41
Sydney had been attempting to sleep off her hangover when she’d been jarred awake by the sound of music.
It was coming from the speakers by the pool, a loud, bassy song permeating her closed window.
This wasn’t the type of music she and Curtis listened to.
They preferred classical or smooth jazz.
This was rock ’n’ roll with a country twang. It had to be the Australians.
She felt a stab of irritation at their lack of consideration, but then she glanced at the clock.
It was almost two in the afternoon, a perfectly reasonable time to play music.
Still, her guests knew she was trying to sleep.
And why had Curtis let them play this frankly awful song at such a high volume?
Dragging herself out of bed, she moved to the window.
Her blinds were closed tightly against the afternoon sun, but she pulled back a corner and peeked out to the pool.
At first glance, the area appeared deserted.
But over in the corner, not far from her jam jar full of cigarette butts, were two deck chairs.
One was empty. On the other, Damian lay out, sunning himself. He was stark naked.
Objectively, she could admire his muscular bare back, his perfectly round ass, but Syd was too annoyed to feel any sort of desire.
She’d already asked Bianca to keep her top on, and now Damian was baring it all in the sun.
The nudity was overly familiar and downright rude.
And after last night’s antics, Curtis was sure to feel disrespected.
As if on cue, she heard Curtis’s car start in the driveway. He was leaving.
Grabbing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt off the floor, Sydney struggled into them as she hurried to the front door.
She burst outside half dressed, waving her arm at Curtis, but the Citroen had already backed down the driveway, was turning onto the main road.
Curtis put the car into first, his eyes forward, focused on his getaway.
The car raced off toward the main highway.
Shit. Sydney went back inside, cursing herself.
This was all her fault. This morning, Curtis has been gentle with her, had assured her he wasn’t angry, but he had to be hurt.
She’d crossed too many boundaries last night, and now her guests were taking advantage of it.
Damian flaunting his spectacular nude physique was adding insult to injury, rubbing Curtis’s nose in what happened on that dance floor.
Syd found her phone, tried to call her husband, but he didn’t answer. He was driving, focused on the road. Or maybe he was upset and screening her. Keeping her voice low, she left him a message:
“Curtis, please come home so we can talk. I think… maybe the Aussies should leave. I know we need help with the building, but I just want it to be you and me again… I love you.” She hung up, her throat tight with emotion.
Syd went to the coffee machine and turned it on, waited for it to warm up.
Surely Curtis would agree that their guests had worn out their welcome.
Syd had been titillated by them at first, distracted from the hard work of making a marriage work, but she didn’t want them here anymore.
She didn’t judge their lifestyle, but last night had cemented her monogamous nature.
She wanted her marriage to work. She wanted Curtis to forgive her error in judgment so they could move forward with their healing.
Now she knew how easy it was to make a mistake.
Filling her mug with coffee, she turned around and startled.
Damian had slipped into the kitchen while her back was turned.
He was shirtless but wearing a pair of shorts, thank God.
Being alone with him in such close quarters, in such little clothing, might have excited her before, but not today.
She felt nothing for him now but mild irritation.
“I need to apologize to you and Bianca,” she began curtly. “For my behavior last night.”
“You were fine.” His smile was cocky. “We were all having a good time.”
“I wasn’t.” It was a lie. She couldn’t deny she had enjoyed herself in the moment, but shame warmed her cheeks, made her stomach churn.
Regret was a waste of her energy. Her focus was on establishing boundaries, a sense of decorum.
“Curtis and I are committed and monogamous,” she continued.
“It was wrong for me to betray him like that.”
Damian cocked an eyebrow, leaned his arms on the countertop. “Bianca said Curtis betrayed you.”
Thanks, Bianca. Sydney had shared that information with her in confidence.
Now she felt defensive of her relationship, compelled to explain the complexities of a committed marriage to this nearly naked Aussie who was bashing the man she loved.
“We have history,” she said. “And we have a future. And that’s worth fighting for. ”
Damian nodded slowly. “Are you sure you trust him?”
Syd saw the opportunity to get some clarity, and she took it. “Is this about Curtis flirting with Bianca? She told me about that. If you saw something, I’d like to know.”
But he didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “You need to look out for yourself. Just look out for yourself, Syd. Emotionally and financially.”
“Financially?” Acid churned in her empty stomach, and she set down her mug. What did this virtual stranger know about their finances? More than she thought.
“Your mom left you money, right? Make sure Curtis can’t get to that.”
She pressed him, but Damian was cagey, offering platitudes about relationships and trust. He moved to the sink and filled a glass with water. “Bianca’s taking a nap in the van,” he said. “I should go check on her.” And he left.
The conversation had rattled her. She had no reason to mistrust her husband about money. Curtis had been transparent about everything, even his affair. But why would Damian bring up their finances unless Curtis had said something shady? It would be foolish not to at least check.
With her mug of coffee, Syd went into the living room.
Her laptop rested on the ottoman next to a novel she hadn’t picked up since their guests arrived.
Taking the computer to the sofa, she booted it up and accessed their bank accounts.
Everything was in order; there were no unusual withdrawals.
She logged into her private account. Curtis had suggested, even insisted, that she keep her inheritance separate from their household finances.
There was no activity, not since they’d had to buy the new fridge and stove.
Why had Damian said something so incendiary?
Why did he want to stir up her mistrust?
Sydney wondered if the Aussie was trying to damage her marriage, but to what end?
Damian had been flirtatious with Sydney, but he wasn’t in love with her.
He and Bianca had been together since they were kids!
Destroying Sydney’s marriage seemed pointless.
And cruel. It was time for their guests to leave.
As she sipped her coffee, her eyes flitted to the desk in the corner.
It was piled with papers, most pertaining to their visa applications.
Curtis’s laptop was there, plugged in, under a stack of invoices from various tradesmen.
She had his password. He’d shared it in therapy, a gesture of his commitment to regaining her trust, but she hadn’t checked it in months.
Snooping through his devices felt like undermining all the work they’d done. And she trusted him now. Didn’t she?
On stealthy feet, she hurried to the desk and grabbed her husband’s sleek laptop.
She brought it back to the couch and turned it on.
Her heart fluttered as it booted up, the screen jumping and flickering at first. Then the log-in page loaded, and Sydney typed in Curtis’s password.
It was the name of his elementary school and the year he was born. The response was instant.
Incorrect password. Try again.
Her stomach dropped, but she told herself she’d been careless, had typed the school name wrong. There was no reason to panic.
“Hair of the dog?” Damian was back, holding up a beer.
“God, no,” she snapped. The thought of alcohol turned her stomach; his presence irked her. Damian seemed intent on enticing her to join him out by the pool, but she dismissed him, told him Curtis would soon return to keep him company. Luckily, he got the hint and disappeared.
Carefully, methodically, she retyped the password.
Incorrect password. Try again.
If she entered it wrong one more time, the device would lock up. Curtis would know that she’d tried to access his computer, that she was aware he’d changed his password. He had locked her out of his computer because he was hiding something from her. But what?
And what the hell did Damian know about it?