“Tim! Watch this one!” Jennifer confidently jumped off the side, executing a perfect cannonball while Julia hung off Tim’s back. Jilly was off in her own little world in the shallow end diving for treasure, the large pool goggles she wore humorous on her tiny head.
“Whoa! You got me soaked with that one!” His hair was tied up on his head, his beard glistening with droplets of pool water, catching the light of the brilliant summer sun.
“Watch out for Jo-Jo, Jennifer. You know she doesn’t like it when she gets splashed in the face,” she reminded her firstborn as she gently slid into the refreshing water out of Tim’s line of sight. Her eyes followed Jennifer as she cut through the water toward him. He reached underneath and effortlessly pulled her up by the arm and onto his back next to Julia.
“Okay, hold on tight, girls. I’m gonna give you a boat ride.”
Jennifer and Julia seemed delighted as they held on to his strong shoulders. He pushed off the side of the pool, and they squealed as he cut through the water and started to swim laps. With each exerted breaststroke, the wake of the waves rose up to their chins. When Jill saw how much fun her sisters were having, she threw her goggles to the side and joined in the game, holding on to Tim for dear life. Jessica watched in awe as all three of her daughters collected on the back of this giant man. His strength and ability were amazing. Each time he came back to the ledge, she thought the game was over, and he would stop. But Tim continued lap after lap, his endurance uncanny. She started to worry.
“Girls, I think that’s enough for now. You’re gonna wear the poor man out! Why don’t you get out and dry off? I’ll get some popsicles.”
Tim swam a final lap and dropped the girls at the corner stairs, helping each one out of the water. Jessica waded over to him with the baby in her arms. “Do you mind holding Joanne while I help the girls?”
“I’d love to,” he panted and held his arms out, Jo-Jo reaching for him.
Quickly, she splashed up the stairs, aware that Tim was watching her backside as it came up and out of the water. Grabbing her towel, she hurriedly tied it around her waist.
Once the girls were settled with popsicles in their hands under the shade of the porch, she approached the pool, wearing a cover-up, and paused to watch Tim hold her baby. He bounced her up and down in the water, making her laugh, a real baby whisperer.
“I can take her now,” she said, a pain of melancholy shooting to her heart when she noticed happy smiles on their faces. Jo-Jo’s daddy never played or smiled at them like that. “There’s a towel on the chair for you and an extra popsicle if you want it.”
Tim’s green eyes sparkled with playfulness. “Nice.”
Later, the girls played on the swing set in a separate area of the manicured backyard while Tim manned the grill. Jessica couldn’t help but hum along to a familiar Georgia Clay song as the music echoed through speakers in the state-of-the-art stereo system while she made a pitcher of lemonade. Her cell phone pinged with a text message.
I think it would be in your best interest to bang that yard guy—I’ve always thought he was HOT in a sweaty, off-limits kinda way!
The text ended with three flame emojis making Jessica bite her lip. She was sure Elizabeth’s imagination was going crazy.
Before she went back outside, she grabbed two cold beers from the fridge. It was weird to watch another man cook on the large stainless-steel grill in the outdoor kitchen. Stephen hated being outside except to golf, and she had always been the one to grill. It was nice to see a man in front of the fire for a change.
“How’s it coming?” she asked while handing him the frosty bottle. The heavenly aroma of grilled meat wafted into her face.
Tim looked down at her with a spatula in one hand and took the beer Jessica offered with the other. His smile dazzled, and she noticed tiny droplets of perspiration on his chest. “Should be done in a few minutes.” A colorful beach towel was wrapped around his waist and his muscular arms and abs were dangerously close to her face. She had to stop herself from staring at the intricate design of his tattoo.
“Okay. I’ll tell the girls to go wash their hands.” She started to leave.
“Wait. Cheers.” He thrust his bottle toward hers and smiled. “Thanks for having me. It’s been a great day.”
Biting her lip to suppress a smile, she clinked her bottle with his. “Well, I’m happy you’re here,” she said matter-of-factly. Their eyes met as they each took a long pull from the amber bottles and she was momentarily stunned by the striking ivy-green color of his eyes up close, not able to look away. Her face started to flush, and she almost choked in an attempt to regain her composure. “I’ll go… tell the girls it’s almost ready.”
He nodded and licked his lips before he flipped the burgers one last time. Oh lord, how was she going to get through this night?
***
By the time they finished eating at the outdoor patio table, the summer sky was a wash of faded color. The shades of pink and orange in the sunset were replicated in the tiny bowls of rainbow sherbet placed in front of each little Kaufman girl. The underwater pool lights automatically came on at the first sign of dusk and a few rogue evening golfers finished up their rounds on the expansive course beyond the fence line. Tim had put on a t-shirt before they sat down to eat but kept a damp towel around his swim trunks. Dinner was delicious, the simple grilled meal reminding him of the months he spent with his sister Tabitha and her family in Malibu. Few leftovers sat in the middle of the round outdoor table, a testament to hungry little girls and famished adults after an afternoon of vigorous swimming fun.
Tim sipped on another beer, relaxed and engaged in the chatter of children as they ate their sherbet. He glanced over at Jessica who listened to the youthful conversation intently, her full pink lips turned up in a lazy smile. The freckles on her face were more prominent after hanging out all day in the summer sun, and her long blonde hair frizzed slightly from air drying in the humidity. She was incredibly, naturally beautiful, her vivid blue eyes sparkling with a child-like wonder of their own.
Earlier, she seemed modest around him, clinging to a towel wrapped around her waist until she entered the pool. It was as if she didn’t want him to see her body in a swimsuit. This humored Tim. Jessica Kaufman was all woman with soft curves in all the right places, her ample cleavage gorgeous in the tight spandex of her suit. She seemed more relaxed after dinner, the few beers she consumed probably helping the situation. It was the perfect summer evening, and Tim was thankful to be a part of it.
Baby Jo-Jo rubbed her eyes as she sat in the highchair pulled close to Jessica. Her mother took the bib that was around her neck and wiped her mouth before pulling her up and out of the chair, holding her close. Jo-Jo snuggled against her tanned chest and yawned.
“Girls, you need to finish up so we can go get ready for bed.”
Jennifer’s eyebrows shot up, and she comically smiled before she started spooning the remnants of her dessert faster and faster into her mouth. Her two sisters followed suit, and the sound of silver spoons clinking against the glass bowls was diminished by the erupting giggles, swirls of colorful sherbet dripping down chins.
Jessica laughed. “Okay, okay. I think y’all are done for the night. There’s not a drop left in your bowls. Wipe your faces and let’s go.” She stood with the baby on her hip and motioned for the girls to get up. “Don’t forget to say good night to Tim.”
