Chapter 18

Her eyes were drawn to a seamless blending of simple harmonies, sensuously curved lines of randomly varied shades of green. Lacking mathematical regularity, the curves were of exquisite symmetry, flowing to the edge of the canvas, laid against a golden background, an echo of sunlight. Carolyn’s gaze was drawn upward to a patch of green, a shade soft yet compelling. She saw that it was a stylized eye, looking out into its own self-contained distance. She stared again at the endlessly flowing, graceful lines.

“It’s like a musical composition. As if you took pieces of music and…” She faltered.

“I don’t mind that comparison at all.” Val’s voice was soft.

“The greens vary so in the curved lines…There’s a pattern everywhere except in the color changes—”

“It’s meant to convey layers, depths. Unexpected, unpredictable layers and depths.”

Immersed in the painting again, Carolyn murmured, “God, I’d like to have this…” When Val did not respond, Carolyn turned to her.

“Carrie, it’s still drying.” Val seemed taken aback. “It needs to dry for a while. Then, to be varnished. And I think I still might want to change something.”

She looked at Val, puzzled. The speech pattern had contained a clumsiness she had never heard from Val. But she clearly understood that Val would keep this lovely, lyrical painting. “As long as I have visiting privileges,” she said lightly.

Val’s smile was sudden. “You can’t possibly drag home any more paintings of mine, not even to avenge the Bahamas. What are you, crazy?”

Obligingly Carolyn chuckled, then immersed herself again in the painting.

“Even Michelangelo would be flattered.” Val’s voice was soft, warm. “Come on, we’ve got a few minutes—let’s go float in your pool.”

Proud of her new boldness in the water, Carolyn slid off her raft and clung to the side of the pool at the deep end, near the ladder. She could now submerge her body in water over her head, so long as she had the side of the pool or the raft to cling to.

Val swam over and gripped the side of the pool to face Carolyn. “Enjoy the water where you’re going, Carrie,” she urged. “I understand it’s one of the really beautiful places in the world.”

Carolyn placed her hands on Val’s shoulders, feeling their breadth and strength as a new and equally secure anchor. She touched her cheek to Val’s. “I’ll really miss you and Neal.”

She felt Val’s body come up against hers, felt Val’s arms slide around her, and too late realized what would happen. Moments later she surfaced, still in Val’s grasp, trying to stop laughing so that she could stop coughing. “You crazy woman, one of us had to hold on!” She clung to Val until her coughs subsided.

Silently, Val assisted her out of the pool. She pushed wet hair off Carolyn’s face, smoothed drops of water away with soft wane palms. Carolyn said, “I’m okay. I really am.”

Abruptly, Val released her. “I’m sorry.”

“It was just as much my fault—”

Val stepped away from her and seized her towel. “Carrie, take care.” With several swift strides she reached the fence and vaulted over.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 600