Saturday arrived with no further Rod sightings. Slightly less shaken but still cautious, Celia drove Skylar over to Cord's, where they were meeting the rest of the gang for an afternoon at Hippie Hollow. Skylar noticed a dashboard camera sitting in the middle of the dash.
"Hey, what's this thingy?" she asked.
Celia glanced at it. "It's a dashboard camera."
Her online research had revealed several precautionary steps she could take to protect herself if it really was Rod stalking her. A dashboard cam was highly recommended.
"I don't want anyone messing with my car. It's in that public garage all day, and I just got worried."
That was only partially true. She wasn't ready to share her Rod issues with Skylar just yet. Then she remembered that one of the websites she had researched specifically advised telling people.
"That's only part of the truth. I may have a problem with my ex-husband. I've seen a truck that looks like his a few times, and I don't want to take any chances. So, if you see a skinny, slick-looking guy in a red pickup who looks like he doesn't belong, let me know."
Skylar gasped. "I sure will. You got a picture of him?" Celia said, "Siri, pull up a picture of Rod."
Siri replied, "Bringing up a picture of Rod." In an instant, Rod's face appeared on the dashboard screen.
"There you go," Celia said.
The picture had been taken at a picnic they attended last 4th of July. He was wearing a tank top, a red, white, and blue Uncle Sam plastic top hat, and shorts. He flashed a broad smile that Celia had to admit made him look kind of handsome.
Skylar pulled out her phone and took a picture of the screen. "Good. Now I've got him." She paused. "He doesn't look dangerous. Kinda cute, actually."
Celia smirked. "Yeah, he has that first-impression thing going for him." She added, "And he's not a bad guy, mostly. It got ugly at the end..." The memory of a backhanded slap cut the thought short. "Just let me know if you see anyone who looks like him."
Skylar nodded, looking concerned, but didn't respond.
When they got to Cord's, the group was hanging out front. There was an air of impatience among them.
Skylar said, "Hey, what's up? Were you waiting for us? Are we late?"
Flynn answered, "Not you guys. Parker. He's had kid issues. He's on his way."
On cue, Parker's Nissan Rogue pulled up. He jumped out and grabbed his stuff.
"I am so sorry, guys. Trouble with the ex and the kid, but it's all sorted. Let's hit it!" He turned to Skylar. "Hey, Sky, can I talk to you for a second?"
He pulled Skylar aside, and they had a short, animated conversation. Skylar walked over to Celia with a knowing smile and said, "I'm gonna ride with Cord. Is it okay if Parker rides with you?"
Celia looked at Skylar, a tad hurt. "Yeah, I guess. I thought we'd get to do it, but okay."
Skylar skipped to the SUV and climbed in. Parker, wearing a Dallas Stars hat with his T-shirt flung over his shoulder, strode to the Z.
"Hi. I hope you don't mind. I just thought it would be fun to ride with you, if that's okay." He gave her an affable smile.
Celia smiled back.
He's flirting with me. That's kinda nice.
"Hell, why not? Climb in. You may want to put that T-shirt on; the leather seats will be sticking to your back before the end of the block." She slid behind the wheel.
Parker pulled the shirt over his head, and plopped into the passenger seat.
Cord took off, and they followed.
Celia's HH playlist underscored the pleasant drive: her usual mix of current country, old-school tracks, Taylor, and a little Bruce.
Parker examined the interior of the Z. "Nice car. I've always wanted something like this. Actually, I had an old Subaru BRZ just before I got married—called it the Bachelor Car. Three months after I got it, I met Sylvia. Then Kevin came along, and a two-seater wasn't working for us. Ended up trading it in for an SUV." He paused and then smirked. "Okay, it was really a minivan. I just could never make myself call it that." He laughed.
"So, let me guess: Sounds like you're in the middle of a divorce? Am I right?" she asked.
He squirmed in his seat before he said, "No, not in the middle. We tried hard but just couldn't make it work. Turned out we wanted different things out of life. We decided that we'd both be happier if we had the chance to find out what those things were." He looked out the window and paused. Celia let him have the moment. Then he said, "It's as amicable as you can get, I guess. And we have our son, so he's the priority."
Celia glanced at him, then returned her eyes to the road. "It's funny. I just got word a few days ago that my divorce is final. It's a weird feeling. I understand what you're saying. Something you thought would be forever turned out not to be. It's always sad."
Parker touched her forearm and said, "I'm sorry to hear that." A complicated smile crossed her lips, and she nodded. "Yeah, but what are ya gonna do? Is yours finalized yet?"
