Rising Tides by Maria Rachel Hooley Read Free Book Online Page B

looking at either of us.  But Gary glared at her, his dark eyes narrowed slightly, as though trying to gain the attention she refused to give.  We all said very little, and an uncomfortable silence flourished until we arrived back at the hotel and Debra went to her own room.
    Before I lay down, I went to the window and opened it.  The hotel wasn’t near the beach, but I wanted to believe that if I just imagined, I could hear the ocean.  I wanted to smell the saline air.   Lingering by the window, I stared at the sky spread like dark gossamer.  At that moment I wished I had just one thing that certain in my life.  Just one thing to guide me toward whatever future I had.
    “You look pretty tired, Kelly.  Why don’t you come to bed?”  Gary turned down the comforter and patted the sheets beside him.  “You really need your rest.”
    Too fatigued for argument, I walked to the bed and sat then took off the earrings and put them on the nightstand beside the shell Tyler had given me.  I lifted it to my ear and tried to hear the ocean’s roar echoing from within.  As I held the shell, I thought of Tyler and the difference between his gift and Gary’s.  They’d both came from the ocean, but one was priceless and one had no worth.  For just a moment, I stared at the earrings and ran my fingertips over the smooth pearls.  Then I changed into my nightgown and lay down.  As I closed my eyes, reaching for sleep, Gary sat up and watched television.  Even with the volume turned down, I could tell he was flipping through the channels, hardly pausing.  He was looking for something besides commercials.
    “Kelly, are you asleep?” Gary whispered.  He pushed the power button and turned off the television.  In the darkness, I reached for the distant sound of ocean waves.
    I didn’t answer.  I couldn’t.  Instead, I lay completely still, feigning sleep.  It was easier than talking about this or trying to understand what had gone so drastically wrong between us.
    “Damn, it’s cold.”  He stood up and walked to the window.  With a deft tug, he closed it and sealed my only connection to the ocean.  The room sounded of too much silence. Then he walked back to the bed and tucked the covers more tightly around my body.
    “I’m sorry I let you down, Kel.”  His hand touched the back of my head, his fingers whispering through my hair.  “I never meant for any of this to happen.  I wish I could take it back, but I’m not being given that choice, am I?”
    My whole body ached from the stillness, and I wanted him to define “any of this” because I didn’t know what he felt guilty for.  The affair?  The cancer?  The life we thought we were going to lead but hadn’t?  I focused on the coverings, the way my skin felt pressed against softness.  
    “Sleep tight, angel,” he whispered and bent to kiss me. 
    Somehow, deep inside, I think he knew a storm was coming.  He felt the breeze stirring the ocean, the waves that would destroy the fragments of our marriage once and for all.  And that frightened Gary more than the cancer ever could have.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
    The annoying beep of the alarm clock roused me from my cradle of slumber.  I felt the bed shift as Gary reached to the nightstand on his side and turned it off.  For just a moment, he curled his body around mine the way we used to sleep together.  He leaned close and whispered into my ear, “Kel, it’s time to get up.  We have a plane to catch in a few hours.”  He brushed his lips against my ear.  “You’re nice and warm.”
    He waited for some sign I was awake.  When I lay perfectly still, he softly squeezed my shoulder.  “Kel, wake up.”
    “I am awake,” I finally said and turned on my back.  His lips brushed my cheek as he softly climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom.  Moments later, I heard the shower come on.
    I rolled my shoulders, trying to shrug the cramping from my muscles.