbed Elise’s arm and stopped her. Silently, she pointed. Houses had been built on the land since she and Kit had run across there.
With muffled giggles, they pulled on their clothes and, braless, they started to walk around the old stone wall to the entry gate.
“It’s getting late and I’m hungry,” Elise said. “Do you think part of Ray’s gang membership was to be able to make a tuna casserole?”
Olivia let out a snort of laughter. “You saw that in him too? That’s exactly how I saw him. I told Kit I bet that on what looks to be a very fine body he has one or more gang tattoos.”
“And what did your husband say?”
“That he hoped I didn’t go searching for them.”
Elise laughed. “I love a man with a sense of humor.”
“Let’s see... You want passion and humor. What else?”
“Are men capable of more than two good traits?”
“Oooooh,” Olivia said. “So cynical at such a young age.”
“I have my father and my husband as role models. According to them, what makes a man is how much money he has.”
“I understand that. In that case, my late husband was powerful. He had all the money I could provide.”
“Now who’s being cynical?”
“Truthful, my dear. I’m just being truthful.”
“Anyway, when it comes to Ray, I’m allowed to say anything I want. He looks at me like I’m some brainless rich girl who’s never had a problem.”