"Coincidentally, as of last Monday, just before yours, I guess," he said with a hint of amazement.
"How long?" Celia asked.
"Nine years. You?"
"Thirteen. We did the Texas quickie. Since we had no kids, no property, nothing to fight over, it went as smooth as one can hope. I gave him the TV, and he was fine with everything after that." Hearing herself say it out loud made their life together sound even smaller. "That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about him." She snorted at the irony.
Parker leaned back in the passenger seat and said, "Look at us—something in common right out of the gate. What are the odds?" He has a sense of humor.
The getting-to-know-you conversation continued throughout the ride. Celia told him about her job and how she ended up in Austin. He told her he was a nurse practitioner at a neurosurgery practice.
Hell, he actually does brain surgery!
"How old's your son?" she asked.
"Six. In kindergarten and crushing it, I might add." His face lit up. "The kid's amazing. So funny. He looked at me last night and said, 'Daddy, does your face hurt?' And I said, 'No.' And he goes, 'Well, it's killing me.'"
Celia let out an honest, sincere laugh. "That's adorable." Another laugh escaped, and she said before she really thought about it, "I was going to ask the same thing about your face."
Parker's eyes went wide. He let out a low whistle and acted offended in that exaggerated, I'm-just-kidding way. "So, it's gonna be like that, is it? Okay, lady. Bring it on."
They continued to amuse each other for the rest of the drive.
Once they arrived at the lake, everyone fell into their routine, and they were floating in no time. Kayla hadn't been able to make it; a catering gig kept her away. The others had a wonderful afternoon. Celia took a turn at the grill with the burgers and hot dogs. As she dropped them onto the grill, Flynn walked up and handed her an apron.
"Downside of being naked: spattering grease is a significant hazard." Flynn smiled.
Celia took the bibbed apron and dropped it over her head. It covered her from knees to neck. "I can see where this would be useful. Thanks."
Flynn stepped back and looked at Celia. "I don't know why, but there is something very sexy about an ass hanging out of the back of an apron." She laughed and then followed up with, "That wasn't a come-on. Just an observation. And it may be a personal observation at that." She turned to the group and yelled, "Hey, guys, is it just me, or is Celia's ass hanging out of that apron sexy as hell?"
After a brief moment of consideration, they all yelled their approval. "Sexy as hell!" Skylar squealed.
"Absolutely awesome," Parker added.
"A dangerously darling derrière." Mia laughed as she said it. Celia blushed and wiggled her butt at the crowd. After everyone finished eating, the swimming resumed. Celia floated next to Parker but was looking for an opportunity to talk to Flynn.
"So, this is really only your second time naked?" Parker asked. "Not technically. I showered this morning."
"You know what I mean. You've never been with a group like this?" Parker asked.
Celia swiveled a bit back and forth on her floatie. "Yeah. My second time.
You've observed my entire nudist experience," she said with a flirtatious tone.
Parker cleared his throat and asked, "Ever been to a lifestyle place?" Celia's face scrunched up. "I'm not sure what you mean." Parker took a deep breath. "A lifestyle group is made up of like-minded people who enjoy sensuality and sexuality." He averted his eyes as he said it.
"Okay," Celia said, still unclear. "Doesn't everyone enjoy sensuality and sex?"
Parker let out a desperate snort, dancing around what he wanted to say. As she scrutinized him, Celia's eyes lit up as she caught on. "Oh, wait, are you talking about swingers?"
Parker let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, thank you. I wasn't sure how to broach that."
"Okay, I'm with you now."
What the hell is this about?
"Um, no. I've never been to a lifestyle thing." Celia's eyes widened, and a surprised blush crossed her face. "That's a little outside my purview."
Parker said, "I was just wondering. Some of us here have. Just so you know."
Celia took the news in stride. Her tolerance for this kind of revelation had apparently increased. Curiosity got the better of her. "So, in this 'lifestyle,' you have sex with other people? Or a bunch of people? Orgies? That kind of thing?" Parker splashed with his feet. "Sometimes. It depends on the group." Interesting.
She wanted to know more, but she didn't want to give him the impression that she was interested in participating.
"So, what? You go to a place and randomly pick out a partner? I've heard about key parties. Is it like that?"
Parker smiled at her naïveté. "It can be whatever you want. It's usually couples who go. They stay together and invite another couple in, or they split up and find each other at the end of the night. There really aren't rules. You can just do what you want."
