The Best of Us (17 page)

“Tina told you everything, didn’t she?” Savannah said.

Gio shrugged and released her hand. “He’s a fucking moron.”

Somehow, those rough words made her feel better than any soft expression of sympathy ever could.

“He’s already in my rearview mirror,” she said.

“Just don’t put your car in reverse,” Gio told her. “Actually, do it. I never liked that prissy little fucker.”

Savannah laughed, even though she felt a little twinge in her chest: She’d always suspected Gio and Ryan weren’t fans of Gary, but hearing it aloud didn’t feel like vindication.

“Haven’t we talked about him long enough?” Savannah said. She took a sip of margarita and slowly licked the residue from her lips. “Ready for the beach?”

“You going to do the Fireman again?” Gio asked, grinning.

“Maybe,” Savannah said. She walked out of the room, adding a little sway to her step, knowing his eyes were fixed on her ass.

The others were already clustered around the fire pit, and
Dwight was lighting the logs by the time Savannah descended the stairs.

“Who makes a fire when it’s eighty degrees out?” Ryan asked.

“Who cares!” Tina shouted. “I want to run through the flames and dive in the waves!”

“Oh, jeez,” Allie said. “Tina, take this bottle of water. Come on, give me your margarita.”

“Nope!” Tina ran away and promptly tripped over her own feet. She lay in the sand, giggling. “You can’t take my drunk away. It’s mine!”

“If you can’t beat ’em . . .” Savannah said, reaching for the fresh pitcher of drinks that Gio was holding and filling up Allie’s glass. She blinked to clear her vision, which suddenly seemed blurry. “Dwight? You empty?”

He drained his glass and held it up. “Look at that! I am!”

Savannah stared at the leaping gold and blue flames. The air was moist and heavy, and the cool water beckoned. She felt a little dizzy, and it had been an effort not to slur Dwight’s name. What sorts of idiots named a kid Dwight anyway? She extended a middle finger toward the sky.

“What are you doing?” Tina asked. She’d crawled forward to fill up her glass again.

“Flipping off Dwight’s parents,” Savannah said.

“Oh,” Tina said. “They’re not here, are they?”

“What?” Savannah blinked. “Who?”

“Never mind,” Tina said. “What were we talking about?”

“I feel like swimming,” Savannah said.

“Oh, no!” Tina looked at her with big eyes. She was trying so hard to seem serious but was undercut by the fact that she had a big patch of sand covering her right cheek and had developed a lisp. “There aren’t any lifeguards. You could drown!”

“Na-nuh. Na-nuh.” Ryan chanted the theme from
Jaws
.

“Screw all of you,” Savannah said. “I’m going in.”

She walked to the end of the floating dock. There were enough tiki torches to bathe the beach area in a soft light—not enough for everyone to see her clearly, but they could probably glimpse the outline of her body. She lifted her dress over her head. She was wearing a lacy lavender thong and matching bra underneath. She paused, keeping her back to the rest of the group, then slowly descended the steps into the water.

“Oh, this feels
good
!” she shouted. “Who’s joining me?”

She treaded water as she watched Gio take off his shirt and shorts. He wore those hybrid briefs that were like formfitting boxers, which Savannah happened to be a fan of. He ran to the end of the dock and cannonballed in, making a huge splash.

“Van? Gio? I can barely see you!”

It was Allie, who’d come to the end of the dock. The others were following her. Savannah felt a surge of disappointment; she’d have liked to be alone with Gio in the water, brushing up against each other and teasing. Or wait—no! Gio was Tina’s husband. What was she thinking?

If only he wasn’t so hot. If only she wasn’t so horny.

At the sound of another splash, she jerked her head around. Tina had been standing by the corner of the dock a moment earlier, but now that space was empty.

“Tina? Was that you?”

Suddenly Allie jumped into the water, fully clothed. “Oh, my God! Where is she?”

“I’m fine!” Tina surfaced. “I meant to do that! Well, sort of.”

“You scared me,” Allie scolded, pushing her wet hair off her face.

“You know, most people take off their clothes first,” Savannah said, paddling over to them.

“I’m a little drunk,” Tina revealed.

“You?” Savannah mock-gasped.

“And I lost my shoes. But they were just from Target. Don’t
you guys love Target? You can get everything there. I bet I could live there for a year, without ever leaving. Wanna dare me?”

