Drowning Read Online Free Page A

pure. It was cool, but not actually raining. More lights, at ground level, showed the way along a tiled path.
    Ahead, I saw the flicker of a flame. The lapa turned out to be a paved open-air area with a high thatched roof supported by sturdy wooden poles and beams. A large fire was burning in a brazier, and on the other side of the lapa , Nicholas was tending another, smaller fire, this one under a barbecue grill.
    Stone-topped surfaces along the left side held an array of glasses and drinks, a large bowl of salad, and loaves of crusty bread. Comfortable chairs were placed around a large oval wrought-iron table. Twoof the seats were occupied by men I hadn’t seen before, who were having an animated conversation over their beers.
    “Good evening, Erin.” Nicholas put down his tongs and walked over to me. I wondered for a surprised moment if he was going to take my pulse again, but instead he placed a hand lightly on the small of my back before leaning forward and brushing his lips against my cheek in greeting. He might have intended the gesture to be casual, but it didn’t feel that way at all. It was as if he’d trailed fire across my skin. When he took his hand away from my back, I could still feel its heat there.
    The thought suddenly occurred to me that Nicholas had already seen me naked. Yesterday, he must have undressed me, peeled off my sodden, muddy clothing, perhaps toweled my body dry before clothing me in the oversized T-shirt I’d been wearing when I’d awoken. Now I sensed that there was a strange, slightly uneasy intimacy with the man who’d saved my life.
    “Good news first,” Nicholas said. “Your husband has contacted the police and been notified you’re safe. The not-so-good news is that we still have no cell phone signal here.”
    So Vince knew I was okay. Thank God he didn’t have to worry about me anymore. Although that meant he also knew I was here. If he’d seen the way Nicholas had greeted me… well, we would be heading for another explosive argument, for sure. But luckily he hadn’t, and inside, I felt the blend of relief and trepidation that I realized I’d become accustomed to over the past few months in my recent marriage to Vince.
    “Let me introduce you to Joshua and Nelson,” Nicholas said, turning to the two men. “Joshua Mkholo is Miriam’s husband, and he heads up the team who looks after this estate. Nelson Ntshweng is our grounds manager.”
    Rising from his chair, Joshua greeted me warmly, his teeth flashing in his dark-skinned face, and gave me a handshake I didn’t understand, where the grip changed three times from a normal handshake, to an “arm wrestling” angle, and back again.
    “The African handshake,” he explained, beaming. “Here in South Africa, it is our traditional way of greeting. Pleased to meet you, Erin.”
    “Pleased to meet you,” I responded. By the time Nelson shook my hand I managed to get the handshake right—at least, I hoped so.
    “Joshua and Nelson are both fans of the Orlando Pirates soccer team. They are playing an important match later on, so you won’t get a word in edgeways tonight. I haven’t been able to so far,” Nicholas joked, as the two men resumed their animated conversation. “Something to drink? Water? Fresh orange? Wine?”
    “I’d love a glass of white wine.” He was drinking red. He poured me a glass of sauvignon blanc so crisp and aromatic that it practically danced on the tongue.
    “I really appreciate your hospitality,” I told him, taking a seat next to him and near the pleasant warmth of the brazier.
    “It’s my pleasure.”
    “And I’m very grateful you rescued me.”
    “You were lucky. Joshua spotted the other vehicle crossing about twenty minutes earlier—that would have been your husband’s, I suppose. Joshua drove straight back to the lodge and told me the river was beginning to flood the bridge. We were actually on our way down when we saw your car go over.”
    “My life didn’t flash