Page 90 of You Know You Wanna

“I will. Thanks. If you ever want to enjoy the facilities, just let me know and I’ll cover the desk for you for a couple hours. Heaven knows, you deserve to get the benefit of the spa after working here all summer.”

“Thank you,” she said warmly. “Now go before I start thinking you want to be put to work.”

Breaking into a run, I crossed the space to the locker rooms and threw my hand up in another wave before I pushed open the door. Once it swung shut behind me, I slowed down and chose a locker. Then I stripped down to the swimsuit I’d worn under my clothes and stowed everything else away.

I’d worn the suit in anticipation of an afternoon at the Kids Camp, but this was good too. I hadn’t seen the inside of this place since at least a week before the crowds had started pulling into town, and I loved it here.

Tranquil and quiet, the scent of jasmine and eucalyptus hung in the air from the diffusers, and it was always so nice and cool. Tying my hair up into a messy knot on top of my head, I left the locker room, grabbing one of the guest towels on my way out. Gracie hadn’t responded yet, so I assumed she was busy, which was fine. I was happy to spend some time alone as well.

Choosing the cold pools instead of the hot, I was smiling all the way until I reached them, but my smile disappeared and my stomach dropped when I walked in to find the other guest in here was Jacqueline.

A tremor shot through me. Ominous dread hardened, but I wouldn’t let her presence stop me from enjoying a favorite spot at the place I called home. She was the unwelcome intruder here. Not me. Even if she’d obviously paid to access the spa for the day.

Lounging on one of the steps in the cold pool, her gaze zeroed in on me immediately, her elegant body long and slim under the clear water. She lazily kicked her feet and didn’t say anything at first. Huge, dark sunglasses were perched on top of her head, and her stupid face was just as beautiful as I remembered, even if it was free of any makeup now.

To my surprise, her hair was completely wet, which meant she wasn’t one of those women who was afraid to ruin it when they went underwater, but I supposed it shouldn’t have surprised me so much. She didn’t need styled hair to be drop-dead gorgeous, and obviously, she knew it.

Since she kept quiet, I did too. Diving in at the far end of the pool, I did a few laps, trying to ignore the tension building in my muscles. I could feel her eyes on me with every stroke I took, and I suspected she was just biding her time.

I finally surfaced and took a place in the corner near one of the jets. She seemed to have waited long enough. She got up from the step and started wading toward me.

“What is your relationship with Remington?” she asked directly, as uptight and snooty as she’d been before. “For some inexplicable reason, he seems to have grown rather fond of you.”

The woman intimidated the hell out of me, but I did my best to keep my expression neutral. If she smelled fear, I might never leave this pool alive. “I’m sorry, who are you?” I asked.

The flicker of shock in her eyes felt like a victory, but then she glared at me like I was dog shit on her heel and smiled. “You know who the fuck I am.”

I shrugged with a nonchalance I didn’t feel. “You know, I thought I knew who you were when you said he was your husband, but oops, turns out you’re the ex. Sounds like our relationship is none of your concern.”

“Oh, darling.” She let out a derisive chuckle, giving me a pitying look as she drew closer. “Everything he does is, and will always remain, my concern. I understand your hesitation to tell me about it, though. He married me but you’re just one of the resort’s perks to him, no different than this pool we’re in. Tell me, how many guests have taken a dip before Remington?”

As cool as the water was, my insides boiled. I was too classy to punch her for indirectly calling me a whore, but it took about ten deep breaths for me to unclench my fists. I knew she was just trying to get in my head. I’d been warned that she would do this, and now that it was happening, I just had to stay strong.

“Actually, I teach yoga classes here. You should try it. Tighten up those arms.”

The horrible woman didn’t have an ounce of fat on her, but she immediately lifted her arms to examine them. “I’m a size zero.”

I shrugged again. “You’re skinny-fat. No tone. Like chewing gum. Maybe that’s why Remington got rid of you.”

She laughed but anger burned in her gaze. “Men like Remington and even Declan are like that, honey. They have to be.”

“Like what?”

“They can’t commit to anyone,” she said with a knowing ring in her tone. “It takes a very particular kind of woman to be a partner to them instead of just a plaything.”

“Let me guess, you’re that kind of woman?”

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping across my face before she nodded. “I am.”

“Again, aren’t you the ex-wife? Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” she said, flashing me another pitying smile. “He’s playing with you, darling. You’re a glorified sex toy. A quick lay. I don’t know what he’s been telling you, but don’t let him fool you. I just hope it’s not too late and that you haven’t already gotten attached to him.”

The words hurt, but I did my best not show it. I didn’t know what dark magic this woman possessed, but with one look at me, she’d narrowed in on my biggest insecurity about my relationship with him—that it wasn’t real.

Standing slowly so as not to make it look like I was running away, I glanced at my watch and shot her a fake grimace. “I have to get back to work. And you should probably go back to whatever you do all day. Be a useless leech, I guess.”

“Where’s my daughter?” she asked suddenly when I reached the edge of the pool. Her voice cracked like a whip in the quiet place and I started, not having expected it, but then I glanced at her over my shoulder and shrugged.