Eleven #2
“I don’t speak ill of the dead, Alice, and in his defense, he was unfailingly courteous to everyone he met, regardless of who they were.” Penny pursed her oiled lips. “I might not have agreed, but I was too much of a people pleaser to go against my father. That’s on me.”
People pleasing was a language Valerie had achieved fluency in, and Penny’s self-acknowledgment went far to mollify her. “He didn’t approve of Roger and Yvette?”
“He didn’t know,” corrected Penny. “I knew Roger had a girlfriend because he kept disappearing instead of spending time with us, but I was sure it was Tracey Jefferies. Dad wouldn’t have been pleased with Roger dating a Chinese girl from a nothing family.”
Nico was so still that if Valerie wasn’t hyperaware of where he was, she might have forgotten his presence. Alice made a disapproving noise from her chair.
“Oh, stop it, Alice. You know what I mean. That’s how Dad would have thought of it. Nobody talks like that anymore. Naturally, it’s terrible about Yvette, but Dad always put the family first, even if his methods were high-handed.”
“Time,” called Roger, panting from where he was holding on to the dock. “God, that was hard.”
“Two minutes twenty,” said Alice.
Roger looked expectantly at Penny. “Sorry,” she said with assumed nonchalance. “I was two seventeen and David was four ten.”
He whooped. “Good enough. Can’t wait to rub that in at dinner. Penny, looks like you’re the winner.”
They shared a round of applause and Penny glanced at her watch, a slim gold bracelet with diamonds around the face, as Roger swam back to the raft.
“I should go inside. I’m glad we’re getting to know each other, Valerie.
By the way, that blouse is so sweet with those unusual earrings. Are you interested in fashion?”
“I am. I love thrifting and going to consignment stores.”
“I thought so. I have some clothes in storage, if you’re interested? There’s a vintage Givenchy that would suit you.”
Valerie nearly jumped out of her chair at this unexpected offer. “I would love that.”
“Give me a day or two to pull them out.” She laughed. “At least they’ll get some use. Poor Sloane lives in riding breeches. She’s never been one for fashion, although everyone says she could have been a model.” She waited for a beat. “Right. Don’t stay out in the sun too long, remember.”
It was nice of Penny to worry about sun exposure, such a mom thing. And the offer of the clothes? She couldn’t wait. That was generous. After all, the surprise appearance of a new niece might have simply put her off-balance, and this could be the real Penny showing through.
Alice executed a perfect dive into the lake to the shouts of Roger pretending he was scoring an Olympic event as Nico claimed Penny’s empty chair. “What do you think?”
“I’m glad she no longer considers me public enemy number one.”
“She didn’t have a lot of nice things to say about Yvette.”
“Right, but she did mention that’s what Malcolm thought,” Valerie pointed out. “She can’t be held responsible for that.” Plus, actions speak louder than words, and Penny’s offer of a new wardrobe was incredibly kind.
“True.”
Valerie thought over the conversation. “There’s one thing though. She’s lying about not knowing about Roger and Yvette.”
“Why?”
“I’m not giving up on David being my guy,” she warned. “But that’s not how people work. She knew he was seeing someone and she seems like the type to hate being left out of a secret. Also, people in love are never as subtle as they think they are.”
Nico watched her. “No?”
She stared at Roger, sitting out on the raft and kicking his feet as he talked to Alice. “No way. Roger would have broadcast it like a beacon. He would have mentioned her name, and he would have been hanging around the Lakeview more.”
“It’s possible for a man to hide it better than that.”
There was a deepness in Nico’s voice that made her wonder if he was thinking of someone in particular. It seemed rude to pry, although she desperately wanted to, so she looked to the lake. “Someone has a canoe out. I always thought that would be fun.”
Nico gestured to one tied to the dock. “I can show you how.”
“You canoe?” She shouldn’t be surprised. Nico seemed capable of doing anything.
“Well enough.”
“Then yes!” She jumped to her feet and put her hand to her head as the world spun. “Oh.”
Nico was there in a second, holding her shoulders to steady her. “Are you okay?”
“Got a head rush when I stood up. I’m fine,” she reassured him.
His hands fell away and she briefly considered wobbling again to get them back.
But that kind of subterfuge wasn’t her style.
Five minutes later, as Nico talked her through how to step into a canoe, she hoped drowning wasn’t her style either.
She tugged her life jacket a bit tighter as she gazed down to where Nico balanced in the canoe like he’d been born to it.
He reached out his hand and she wished hers was less sticky with sunscreen before grabbing it.
The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the board seat in the front, a little unsure of how she got there, and Nico was handing her a wooden paddle.
“Or for your first time you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
She looked back at him suspiciously but Nico didn’t seem to see anything out of the ordinary about what he’d said, so she put aside the dirty joke and tested the paddle’s weight. “Do I have to hand in my Canada card if I don’t try?”
“I heard the RCMP does spot checks and will take away your maple syrup privileges if you fail.”
She’d never met anyone so deadpan. She loved it. “Teach me.”
He was demonstrating the correct way to hold the paddle, with one hand flat on the top of the grip, when Roger swam back and climbed up the dock. “You know,” he said as he wrapped a towel around his shoulders, “if the canoe turns over, you can wear it on your head.”
“What?” She looked at the black water as a small bug skimmed over. “No way.”
“Sure you can. It’s capsized.” He looked pleased with himself. “Get it? Cap-sized?”
She covered her eyes and sighed. “I get it.”
Then they were off. Valerie immediately realized that paddling a canoe, like kicking a ball straight or drawing an accurate map, was harder than it looked. She’d figured they’d simply glide along in beautiful unison. Instead she flailed, splashing everywhere.
“Why is water so heavy?” she said as she desperately tried to make the J shape Nico described. “Damn.” Her paddle was now drifting away on the water.
“How did you manage that?” yelled Roger, who was watching for either safety or entertainment value from the dock.
“I let go,” Valerie hollered back to him.
Alice’s laugh drifted over. “She’s got you there, Rog.”
Nico turned the canoe around with a few powerful strokes and Valerie, twisted around from her position at the front, felt her eyes physically expand to take in the sight.
She’d always assured Jake that she wasn’t into muscles, and that was true enough.
There were far more important things in life.
A sense of humor. Kindness. Loyalty. Muscles and good looks faded as the years passed but trustworthiness would last until the grave.
She stood by that, but at the same time, hoped there was enough time between this moment and death’s sweet embrace to admire both Nico’s personality and his pectorals.
“Can you reach it?” he asked as they drew alongside the paddle.
“Sure,” she said confidently, not wanting to make a fuss. She leaned over and her fingers brushed the grip. One more centimeter and…
Roger’s warning shout came from the dock. “Valerie, no!”
Too late.
Valerie had learned that in moments of physical crisis, her mind snapped into one of two modes.
In the first, it slowed to about ten thousand frames per second, so she could witness every millisecond, with the added bonus of being unable to stop the inevitable.
In mode two, she simply seemed to blink into the aftermath.
She would be standing, then on the sidewalk after tripping over a curb.
Cooking, then staring at spaghetti sauce spreading over the floor.
Falling out of the canoe put her in mode one.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nico’s hand stretching toward her as if he was fighting through glue.
But the main spectacle was happening directly in front of her.
Her fingers made contact with the floating paddle and immediately slipped off and dipped into the water.
She could see them wavering under the surface, the water turning her skin a sickly green up to the wrist, then the forearm.
The canoe rocked under her, and she clutched the side to try to steady herself.