“I’m in love with your pool.”
“It is pretty amazing,” I agree.
“Just so you know, I may never leave. Spending the rest of my life in this water seems like one of my better ideas.”
“What about food? You’d starve,” I point out.
“Dude, don’t rain on my parade. It’s a fantasy. That means it doesn’t need to be based in reality.”
“I know all about fantasizing.” I smirk.
“Spare me the dirty details.”
“I’m more interested in acting them out than telling you. Want to help me?”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re funny.”
“That’s not a no,” I retort. She ignores me, pushing off the bottom of the pool and swimming away. Her lean arms efficiently stroke through the water, making short work of the long pool length. She somersaults, starting back in the other direction like an experienced swimmer. Treading water, I watch her sleek, tan form as she continues her laps.
Finally, she stops at one end, her breathing accelerated from the exercise. “Did you take swimming lessons?” I ask, leisurely paddling toward her.
“Yep. From the time I was four until sophomore year of high school.”
“Did you swim competitively?”
“Uh huh. But I decided I wanted to do all the things that other teenagers were doing.”
“Getting drunk and having sex?” One side of my mouth curves with humor.
She purses her lips sternly and shakes her head. “You might’ve been doing those things, but I wasn’t. I wanted to hang out at the mall with my friends and get a job.”
“Do you ever regret stopping? You could’ve gone to college on a scholarship.”
“No. I gave it a lot of thought before I decided. There’s no way to rush a decision as the daughter of Mark and Sally Jennings.”
“Are your parents control freaks?” I ask.
“My parents are very successful motivational speakers. They’re both in high demand in the private business sector.”
“How did I not know this?” I’m surprised for real.
“You and I haven’t really hung out and shared secrets.”
“Maybe that should change. I’m great at keeping secrets.”
“Sorry. My friend quota is filled,” she quips.
“Can you really have too many friends?”
“I think you can. I don’t have enough free time to devote to any more people than I currently do.”
“That’s too bad. You don’t know what you’re missing out on. I’m an in-demand guy.”
“Oh, I’m sure you are.”
“I’ll save a friendship slot for you, though.”
She places her hand on her chest. “How lucky for me.”
She may do positivity well, but her sarcasm game is on point too.
“So tell me more about what it was like growing up with your parents.” I love the push and pull she and I share, but I also want to learn as much about her as I can. I may not get another opportunity to spend this much time alone with her. Making the most of each moment is a must.
“Okay, let’s see.” She chews on her bottom lip thoughtfully. “They pretty much spoon fed me positivity three meals a day, and I gobbled it up like it was chocolate.”
“You probably didn’t have much choice,” I offer.
“Obviously, at first I was too young to have an opinion on their methods and whether they were worthwhile or not. But as I matured, I realized my parents were right about a lot of things, especially, the importance of a positive attitude. Your outlook on life can affect so much.”
“I know being positive is a good thing, but does it really matter in the grand scheme?” I’m playing devil’s advocate right now just to get her to talk more. I like listening to her. I like the way her attention is focused on me, like she really wants to share these thoughts with me. Like she needs me to hear them.
“Absolutely. Life gives you what you expect. If I think all guys will treat me like crap, then I’m probably going to attract that exact type of man.”
“Or maybe you’re just attracted to shitty guys,” I reason.
She sighs before tapping her finger on her closed lips. “Maybe I should use you as an example. Do you want a relationship or do you purposely look for the easy sex, no commitment types?” She angles her head, waiting for my reply as if it’s important.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Why do you need to drag my history into this discussion?”
She splashes water my way. “Stop whining and suck it up. And answer the damn question.”
“I’ve never wanted a girlfriend.”
“Never?” she interrupts.
“Never,” I confirm.
“My parents would tell you to never say never. That word can have a negative connotation.”
“I kinda like that word, and in this situation it fits.”
“Why haven’t you wanted a girlfriend?” she asks.
“I don’t have the time or energy to devote to one.”
“Don’t you want to fall in love?”
“No.”
“No?” She raises her brows.
“No. You know, the two letter word, starts with an n and ends with an o.”
“Haha, smart ass. I’m being serious.”
“Why is my lack of a love life so interesting?”
“Maybe I want to take advantage of this opportunity and get all the dirt on you that I can,” she says.
“Okay, I’ll play along. Fire away.” She studies my face in silence for too long. “Are you asking or not?” I get impatient.
“I’m trying to figure you out.”
I laugh. “Good luck with that. I don’t even have myself figured out sometimes.”
“I guess I’m curious why you wouldn’t want to fall in love. Is there something from your past that makes you afraid to let another person in?”
Shit. She’s getting a little too close to the truth for comfort. “How do you feel about going out tonight?” I change the subject.
She shakes her head. “Subtle, Winters. Real subtle.”
“So, what do you say?” I press for an answer.
“I don’t have any clothes with me. You told me to bring my bathing suit. You didn’t say anything about packing an overnight bag.”
“Maddie has a closet full of clothes upstairs. You can borrow whatever you need.”
She licks her lips, drawing my attention to their dark pink shade. “What about you?”
“I have clothes here.”
She nods slowly. “What do you have in mind?”
“There’s a bar not too far from here that has live music. So what do you say?”
“I’m probably going to regret this, but why not?”
“What can I get for you?” The bartender smiles at Clover before his eyes lower to her tits. There’s only one thing he wants from her, and it has nothing to do with mixing her a drink.
“She’ll have a Moscow Mule and I’ll have a Sam Adams.” I order for both of us. Hey, Clover told me what she wanted, and there’s no way I’m letting this guy flirt with her right in front of me. Not gonna happen. I’m acting territorial, and I’m feeling protective. I’m sure it has to do with what happened on her date.