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Tanya batted her long, mascara-laced eyelashes. “C’mon, Lancey. Let’s get something to drink. I could use a refill.”
I watched as she grabbed his hand and tugged him away. She may have gotten my mother’s earrings, but there was no way she was getting my boyfriend. Exploding with bubbling, red-hot rage, I stuck out my foot.
The next thing I heard was a shriek and she was flying into the pool.
The deep end.
SEVENTEEN
NATALIE
The night could not have been more perfect. The unseasonably balmy weather was divine. The backyard looked spectacular. The turnout was incredible, with everyone complimenting me on both the glittering fairy-tale décor and my teal-blue Dior gown, the one Tanya had urged me to wear.
Thankfully, the woman who used to co-chair this event with me wasn’t here. Alexa Roth. The woman who had almost destroyed my marriage, my family, and my life. So I could relax, and enjoy all my hard work.
The party in full swing, I was about to announce dinner when panicked screams blared in my ears. A woman’s cries, a voice I didn’t recognize.
“Somebody help me! I can’t swim!”
My heart raced. Oh my God. It was coming from the pool. Had one of my guests fallen in?
“Help!” the voice cried out again.
Standing next to my debonair husband, I squeezed his arm. “Matt, I think someone’s drowning!”
“Jesus.” Breaking away from me, he sprinted over to the pool, with me trailing behind him, running as fast as I could in my six-inch-high Louboutins, hoping I wouldn’t trip and break my neck. Under my breath I cursed and wished I’d trusted my gut and not listened to the event planner about keeping the pool exposed. What if someone died at my gala? A horrific mixture of remorse and fear coursed through me, and I prayed to God we’d get to the pool in time to save whoever had fallen in.
Breathless, I got to the pool and gasped. Floundering in the deep end was our exchange student, Tanya. Her arms were flailing, and she was coughing and shrieking, barely managing to stay afloat. Paige’s boyfriend, Lance, was already in the pool trying to reel her in, and I watched with my heart in my throat as Matt dove in and joined him. Together, they pulled her to safety and hauled her out. Flat on her back, she sputtered and hacked. A small crowd of voyeurs had gathered around us. I reached for Matt’s jacket, which he’d shrugged off before diving in, then crouched down beside her and covered her shaking, soaking wet body.
“Tanya, darling! Are you okay?”
“She pushed me in!” she rasped, her voice sounding nothing like the British one I was accustomed to.
“Who did?”
She weakly lifted a hand and pointed a finger.
“Her!” she choked out.
Craning my neck, I followed the direction of her finger and gasped again. She was pointing directly at Paige.
My heart still beating double time, I tried to take hold of my emotions. They were all over the place. The one that won out was shock.
“Paige, is that true? Did you push Tanya into the pool?” I tried to keep my voice level.
My daughter looked me straight in the eye. “I didn’t touch her. Ask Lance. He was with us.”
Dripping with water, Lance confirmed she hadn’t. “Mrs. Merritt, I think Tanya tripped in those high heels she’s wearing.”
Paige twitched a smile. “Exactly. Plus, she was a little tipsy.”
With a struggle, Tanya sat up and glared at Paige. Darts shot out of her waterlogged eyes. “I only had one glass of champagne, you liar. Not even!” The accent was back, but I couldn’t believe how vitriolic her tone was.
“Whatever,” retorted Paige, mimicking her British accent. And then in her normal voice, “I’m surprised you can’t swim, especially since your fancy boarding school in England has an Olympic-size indoor pool.”
“I never learned how. And that’s none of your business.”
“Enough, girls!” And I meant it. I was eager to get back to my gala and not let this unfortunate incident get in the way of its success. I looked at the growing crowd of spectators. Everyone loved a little drama. That’s why cars slowed on the freeway when they passed a gory accident, bringing traffic to a standstill. It was time to move things along.
