Hide and Seek

"Ever go skinny-dipping out this way?"

Steven was doing an unhealthy seventy along the narrow, winding road,

but he still thought he had enough control to be able to shout at me

over his shoulder. He didn't. I leaned in close so he wouldn't have

to do it again.

"Not here. Over at Echo Beach maybe. There's a couple places at Bar

Harbor."

"Why not here?"

"Police. They frown on it."

"Fuck that."

He turned completely around to face me again, half-smiling,

half-scowling. His wicked look.

Odd guy, I thought. I wondered what his connection was to the women.

There was the obvious urge to impress them. The loud colors. The fast

driving. He had a peculiar way of glancing at Casey no matter who he

was speaking to It wasn't just a matter of including her. It seemed

to have something to do with approval. He was a good-looking guy, with

dark, even features, sort of Latin and WASP combined. But there was

something insecure about him. I had the feeling that in a way he was

just as much a stranger to all this as I was.

You could make an educated guess that he was a bit hung up on Casey.

That would account for the sidelong glances. But then what was he

doing paired up to Kimberley? Certainly she thought they were an item,

even if he didn't. Her blond downy arm draped itself gracefully over

his shoulders as he drove. Every now and then her hand would move up

to play with the hair along the back of his neck or behind his ears.

When he spoke she listened very attentively. Her gaze was proprietary.

He didn't return it very much, and when he did, it was without heat.

I wondered how deep the bravado ran. I decided to call him on the

nudity bit. See how he reacted. I knew a beach where the stones were

pretty smooth and the waves rolled in easily somewhat to the north of

here. You could do a bit of swimming. It was secluded enough. Nobody

bothered with it much except the shell hunters.

"Take your next right," I told him.