Free Pendelton Manor by B. J. Wane Page A

them between now and fall. That is, assuming she was still employed here by the end of summer. She had no doubt someone would tell Adrian of her participation last night and she had no idea how he would react. Just because he had told her her free time was her own to spend as she pleased, didn’t mean he would welcome her into their tight knit little group. Including Nicole, the seven of them had been close since high school, seventeen years now and she had no desire to ingratiate herself among them. She wanted their friendship, she might even come around to participating more fully with them sexually, but she didn’t want any close ties or bonds that could hurt if they were severed. Seeing his reaction, if he had one, when he returned would go a long way towards helping her decide whether to cross that line any further than she did last night.
    The ocean breeze felt wonderful as Sophie walked along the worn paths on the cliffs and gazed down along the beach. That was a view you couldn’t get in Arizona, she thought as she wondered if the water was cold. Since this was all private property, there were no people swimming or sunbathing, but she knew there were some similar beaches in town that were probably pretty crowded today even if it wasn’t warm enough to swim.
    When she came upon the lighthouse, she heeded Ash’s advice and simply walked around the outside, marveling at its size and the way the thick stone walls had held up after decades of weather damage. She’d love to climb to the top and look out over the ocean and as she headed back to the manor, she decided to ask one of the guys to do just that with her.
    It was early afternoon and Sophie had just finished a salad when Nora and Rachel came breezing in, the two of them dressed in shorts and tee shirts. “Hey, Sophie, want some company this afternoon?” Nora asked as she went straight to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine.
    “Sure. What’d you have in mind?” Sophie was actually glad to see them. She had been trying to decide what to do with the afternoon, and hadn’t come up with anything yet.
    “Croquet,” Rachel said as she found some paper cups.
    “And wine. You can’t play croquet without wine. Well, I suppose you can, but it’s not near as much fun.” Nora giggled and by the glazed look in her blue eyes, Sophie figured she had already started on the wine.
    “I’ve never played, but I think I know how. You just have to hit a wooden ball through a hoop, right?”
    “You’ve never played? You have led a deprived life, girl.” Rachel slung her arm around Sophie and headed outside. “Come on, Nora; let’s show Sophie how to play croquet.” Whispering to Sophie, she said, “I’m trying to take Nora’s mind off Adam, that gravy sucking pig.”
    “He didn’t come home last night. Does he know how she feels?” Sophie asked quietly as they went down the path to the courtyard.
    “He’d have to be blind not to, but he hasn’t been the same since Nicole’s death.”
    “Hey, quit whispering, you two,” Nora complained behind them.
    “I’m just telling Sophie what pigs men are.”
    “Oh, well, that’s okay then. You don’t think James is a pig.” Nora’s look on her best friend was accusing, but her blue eyes were sad.
    “Today, all men are pigs.” Whispering again, she told Sophie, “But not James.”
    Sophie grinned then volunteered to pour the wine while the two of them got the croquet set from the solarium and set it up. The rules, she soon learned were pretty simple. Every time someone knocked a ball through a hoop, they downed a half of cup of wine. After an hour of hitting balls, chasing balls, picking up and tossing balls, going through two large bottles of wine and laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face, Sophie decided she really liked this new game as much as she liked her new friends.
    Maybe it was because she had downed her fair share of wine or because she was enjoying Nora and