Allie took Tina’s hand and put it on the metal steps attached to the dock. “You hold on to this, okay? Don’t let go.”

Savannah looked up as Gio climbed out of the water. A second later, there were two more splashes—he’d pushed in Dwight and Ryan.

“Aw, shit, man,” Gio said, peering down at them as they bobbed back up. “I forgot about your watch. Did I ruin it?”

Dwight unclasped it and reached up to put it on the dock. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Must be nice,” Gio said. He shook his head.

“Mine’s waterproof,” Ryan said. He pumped his fist in the air. “The Timex trumps the Rolex again!”

“Come back in, Gio!” Allie called.

“Yeah, Gio,” Savannah said. She reached up, grabbed his ankle, and yanked. He almost fell in but caught his balance at the last moment and pulled away.

“You are so going to pay for that,” he said. He jumped in and disappeared beneath the inky surface.

Savannah stared at the ripples he’d created, waiting for his head to pop back up.

“Where’d he go?” Allie asked. She looked around. “He’s been under at least thirty seconds.”

“More like fifteen,” Savannah said, but she wasn’t sure. When had she crossed the line from tipsy into drunk? Maybe between the second and third beers she’d chugged. Her brain felt thick and dull.

“Check out the moon,” Ryan said, floating on his back. “It’s huge.”

“Gio!” Allie called.

“I don’t feel so good,” Tina said and hiccuped.

“Oh, God. Can you climb up the steps and sit on the dock?” Allie asked. “If you have to get sick, lean over the water.”

“Don’t puke on Pauline’s dock,” Savannah said. “It won’t go with the decor.”

She was surprised when Dwight laughed along with the others.

“I don’t think I can climb those steps,” Tina said. “There are too many.”

“Keep holding that railing,” Allie said. “Has Gio come up yet? What if he hit his head on something?”

“Let me look around.” Ryan dove under the water and came up a few seconds later. “I didn’t see him. But the water’s so dark . . .”

Worry cut through the haze surrounding Savannah. Gio had been under at least a minute. Suddenly she felt something brush by her leg, and she screamed. Then hands encircled her ankle, yanking her under the surface. She knew it was Gio, but it was still scary to feel herself being pulled deeper into the darkness as her lungs grew tight. And then Gio let go and she began kicking her way back up.

“You asshole,” she sputtered.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, babe,” Gio said. Savannah splashed him in the face, and he retaliated by splashing back.

“Giovanni!” Tina called. Her voice was sharp. “I don’t feel so good!”

“Come on, honey,” Allie said. “I’ll help you up the steps.”

Savannah watched as the two of them made slow progress, with Tina nearly slipping off the steps and falling back in.

“I just wanna rest awhile,” Tina said. “A little nap. Then I’m coming back to dance.”

“Of course you are,” Allie said. “You’re going to show Jennifer Lopez a thing or two.” She draped Tina’s arms over her shoulder, half-carrying her as if she was a wounded athlete needing
assistance off the field. “Another few steps . . . come on, Tina, keep walking . . .”

“How much did your wife have to drink?” Savannah asked Gio.

“I wasn’t counting,” he said. “But it couldn’t have been more than the rest of us.”

Allie was easing Tina into a cushion-covered lounge chair and covering her with towels. “I think we need to get something nonalcoholic into your system,” she said, her voice carrying easily over the water. “Maybe some Evian now, and a few crackers in a bit.”

Savannah tuned out and began to wonder if Gio would go to bed at the same time as Tina, or if he’d stay up. She didn’t feel like going to sleep, not now. It wasn’t even midnight!

She glanced up as Dwight pulled himself onto the dock. He and Gio were complete opposites, she thought as she treaded water and considered them. Dwight was the guy who’d bring you flowers and open your car door on your dates. Gio was the bad boy with the motorcycle and tattoos who’d drop you off on your doorstep and roar away without waiting to see if you’d gotten in safely.

She’d always thought Gio was devoted to Tina, but tonight she’d definitely picked up signals from him. They were the only two in the water now. What would happen if she glided closer to him, maybe giving him a peek at her breasts through the transparent veil of water?