Celia took in all of this information. With wonderment, she said, "Sounds ... intriguing. So, are you part of that swing thing? Did you and your wife do it?"
This touched a nerve for Parker. "Couple of times. I loved it. Didn't really work for her. It became one of the big issues between us."
Celia didn't know how to respond. Her marriage had fallen apart from a lack of interest in sex. Parker's had fallen apart from too much interest in it. The conversation had turned down a road she didn't want to follow. As intrigued as she was, it felt dangerous to pursue.
Seeing Flynn alone on the boat, she was about to excuse herself, but Parker said, "I mean, it's just sex. It's fun and exciting and no big deal. Haven't you had a one-night stand or had sex with someone you just met? How is that any different?"
That hit Celia squarely in the conscience. Truth was, she had done all of that. Her tryst from a few nights ago popped into her head. The pool table at the mansion in New Orleans was still fresh in her memory. Six months ago, her answer would have been, Hell no. Now desire had built inside her, and she couldn't seem to control it.
I don't like where this is going.
Celia said, "You know what? I need some sunscreen. Can I get you anything?" She started to paddle to the boat.
Parker said, "Wait, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Celia moved away and said, "No, don't be silly. It's not a problem, I promise."
She climbed into the boat and sat next to Flynn as she dried herself off. She took a deep breath and shook her head.
That was so fucking weird. Where'd all that come from?
Flynn said, "Everything okay?"
Distracted, she replied, "Yeah, everything's great." Celia recognized the perfect opportunity.
"Flynn, can I ask you a legal question?" Celia asked. Flynn cocked her head. "We usually don't talk shop out here, but okay, what's up?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Are you sure it's okay?" Flynn smiled. "Sure. What's up?"
"I may have an issue with my ex-husband." This caught Flynn's attention. "He lives in Houston, but I swear I have seen him here in Austin twice in the last week or so. I think he may be stalking me."
Deep concern flashed across Flynn's face. "How do you know?" she asked. Celia explained the truck sightings.
"So, I did some research, and there seems to be a ton of options and advice. I got a dash cam; I'm altering my route to and from work, which really pisses me off. Why should I have to be so inconvenienced when this is all his fault?"
Flynn listened closely, leaned back, and pursed her lips. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "The law allows for serious steps if you can prove he's stalking you. But right now, you can't. The only thing you can do is stay vigilant. If you can get pictures or video of him, call me right away. I can walk you through this."
Celia smiled and squeezed Flynn's arm. "You're a godsend. Thank you so much. I will do that."
Flynn's expression turned deep and serious, as though she had personal experience with the subject. She leaned in. "I'm serious. As soon as you get pictures, call me." She put her arms around Celia and hugged her. The embrace was sincere, and it warmed Celia's heart.
Relieved, Celia sprayed on more sunblock and lay out on the front deck of the boat. After fifteen minutes, she dove back into the lake to cool off. Just then, Cord yelled, "Hey, everybody, time to hit it."
They packed up, climbed into the boat, and headed in.
As they were loading the cars, Parker approached Celia.
"So, did I freak you out with the lifestyle stuff?"
Celia gave him a sidelong look and answered honestly. "Not freaked out. I've just never considered that before. It caught me off guard. It's not an issue, really. I'll live."
Parker gave a sad smile. "I hope I didn't ruin things. I can talk about other stuff."
Celia smiled. "I know you can. Really, don't worry about it." She wanted him to know that they were good, so she asked, "You wanna ride back with me?"
Parker let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "Well, I don't know. You're kinda prudish."
Celia laughed and slapped his arm in jest. "Get in, lover boy. Get in before I change my mind."
Ninety minutes later, Celia eased the yellow Z to a stop in front of Cord's house. Parker opened the door and said, "Thanks for the ride and the conversation. I had a good time." He stood, then leaned back into the car. "Do you have dinner plans tonight? I really enjoy talking with you, and it might be fun to continue the conversation."
Celia smiled. "Yeah, you aren't so bad yourself. I don't know why all these guys say those awful things about you."
"They're just jealous." Parker laughed. "So, what do you think? Dinner? I'll find someplace nice, I promise."
Celia turned away and looked out the driver's side window as she thought.
Turning back to him, she said, "Sure. Why not? What time?"
Parker nodded, satisfied. "Great. Let me get a reservation, and I'll text you.
Thanks again for the ride." He pulled his bag from the car and closed the door. As he walked away, he turned and gave Celia a small, flirtatious salute. She smirked at the lame gesture. When he started his car, Celia pulled out and headed home.