Tara
She giggled at Maddy. The new girl who had turned up at her home last night with her mother and older brother was funny. She was outspoken, as Ria would have said. It was as though no one had been able to make her understand that there were some things that you just did not say. Or do.
“My Mom and Dad are separated, ‘ said Maddy matter-of-factly as they splashed in the pool. It was morning and the pool was just fine to be in, Maddy had declared, dragging Tara along.
“Dad is a gangster but Mom said he is a two-piece one,’ she went on as they splashed.
‘A two-bit one, you mean,’ giggled Tara and as Maddy realised what she had said, the two girls dissolved, giggling in unison.
As if on cue, Maja Nord appeared at the doorway leading to the gardens, her face white and drawn.
“That’s my Mom’s harassed look.’ said Maddy, throwing her parent a knowing smirk. ‘It means she is not too happy. That’s her default look.’
With a cheeky wave at her mother, and ignoring the woman’s call, Maddy bobbed down into the water and disappeared.
‘Maddy, get back here!’ shouted Maja trotting across the lawn. She looked scary, thought Tara, with her flame-coloured hair and her blue eyes flashing.
Tara giggled again. This girl was fun; it would be nice to have her here at home. She was sharp and had already told off Louis when he had said something nasty about Maddy’s spectacle frames which were old. The boys had stormed off and were now shouting and whooping as they ran about in the gardens.
*
Maja Nord walked across to stand by the pool. She glared down at her daughter.
‘Madeline De Luca!’ she snapped and Tara crinkled her brow as her new friend tried to dive under the water and swim away. That was one long name, she thought to herself, rolling the words around in her mind admiringly.
‘Maddy!’ This time, Maja was furious and shaking with anger at being so summarily snubbed in front of an appreciative looking audience, and Maddy looked up, her black hair plastered to her skull, sulky.
“What is it, Momma?’ she sighed, like a person addressing a particularly dense child who could not comprehend.
‘You were supposed to help me PACK!’ yelled her mother, too angry to control her temper. There were two red spots on her cheeks and Tara stared at her face, fascinated. She had never seen Her mother, Proserpina Delano, lose her cool so wildly. No, Mumma was chilled out and composed and just a look from her lovely brown eyes had everyone, even Claude, run to obey her orders. But then, she reasoned, Mumma never Ordered. She merely asked, gently. And if you did not respond, her soft brown eyes looked so wounded; no one could bear to see that.
Now the full import of what Maja had just said dawned on her.
Tara stared at the woman, crestfallen. Were they leaving already? She trod water as she came up to the edge of the pool, feeling forlorn.
‘Mommie, you can go, I am staying here.’ Maddy said defiantly and shot her new friend a sidelong look slyly as she added, ‘Tara has asked me to stay.’
Maja took a look at the other girl’s startled face and knew that her daughter had made up the invitation. Maddy was like that, she could make up stories on the spot. Some unkind people back in their old town called her a liar.
She shook her head firmly and made to pull her daughter out of the pool. But Maddy, ever the mischievous one, tugged her mother hard and with a loud scream taken totally by surprise, Maja fell into the water head first, dressed in her jeans and T-shirt. She came up spluttering, to see the girls giggling away crazily. All the smiles left their faces as they saw the enraged look on Maja’s face.
“uh, sorry, Mommie but …’ And then Maddy broke down again, giggling wildly. Her mother looked affronted and livid but the comical way she was floating, her T-shirt plastered to her body, and the wet wild red curls plastered to her skull, made Tara hide her face as she turned away to hide her giggles. To add to Maja’s humiliation, Dom and Lou emerged from the garage where they had been with the Boss’s man, Beston, and gave shouts of laughter as they all but fell onto the lawn, roaring with laughter. And then, to crown her mortification, she saw Schwartz emerge.
The man was in a linen blend shirt paired with shorts and sneakers and looked the epitome of a man on a holiday. The thin material of the shirt clung to his chest and Maja inspite of being wet and shivering, could not take her eyes off his lean yet muscular body.
Tommas had been built along the lines of Lucien Delano, burly but shorter; but of course, without the Don’s unmistakable aura of authority. But this man they called Handsome James, with his blonde hair that flopped over his head and the grin which was directed at her, made her feel small and idiotic.
With an easy grin on his face, he sauntered over and crouched by the pool, reaching out a hand, as he spoke quietly,
‘Hey lady. I think you need some help here.’
Maddy and Tara giggled some more, and Maja felt her annoyance grow, yet, she also felt the ice around her heart melt as he looked into the twinkling green eyes. You simply could not resist his charm.
“Damn, how does the man manage to look so glamorous and hot at this time of the morning?’ she thought and scowled at him.
‘I can manage on my own, thank you, ‘she said primly and made to move. But Maddy, encouraged by the laughter echoing around her for Magnus had also strolled onto the lawn and was grinning at her, dived under the water and pulled her down again.
Startled, Maja went down and came up again, spluttering in indignation. To meet the sympathetic eyes of Schwartz.
‘I think your Mom needs a break, kid.’ he said in his deep timbre and Maddy frowned at him in perplexity. He did not sound amused.
‘Dom, Lou, get a towel,’ he added as he stretched his arms and helped Maja who was now on the verge of tears of humiliation.
The boys immediately trotted off and Maja saw that the women in the kitchen, Beatrice and Camille, had also noticed the furore and were approaching.
‘I’m good…’ she tried to say but Schwartz leant down and gripping her arms, he pulled her up. Then, he wrapped one of the fluffy towels that had appeared magically enough, around her shivering body and helped her out of the pool.
A bolt of electricity seemed to shoot along her body as he touched her and she stepped back, jolted. Meeting his eyes, she realised that he had not felt the same. It wasn’t just that after a long, long time, someone was showing concern; it was something more physical, raw and primitive…
She stood for a while, near enough to him to smell the cologne and the heat on his body. What was the matter with her, she fretted as she stumbled and he gripped her arm to guide her into the house, blinded as she was with tears of mortification.
I am acting like a lust-struck teen if there is such a term.
Beatrice was speaking,
‘…nice hot cup of tea.’
Maja nodded gratefully as Camille added something about children being mischievous.
Maja turned to the man who was still holding her arm as she plodded wetly along, ‘thanks, I can…take it from here…’ she mumbled with a small smile.
Schwartz grinned and as she stared at him, mesmerised.
‘You are going in the wrong direction,’ he said gently,
Camille moved to hold her arm, ‘Here, come this way. We can get you a nice fresh pair of dry clothes. Get you out of that soaking wet stuff.’ And she took charge firmly.
Maja followed her meekly but it was as though the area where Schwartz had touched her as he gently held her arm, was burning.
” Christ!’ she thought self-deprecatorily, “Am I desperate? I have two soon-to-be adult kids! And here I am, behaving like a moonstruck teenager.’