“Cheryl,” said Anita Duke, softly. Her eyes were on me.
“What are you guys doing here?” said Cheryl. “Did you lock the door? I left it open.”
“We had no idea where you were so we locked it, Cheryl. Who’s your
friend?”
“Alex. He— I was down on the beach and—he ended up helping me.”
“Helping you?” Anita looked me up and down. Same onceover Cheryl had delivered down on the beach, but this scrutiny was impersonal—flat and suspicious—without the slightest flavor of flirtation. Trained eye accustomed to judging flesh?
The long-haired man had been examining Cheryl’s wet dress. One of his hands began massaging a button of his suit.
“I had a little . . . trouble,” said Cheryl.
“Trouble? “said Anita.
“No big deal,” said Cheryl. “So . . . what’re you guys doing here?”
“We dropped by,” said the man. He had a high, nasal voice. Without looking at me, he said, “Doing some diving?”Cheryl said, “He was boating, Kent. Baxter got a little bit in the water, and he helped me. So I thought it would be nice—”
Anita broke in: “Are you saying Baxter could’ve drowned?”
“No, no. It never got to that point— It’s no big deal, guys. He just got in the water before I could stop him and the waves got a little … I would’ve reached him just fine, but Alex here was passing by, and he was nice enough to jump in, that’s all.”
“Alex,” said the man named Kent. “Sounds kind of exciting—”
Anita Duke shot him a sharp look, and he shut his mouth.
“It was no really big deal, guys,” Cheryl insisted. “You know what a good swimmer Bax is. It’s just that I had Sage on my hands too, and by the time— Alex helped me and I wanted to thank him, so I asked him to come up so I could give him something.”
“A tip,” said Kent.
Anita said, “Well, that’s certainly the gracious thing to do.” To Kent: “Why don’t you show him our appreciation, honey, and then you can see him off.”
Talking softly, but no mistaking the imperiousness. There’s nothing men despise more than being ordered around by a woman in front of another man. Long-haired Kent smiled and dipped his hand into his trouser pocket, but the anger settled around his eyes and his mouth, and he threw it back at me.
A crocodile billfold appeared, and he pulled out a twenty and waved it in my face. “Here you go, my friend.”
“A little more than that, Kent,” said Anita. “After all.”
Kent’s mouth turned down, and his eyes disappeared among fleshy folds. “How much?”
“You be the judge.”
“Sure,” said Kent, forcing a smile. Another twenty joined the first.
“I’d say another,” offered Anita.
Kent’s smile hung on for dear life. Out came the billfold again, and he thrust the sixty dollars at me. “My wife’s the generous type.”
“No, thanks,” I said. “No tip necessary.”
“Take it,” said Anita. “It’s the least we can do.”
“It’s just as she said, no big deal.”
Cheryl said, “Anyway, I need to get the kids inside.”
“I’ll help you with them,” said Anita. “Give me Baxter—he’s always ahandful for you.” Stepping forward, she placed her hands around the boy’s rib cage, took him from me, kept her face close to mine. “Let’s make it an even hundred dollars and then you can go, Alex.”
“Nothing,” I said. “I’ll go anyway.”
“Oh, dear,” said Anita. Holding Baxter tight, she walked into the house.
Cheryl flashed me a look—helpless, apologetic—then followed.
Kent said, “Let me give you some advice: When someone offers you something, you should take it. Just out of courtesy.” He waved the three twenties.
“Donate it to charity,” I said.
He smiled. “I thought I was— Okay, you’re a stubborn guy. Let’s get you back to your canoe.” Placing a hand on my shoulder. Squeezing a little too forcefully, and when I resisted he dug his fingers in even harder. I freed myself from his grip, and his hands rose protectively. Boxer’s instincts. But still smiling.
I turned and headed back down the pathway. He caught up, laughing, his pink T-shirt spotted with sweat. He wore a strong cologne—orange brandy and anise and some other scents I couldn’t pinpoint. “What exactly happened with Cheryl and Bax?”