Chapter 35
SLOANE
I've spent the entire afternoon not thinking about what I almost, nearly did. Thankfully I didn't, but I wanted to.
Maggie and I have been at opposite ends of the property since. We haven't spoken about this morning; I had lunch with Luis while Maggie pretended to be busy. I've shoveled and cleaned and hauled harder than ever, while failing to fight the stream of flashbacks that keep arriving uninvited.
It's official. I really, really want to kiss Maggie, and that's a problem. At least it's almost time to call it a day.
Luis asked me to top up the pig wallow while he finished the wire on the back fence.
I left the hose on too long, and by the time I got back the whole edge had overflowed into a strip of slick earth.
The pigs are in heaven and I smile as I watch them.
Barbara is half-submerged in the shallow end and Gerald is just waddling out, completely covered in mud.
Luis appears beside me, wiping his hands on a rag. "I'm done for today. Heading into town in a minute. Want a lift back?"
"No thank you," I say. "You go ahead. I just want to shovel some dry dirt over the rim of the wallow before I leave. Some might struggle to climb out otherwise."
"I noticed. Was wondering if you were going for a lake." He grins and taps his cap. "Right. Well, I'll see you next week."
"See you, Luis. Have a good one!"
I head over to the feed store and grab the spade. Back at the pool, I plant my left foot well clear of the wet strip and dig the spade into the dry dirt beside it. The first shovelful goes over the worst of it. Then a second.
On the third I shift my weight without thinking, and my right foot lands on the wet strip, and I let out a loud yelp as the slip happens. My foot slides out, the spade goes one direction, and my arms go the other. I lose my balance and land on my behind in the pool with mud up to my waist.
Barbara lifts her head and stares at me.
"Sloane?" Maggie rushes over from the chicken coop. "Sloane, are you —" She stops and brings a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh. "What in the —"
I try to push myself up the slope but my hands slide and my feet won't get purchase on the slick mud. "I'm fine, I'm fine," I say, struggling to get out.
"You know there's a perfectly good hose over there if you need to cool down," Maggie jokes, stepping closer. She holds out her hand. "Here. Let me help you."
"Don't! The rim is wet, you'll —"
My warning comes too late and her boots go from under her. She falls sideways and lands half on top of me with a sound somewhere between a cry and a curse.
She raises herself on one elbow above me, the other hand splayed flat on my breast. I look down at it and she follows my gaze, lets out an uncomfortable chuckle, then lifts her hand quickly.
"Sorry. God. Sorry. I swear, I was trying to save you, not grope you."
Maggie bursts out laughing and I'm laughing too, helplessly, my whole body shaking under her. We look over at Barbara, who is lying in the shallow end watching us, and that sets us off worse.
When we finally stop, Maggie is still half on top of me. One of her legs is wedged between mine and I don't even think she's noticed it until now. Her expression changes. The laugh leaves her face, and with her mouth a few inches away and her body pressed along mine, the air goes out of me.
"I want to kiss you," I confess. I have no idea where I got the courage from to say that, but the words are out and there's no taking them back.
"We shouldn't," Maggie whispers, but she doesn't move.
I reach up and pull her down so her mouth meets mine softly, brushing, teasing. I feel the small breath she releases and then she presses firmer. The world drops away and I melt into her.
I've kissed many people in my life but none of it has felt like this.
Her mouth is soft, warm, certain and unhurried.
I feel the catch of her upper lip against mine, the small breath through her nose, the way she pauses for a fraction of a second before kissing me again.
When her hand slides under my T-shirt and up my bare belly, a sharp flash of arousal flares between my thighs and I moan.
Her lower lip drags against mine and something turns over low in my stomach.
I run my hand down to the side of her neck and feel her racing pulse under my thumb.
My body is responding to her in a way it's never responded to anyone and I couldn't care less that I'm lying in the mud with a pig next to me.
Maggie's lips part, and the slow rhythm we had a moment ago is gone. Her tongue meets mine and I moan again in an almost desperate manner. Her hand on my belly is moving up, slowly, fingers spread, and then she finds my bra and slides under it, her palm closing over my breast.