An unexpected image of Gary and The Nurse, together in bed, floated into her mind. Those visions had tortured her during the first few weeks after Gary left. She’d been unable to sleep some nights, wondering if he and The Nurse were having sex as she lay there, alone.

Maybe they were having sex at this very moment! Gary could be pulling that slut into a supply closet at work, flashing his
perfect teeth in a smile as he lifted up her white skirt and she squealed a protest that wasn’t truly a protest . . . Damn it, he was still officially her husband!

Since her husband was screwing someone else, shouldn’t Savannah be allowed to flirt with someone else’s husband? She blinked as she tried to think through the logic. It seemed flawed, but she wasn’t sure how.

She knew what she should do. She should get out of the water and help Tina into the house and maybe have some water and a few of those crackers herself.

But she didn’t want to.

WHERE WAS GIO?

Tina rolled over in bed and groaned. The digital clock reported that it was just after three a.m. Her head throbbed, and her mouth felt stuffed with cotton. She forced herself to sit up and, clutching the edge of the mattress for balance, swung her legs over the edge. She had to pee so desperately it was painful.

She stumbled toward the bathroom, sat down on the toilet, and felt instantaneous relief in at least one part of her body. But a moment later, she realized her teeth and tongue felt vile. She cupped her hands under the sink’s tap and gulped water, then reached for her toothbrush. Had she gotten sick last night? Yes, she remembered. Allie had held back her hair while she’d vomited into the toilet.

The thought of it made Tina’s stomach lurch again, but she took a deep breath, rinsed out a washcloth in cold water, and rubbed it across her face until the nausea passed.

She’d forgotten how awful a hangover felt. Her hands were shaking, and even her eye sockets felt sore. She brushed her teeth, then started to get back into bed before remembering it was empty. Gio hadn’t come to their room last night. Something
was bothering her, something that had happened while they were all in the water. She fished through hazy fragments of memories until it came to her: Gio had called Savannah “babe.” Maybe it wasn’t the most creative term of affection, but it was Gio’s private nickname for Tina.

Jealousy flared in Tina, and she suddenly felt wide awake. She remembered how the two of them had flirted in the water—she couldn’t remember the details, but she recalled feeling angry at a distance. Last night the alcohol had put up a barrier against the full force of her feelings, but now her rage surged. Where the hell was her husband?

She flung open the door of their bedroom and walked down the hall, to Savannah’s room. The door was shut. Tina didn’t bother to knock—she tore it open. But the bed was empty.

Where were they? They couldn’t be down at the beach, could they?

She rushed into the living room and found them.

Gio was on one couch and Savannah was sprawled on another. Half-f margarita glasses littered the coffee table. They were both sound asleep.

“Get up,” Tina said, nudging Gio’s shoulder. He opened his eyes but didn’t seem to see her.

“What are you doing out here?” Tina demanded.

“Sleeping.” His eyes closed again.

“Oh, no you’re not,” Tina said. “Get up and come back to our bed!”

Gio groaned, but he stood up and followed her down the hall. He flopped on their bed, still fully clothed.

“What in the fuck happened between you two?” Tina asked.

Gio rolled over and looked at her. “Babe?”

“Don’t you dare call me that!” Tina’s anger hit a fever pitch. She’d devoted herself to raising their family—sacrificing part
of herself in the process—and Gio was flirting with her friend while she lay in bed, sick. What did he do on the job all day? Were there women there, too—interior designers who tottered around in short skirts and high heels to survey the property? Or maybe some of the construction workers were women—fit, strong chicks who cracked jokes and clinked beers with the guys at the end of the day. Did Gio take off his shirt in the heat, strutting around like a rooster while she scrubbed toilets and cared for their children?

“Nothing happened,” Gio said. His face wore a wounded expression. “I can’t believe you’d think that.”

“You were flirting with her all night!” Tina said. She knew her voice was bordering on a yell, but she didn’t care who could hear. She was still half-drunk, and all she could see was Gio calling Savannah “babe” and— Wait, another image was coming back to her. Savannah pulling off her dress and jumping in the water, and Gio following her.

“I could kill you,” Tina hissed. “This was supposed to be our vacation. Ours!”

“It
is
our vacation,” Gio said. “Come here. Do you honestly think I’d do anything with Savannah? You were the one who told me to be nice to her! You said I should talk to her!”