CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
July 9, 2010
Evening
Calvin opened his eyes lazily. Warmth sloshed across his skin like the feather-brush of a wonderful, slow dream. Sulfur mixed with the scent of citrus in the steam of his hot bath. Rose-colored tiles lined the walls. His climb to consciousness jolted forward when he noticed someone else in the room.
He yanked the shower curtain closed. The hoops tangled, and he wrestled them, tearing a few curtain holes.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded. His skin broke into gooseflesh.
Natalie answered in monotone. “I’m supervising. You smelled awful and we couldn’t show you to the guests like that.”
Calvin tilted his head around the curtain’s edge.
Natalie sat on the large countertop in a loose black kimono that was tied around her waist. She held a