I gasp into her mouth and she presses her hips against mine in answer. It's very clear that we're not going to stop and I'm desperate for more. More of her mouth, more of her touch, more of her weight.
A noise comes from somewhere, low and far away to start with — a deep thudding. We break apart and Maggie looks up when the noise comes closer.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I think it's a…" Maggie frowns and we both see it now. "It's a helicopter."
Hank starts braying and the horses are whinnying in the back.
It's coming down low, somewhere behind the house. Maggie pushes herself off me and sits up. We both watch it sink past the line of the sycamores until it's out of sight.
"I hope it's not emergency service for Earl. He lives in the farm down that way, and he's in his eighties," Maggie says, struggling to get out of the pool.
I climb out after her. We're both filthy and covered in mud apart from our faces as we walk around the house to see what's going on. My heart is still hammering hard from the kiss while my brain is trying to catch up with what just happened.
We stop to take in the helicopter. It's not an air ambulance — no markings, no white-and-red livery. It's small and sleek and all black. I narrow my eyes when a woman jumps out. "Wait… That's…" I shake my head. "It can't be."
"Who?"
She's in white. White cropped jeans, a white silk camisole, white sneakers and big sunglasses. Her hair is whipped sideways and she has a small purse over her shoulder. "Sita."
"Sloane! Surprise!" she yells, grinning and waving her arms as she approaches. She fumbles with the latch on the gate, gets it open, and closes it carefully behind her.
"Sita, what on earth are you doing here?"
Sita stops a few feet from us, looks me up and down, then takes in Maggie, then looks back at me.
She holds up both hands. "Okay. I was going to give you a big hug, but I think I'll hold that thought.
" She laughs. "You did tell me you were doing physical labor, but my God, Sloane.
I'm taking you home before they put you in a barn. "
Behind us, the emus are pacing and Hank has moved to the far end of the paddock. Beyoncé is on top of her barrel among the other goats who have come up to see what's happening.
Sita glances at the lot of them over my shoulder. "Christ, Sloane. There's a whole zoo back here."
"It's a sanctuary."
"Same thing, no?" She turns to Maggie because I'm too stunned to say much. "Sorry, my friend forgot her manners. I'm Sita. I'd shake your hand but…" she gestures to Maggie's hands that are still dripping with mud. "Same thing."
"Sita, I…" I blink. "You can't just land in someone's field."
"That field?" she looks over her shoulder.
"All sorted. My assistant called the neighbor.
Lovely old Earl was delighted to let us land in return for a handsome check.
" Her hands come up again. "What? Are you not happy to see me?
Babe, I gave you a whole week to come to your senses.
I chartered a helicopter to come and get you myself. "
I manage a smile and hope it looks sincere. "Of course I'm happy to see you. I just didn't expect you, and you've caught me in a —" I look down at myself, then over at Maggie. "Well. A moment."
"Yeah, I can see that." She chuckles. "And that's why you need to come with me. Right now. We'll land on the roof of your building, you have a shower and get changed, and then we're going out. Come on."
"Sita, I —"
"Sloane. Look at me. Look at the state of you. Come on. Let's make you beautiful again."
I turn to Maggie. She's more shocked than I am, I think.
I'm not sure what's hit her harder — my glamorous friend descending out of the sky, or what just happened in the mud.
I lick my lips. My stomach is still fluttering from the kiss, and I'm stuck between two opposite worlds.
Right now I'm not sure I want everything I've spent the past weeks daydreaming about because no money or fame has ever felt as good as that kiss.
"Go," Maggie says.
I don't move.
"Sloane." She takes my hand and squeezes it. "Your friend has come a long way for you. Go and have your weekend."
"Okay." I take a breath. "Let me get my purse."
"Yes. That's what I like to hear." Sita calls someone on her phone, turns around and waves at the helicopter. "Daniel! Spin up, baby! We're coming."