He didn’t flinch as she slipped her arm under his elbow. Jessica liked the warm feel of his skin.
The clerk, a pretty island girl, smiled. “I hope you enjoyed your stay in Antigua.”
“Just hunky dory,” the sarcasm in Joel’s voice was impossible to miss and the conversation became awkward and stilted. The girl frowned and turned back to her papers.
Jessica gave the girl a credit card for the mini bar while Joel loaded the luggage into the back of the van that doubled as the airport shuttle. He sat on the rear bench seat, staring at his shoes.
Jessica joined her husband. She kissed his cheek then leaned her head on his shoulder. “We’ll be home soon, Hun. We can take care of all of this once we are home.” Joel was quiet and contemplative. She reached onto his lap and held his hand as the driver waited for another pair, also checking out.
The couple in flowered shirts sat in the seat in front of the Loftins . They held hands and teased each other, giggling and acting silly. The short blonde wife turned to face them, grinning. Jessica remembered the woman. On the day she arrived in Antigua, Jess had watched her husband dunk her in the surf.
The bubbly woman smiled back at Jess and Joel. “We’re from Texas.” Her accent was thick. “Can’t wait to get home to my dogs. This here’s paradise, but there’s no place like home. Don’t y’all think so?”
Joel looked at her. His expression was one of mild annoyance. “Lady,” he said, “I don’t want to talk to you.”
---
At the terminal gate Joel sat reading, but Jessica could not concentrate. Twice she saw Martin Timmons walking through the airport. Her stomach lurched and she flinched at the sight of him, but both times it ended up being someone else –a tourist and an airport worker. Jessica felt edgy and shaky. Stop haunting me, you bastard.
“Huh? Did you say something?” Joel looked up from his book.
“No, Hun,” she said. “Nothing at all.”
The announcement to board was a relief. Jessica wanted nothing more than to be out of Antigua. Something told her that everything would be better once they got in the air.
She piled her bag in the overhead and sat in the window seat. She fished the seatbelt out of the crease between two cushions and laid it across her lap as she settled in. A large elderly woman, her skin orange and dry, jammed her bamboo bag under the footrest next to Jessica. She slid into the aisle seat, the armrest biting into her fleshy thighs.
“Excuse me, Mam? I think that’s my husband’s…” Jessica looked up, confused. Joel was sitting across the aisle four rows forward of her. He was reading his book and did not look back at his wife.
---
The plane pulled up to the gate and the passengers shoved their way into the aisle. Jessica watched Joel ahead of her in line. She shuffled slowly forward until she was adjacent to the seat her husband had occupied. There was something lying on the cushion. Jessica’s fingers trembled as she picked it up. She rubbed the light fabric between her thumb and forefinger. One of the arms of the sundress hung precariously from a jagged tear at the shoulder.
Epilog
The man lay back on the beach chair. He kept a careful eye on the woman as she read her romance novel. She was just his type: young, innocent looking, and curvy. The woman was newly married and naive, if he were to judge by her choice of literature and the brief conversation he had with her at the bar. She was perfect.
He had caught her staring at him earlier that morning. Staying in the Caribbean was a great idea. He had spent years perfecting his body, so why not show it off on the beach? It was always such a rush when he spied another man’s wife checking out his muscled body.
The clerk, a pretty island girl, smiled. “I hope you enjoyed your stay in Antigua.”
“Just hunky dory,” the sarcasm in Joel’s voice was impossible to miss and the conversation became awkward and stilted. The girl frowned and turned back to her papers.
Jessica gave the girl a credit card for the mini bar while Joel loaded the luggage into the back of the van that doubled as the airport shuttle. He sat on the rear bench seat, staring at his shoes.
Jessica joined her husband. She kissed his cheek then leaned her head on his shoulder. “We’ll be home soon, Hun. We can take care of all of this once we are home.” Joel was quiet and contemplative. She reached onto his lap and held his hand as the driver waited for another pair, also checking out.
The couple in flowered shirts sat in the seat in front of the Loftins . They held hands and teased each other, giggling and acting silly. The short blonde wife turned to face them, grinning. Jessica remembered the woman. On the day she arrived in Antigua, Jess had watched her husband dunk her in the surf.
The bubbly woman smiled back at Jess and Joel. “We’re from Texas.” Her accent was thick. “Can’t wait to get home to my dogs. This here’s paradise, but there’s no place like home. Don’t y’all think so?”
Joel looked at her. His expression was one of mild annoyance. “Lady,” he said, “I don’t want to talk to you.”
---
At the terminal gate Joel sat reading, but Jessica could not concentrate. Twice she saw Martin Timmons walking through the airport. Her stomach lurched and she flinched at the sight of him, but both times it ended up being someone else –a tourist and an airport worker. Jessica felt edgy and shaky. Stop haunting me, you bastard.
“Huh? Did you say something?” Joel looked up from his book.
“No, Hun,” she said. “Nothing at all.”
The announcement to board was a relief. Jessica wanted nothing more than to be out of Antigua. Something told her that everything would be better once they got in the air.
She piled her bag in the overhead and sat in the window seat. She fished the seatbelt out of the crease between two cushions and laid it across her lap as she settled in. A large elderly woman, her skin orange and dry, jammed her bamboo bag under the footrest next to Jessica. She slid into the aisle seat, the armrest biting into her fleshy thighs.
“Excuse me, Mam? I think that’s my husband’s…” Jessica looked up, confused. Joel was sitting across the aisle four rows forward of her. He was reading his book and did not look back at his wife.
---
The plane pulled up to the gate and the passengers shoved their way into the aisle. Jessica watched Joel ahead of her in line. She shuffled slowly forward until she was adjacent to the seat her husband had occupied. There was something lying on the cushion. Jessica’s fingers trembled as she picked it up. She rubbed the light fabric between her thumb and forefinger. One of the arms of the sundress hung precariously from a jagged tear at the shoulder.
Epilog
The man lay back on the beach chair. He kept a careful eye on the woman as she read her romance novel. She was just his type: young, innocent looking, and curvy. The woman was newly married and naive, if he were to judge by her choice of literature and the brief conversation he had with her at the bar. She was perfect.
He had caught her staring at him earlier that morning. Staying in the Caribbean was a great idea. He had spent years perfecting his body, so why not show it off on the beach? It was always such a rush when he spied another man’s wife checking out his muscled body.
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