Free The Beach House by JT Harding Page B

briefly and
her eyes glanced at Joe, and he wondered what the hell Kim had
said.
    “Go on,” Kim said. “Coffee. I need strong
coffee. Have you been for your swim today?” The last aimed at
Jenni.
    Joe took Ami upstairs to the small back room
next to their bedroom and laid her in the cot, carefully turning
her on one side. Ami was gone to the world, her mouth suckling on
her thumb, tiny legs twitching as she dreamed of the coming day
when she might walk on her own, without Joe’s strong hands to
support her. Joe stood at the side of the crib, lost for a while in
the wonder of his daughter, then sighed and went down to the
kitchen to start coffee. He watched Kim and Jenni outside, sitting
at the bleached wooden table on the wide porch, heads together,
talking animatedly. What was Kim plotting now?
    When the coffee was brewed Joe loaded a tray
with mugs, sugar, cream and the coffee pot, shook a pile of
chocolate cookies on a plate and carried everything outside. Kim
had pulled her dark blue cover-up around her, the move only serving
to accentuate the sex appeal of her body, which showed clearly
through the gauzy material.
    “Are you not swimming today?” Kim asked,
offering a tiny pout and Joe wondered what she was up to now.
    “I walked instead,” Jenni said. “I need to
get home soon. Mark gets back at six and he likes his dinner on the
table.” Joe watched the cloud settle behind her eyes again as she
talked about home.
    “Tomorrow?” Kim said, ignoring the sudden
change in mood. “You’re swimming tomorrow?”
    “Maybe. Tomorrow’s Saturday, change-over
day. I need to clean the empty houses and get them ready for new
tenants. I’ll try, if I get time. If you want me to.” She looked at
them both, looking up from eyes shyly downcast and Joe was once
more knocked out by her beauty and he wondered if she was aware of
how she looked. She didn’t give the impression she was, which only
made her even more alluring.
    “How many changes have you got tomorrow? You
can’t do all these houses, surely,” Kim said.
    Jenni laughed, her mood lightening as the
conversation forced her to draw her back from that gray place she
had drifted into. She added cream and sugar to her coffee and
sipped. “This is good. I take care of the six houses this end. I
prepared your place before you moved in. I left you clean linen
last week, on the porch.”
    “I wondered where that came from,” Kim said.
Joe was thinking about the state they had left some of the bed
sheets in, wondered what Jenni thought of the milk and cum stained
sheets, found no shame in his heart nor guilt in his head.
    “So how many changeovers tomorrow?” Joe
asked. “We’re a bit out of season now, aren’t we? Will we be
getting new neighbors?”
    “In the Harper place? No, not next week. The
week after I think a family’s coming down, but they’re in the
Parker house which is right at the far end. I’ve only got two
places to clean and make up. I’ll bring your linen and take the old
stuff away.” She stared into Joe’s eyes, passing a message back.
Yes, I have seen what you have done, but it’s okay. We’re all
grown-ups here and know what goes on behind closed bedroom doors.
“This really is great coffee, Joe. How did you manage to land a
catch like him, Kim, rich and obedient.”
    “I lied and blackmailed him,” Kim said. “And
of course I f-”
    “Kim did no such thing,” Joe interrupted.
“She’s an editor. Was an editor. No, is an editor,” he
laughed. “She worked on my first book. We spent a lot of time
together, and I fell in love.”
    “Only you?” Kim asked, raising her
eyebrow.
    “ We fell in love. Sorry, babe, we fell in love.”
    Kim stuck her bottom lip out and Jenni
laughed. “God, a normal family. Wonderful.”
    Normal? Joe thought. Are these thoughts in
my head normal? Is the growing obsession I have about you, about
your body, is this normal, with my gorgeous wife sitting across the
table from me?
    “Try and