Read Online Chain Lightning by Elizabeth Lowell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Lowell
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cloth off the rope.
“Thanks for the use of the diving gear,“ the girl called from outside the tent. “Catch ya later.“
Mandy looked down at her husband, who was pulling on a pair of wet swimming trunks. She wasn’t able to say anything or even think of anything to say; all she could do was try to cope with the anger, humiliation and disbelief that were shaking her.
This can’t be happening.
But it was.
“Mandy, Mandy, Mandy,“ Andrew sighed, running his hand through his thinning hair. “Well, you were bound to find out sooner or later. The miracle is that it wasn’t sooner.“
“Find out?“
The dry rasp of Mandy’s words surprised her. That couldn’t be her voice. That couldn’t be her husband, the father of her child, still slick from another woman’s body. She made a low sound of pain and wrapped her arms around herself.
“You’re so damned naive,“ Andrew said, exasperated and almost sad at the same time. “It used to fascinate me how anyone as brilliant as you could be so dense about men and sex. I kept fantasizing how great it would be to initiate you, to know I was getting something no other man had ever had. And then I thought what bright kids we’d have together. So I married you and took you to bed and – “ he shrugged “ – well, it wasn’t great and it didn’t get any better. I didn’t have the patience to teach you how to please me and you didn’t have any interest in learning.“ He sighed. “So I found my sex elsewhere. That shocks you now, but you’ll get used to it. And I’m careful, Mandy. I learned my lesson with my first wife. I don’t bring anything home but memories, and they’re not contagious.“
Mandy didn’t realize that she was shaking her head in automatic denial until Andrew cursed and came angrily to his feet.
“Grow up, Mandy! Stop looking at me like I’ve just drowned your favorite kitten. I don’t know of one man who doesn’t step out on his wife – and I know of damn few wives who don’t return the favor! But they live together in relative harmony and raise kids anyway, because nothing human is perfect and they’re grown-up enough to know it!“
For a long time Mandy looked at her husband, then asked raggedly, “What about love?“
“What about it?“
Mandy closed her eyes. “Then why did you marry me?“
“I was nearly forty and I panicked. Like every other fool since Adam, I thought an injection of young tail would make me young, too. But I couldn’t get in your pants without a ring. Then I decided, what the hell, why not? I wanted kids. I wanted them a lot. I didn’t want to grow old alone and die knowing that nothing of me lived on.“
Silence stretched, then stretched more, until Andrew asked tiredly, “Any more questions?“
Mandy shook her head.
“You sure?“
She nodded, but she felt as though she had been torn in half and was watching herself from a distance – talking, breathing, all the normal gestures and signs of life. But nothing felt real. The tent wasn’t real. She wasn’t real. The moment wasn’t real.
“Great,“ Andrew said, looking relieved. “Let’s go diving. It’s not too late to bag something for dinner.“
As though at a distance Mandy heard herself say, “I’ll eat on the ferry.“
Her husband looked at his diving watch. “No, you won’t You can’t pedal back in time to catch the last ferry. Come on, Mandy,“ he coaxed. “Suit up. The only thing we’re good at together is diving. You’ll feel better once you’re down there.“ He smiled ruefully. “You know, if you’d taken to sex with a tenth of the instinct and skill you show for diving…“ He sighed. “Well, you didn’t, and I need a lot of sex and that’s the way it is.“
“No.“
“No what?“
“If you think I’m going to crawl into my wet suit – the wet suit that your little sand bunny just peeled off – you are crazy.“
Mandy’s words were as quiet, flat and blank as her eyes. She still had the eerie
“Thanks for the use of the diving gear,“ the girl called from outside the tent. “Catch ya later.“
Mandy looked down at her husband, who was pulling on a pair of wet swimming trunks. She wasn’t able to say anything or even think of anything to say; all she could do was try to cope with the anger, humiliation and disbelief that were shaking her.
This can’t be happening.
But it was.
“Mandy, Mandy, Mandy,“ Andrew sighed, running his hand through his thinning hair. “Well, you were bound to find out sooner or later. The miracle is that it wasn’t sooner.“
“Find out?“
The dry rasp of Mandy’s words surprised her. That couldn’t be her voice. That couldn’t be her husband, the father of her child, still slick from another woman’s body. She made a low sound of pain and wrapped her arms around herself.
“You’re so damned naive,“ Andrew said, exasperated and almost sad at the same time. “It used to fascinate me how anyone as brilliant as you could be so dense about men and sex. I kept fantasizing how great it would be to initiate you, to know I was getting something no other man had ever had. And then I thought what bright kids we’d have together. So I married you and took you to bed and – “ he shrugged “ – well, it wasn’t great and it didn’t get any better. I didn’t have the patience to teach you how to please me and you didn’t have any interest in learning.“ He sighed. “So I found my sex elsewhere. That shocks you now, but you’ll get used to it. And I’m careful, Mandy. I learned my lesson with my first wife. I don’t bring anything home but memories, and they’re not contagious.“
Mandy didn’t realize that she was shaking her head in automatic denial until Andrew cursed and came angrily to his feet.
“Grow up, Mandy! Stop looking at me like I’ve just drowned your favorite kitten. I don’t know of one man who doesn’t step out on his wife – and I know of damn few wives who don’t return the favor! But they live together in relative harmony and raise kids anyway, because nothing human is perfect and they’re grown-up enough to know it!“
For a long time Mandy looked at her husband, then asked raggedly, “What about love?“
“What about it?“
Mandy closed her eyes. “Then why did you marry me?“
“I was nearly forty and I panicked. Like every other fool since Adam, I thought an injection of young tail would make me young, too. But I couldn’t get in your pants without a ring. Then I decided, what the hell, why not? I wanted kids. I wanted them a lot. I didn’t want to grow old alone and die knowing that nothing of me lived on.“
Silence stretched, then stretched more, until Andrew asked tiredly, “Any more questions?“
Mandy shook her head.
“You sure?“
She nodded, but she felt as though she had been torn in half and was watching herself from a distance – talking, breathing, all the normal gestures and signs of life. But nothing felt real. The tent wasn’t real. She wasn’t real. The moment wasn’t real.
“Great,“ Andrew said, looking relieved. “Let’s go diving. It’s not too late to bag something for dinner.“
As though at a distance Mandy heard herself say, “I’ll eat on the ferry.“
Her husband looked at his diving watch. “No, you won’t You can’t pedal back in time to catch the last ferry. Come on, Mandy,“ he coaxed. “Suit up. The only thing we’re good at together is diving. You’ll feel better once you’re down there.“ He smiled ruefully. “You know, if you’d taken to sex with a tenth of the instinct and skill you show for diving…“ He sighed. “Well, you didn’t, and I need a lot of sex and that’s the way it is.“
“No.“
“No what?“
“If you think I’m going to crawl into my wet suit – the wet suit that your little sand bunny just peeled off – you are crazy.“
Mandy’s words were as quiet, flat and blank as her eyes. She still had the eerie
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