“Okay,” Mattheus pulled a pad out of his vest pocket and began writing notes, as he always did. “First stop tomorrow is to visit Tara’s family in their Villa. We’ll go there together for starters and get a sense of who they are.”

Cindy nodded as Mattheus listed other tasks and numbered each one.

Finally, they were done. Mattheus was about to get up to pay the check when his phone rang. He looked to see who was calling and didn’t pick up.

“Who is it?” asked Cindy nonchalantly.

“Nothing important,” said Mattheus.

Cindy was taken aback. “Keeping secrets from me?” she asked playfully.

Mattheus put the check down, stood up, walked over to her and said plainly, “I’m not keeping secrets, never will and never have. From here on in, you’ve got to trust me completely, Cindy.”

Mattheus’s fervor took Cindy back. “I do,” she said, surprising herself.

“And you always will?” he demanded.

“Absolutely,” answered Cindy softly. “I trust you or I wouldn’t be here with you now. I wouldn’t share a room again, and certainly wouldn’t go for a moonlight swim tonight.”

Mattheus smiled relieved, “Good,” he replied. “I can’t have it any other way.”

*

By the time Cindy and Mattheus left for their midnight swim, they’d rested, had a glass of wine, talked, listened to music and felt clear about their tasks for the next few days.

“I can’t think of anything better than a quick swim now,” Mattheus smiled, looking at Cindy boyishly, hoping she remembered their plan.

Cindy remembered and was looking forward to it as well.

“I’m excited to go, too,” she said. The idea of plunging in the vast, dark ocean with Mattheus was not only exciting, it was soothing. Cindy loved the moon in all its phases and to go swimming beneath it was something she’d always wanted to do.

They quickly changed into their bathing suits and put light covers over them. Then they headed down to the white sand beach, which spread out in front of the hotel and was deserted at this time of night.

“I feel like a fugitive from the world,” Mattheus laughed as they took a side door out of the hotel to the ocean, not wanting to walk through the lobby dressed this way at this hour of the evening.

Cindy smiled, “Actually, that’s not so far from the truth,” she said. “We’re fugitives from something, aren’t we? No one would exactly call us a conventional couple with a house in the suburbs and a white picket fence.”

Mattheus laughed . “Is a house with a white picket fence something you want for yourself, anyway?” he asked in passing, as they took off their shoes and walked together through the warm, soft sand. “I don’t exactly see you happy with that kind of life.”

Cindy wondered about it as they walked along the sand up to the ocean. She thought of the beautiful cottage she and Clint had lived in back on Long Island. They’d been very happy there, even though they’d only had a short time before his life had suddenly been snatched away.

“I always thought I’d be happy with a family of my own,” Cindy answered in a muted tone as she and Mattheus reached the edge of the water.

“Sure, a family of your own,” Mattheus responded, “but living in the suburbs with a regular kind of guy?”

“Nothing wrong with a home in suburbs,” Cindy said as ripples of water suddenly came up over her feet. “If you’re living in the house with the right husband what difference does it make where it is?”

“It makes a difference,” Mattheus broke in.

“Ann was happy living with Frank in the suburbs. She had a good life,” Cindy replied as she and Mattheus stood looking out into the black ocean with nothing but moonlight gleaming overhead.

“Was Ann really happy?” Mattheus asked sincerely.

“Yes, she was happy living that life with Frank,” Cindy answered quietly. “That’s the life she wanted for me, too.”

“And did you want that for yourself, really?” Mattheus’s voice was inquiring.

“I never saw myself that way,” Cindy admitted. “Ann and I were different. I never fit in, was always restless for more. The guys I chose were nothing like Frank either, certainly not the kind of guy who ends up surrounded by a white, picket fence.”

Mattheus held Cindy’s hand tighter. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said softly.

“No, it isn’t,” Cindy agreed, “but Ann was always trying to get me to settle down with her kind of man.”

“She wanted you to be happy in her way,” Mattheus remarked.

Cindy took a step deeper into the water, and Mattheus followed along. The water was colder than expected and Cindy swiftly caught her breath.

Mattheus laughed at her surprise. “The water’s invigorating,” he said.

“Yes, it is,” Cindy laughed along with him, wanting to go all the way in, to throw herself completely on the mercy of the dark waves that seemed to be calling her. “Let’s swim way out to the horizon,” she uttered.

“Whoah, wait a second,” Mattheus laughed as Cindy tugged on his hand. “We’ll swim, but not that far out. There can be sudden undertows everywhere.”

“I’m not afraid of undertows,” Cindy laughed as the two of them plunged into the water and started to swim, side by side, under the piercing moonlight.

It felt wonderful swimming together, not talking or thinking about anything, being bathed by the moon, feeling at peace. Cindy cherished this time here with Mattheus. As they swam together, all of a sudden, from the corner of her eye she saw a tiny flash of lightning way out on the horizon. It flickered for a second and then disappeared.

“Oh my God, Mattheus,” Cindy called out, “is a storm coming?”

Mattheus lifted his head and looked around. “What are you talking about?”

Cindy saw another quick flash of lightning once again. “There,” she pointed to the horizon, “I saw a couple of flashes of lightning. Did you see them?”

Mattheus turned his head in that direction, looking, as another one quickly flashed and disappeared.

“There, did you see it?” Cindy called louder.

“See what?” Mattheus called back.

“The flashes of lightning?” she answered, her voice echoing.

“I didn’t see anything,” Mattheus called back.

“Keep looking,” she called, waiting for another one, which didn’t come.“I saw three flashes of lightning,” Cindy said quickly, “one of them happened right when you were looking that way.”

“Probably just the flicker of the light of the moon bouncing off the waves,” Mattheus replied.

“No,” Cindy was certain, “they were flashes of lightning. Or, maybe lights from a boat far out, signaling something?”

“Who knows?” said Mattheus. “The light of the moon can take all kinds of shapes and look like different things to different people. Do you want to swim back to shore?”

“Yes, it’s time,” Cindy said, disturbed that Mattheus hadn’t seen the flashes of light, and wondering exactly what they really could have been.

Chapter 5

The beautiful moonlight swim had soothed Cindy and Mattheus and they slept deeply and peacefully all night long, wrapped in one another’s arms. When they awoke first thing in the morning they were both refreshed and ready to get going. The next stop was a visit to Tara’s family. Cindy had called setting up an appointment, which was for ten o’clock in the morning.

Tara’s family was staying at the Villa that Owen had rented during the vacation. Thankfully, it was not far from the hotel. Cindy and Mattheus had time for breakfast together, and a second cup of coffee before they went downstairs to get a cab. When things were going so well between them both of them felt strong, nourished and supported. It seemed as if there was nothing they could not tackle, that they were destined to be working and living together forever like this, side by side.