“Do you have a swimsuit?” she asked.
Brett frowned. “Yeah.”
“Go put it on.”
“I hate swimming.”
“You said you wanted to sweat, right? You want to run yourself ragged?”
Brett stared at her, his chest still heaving. “I’m not a swimmer, Penny.”
“I didn’t ask if you were a swimmer. I asked if you had a swimsuit. Are we going to stand here and argue about it?”
Brett’s throat worked, but he nodded once, then retreated to his room. Penny strode back into the kitchen, covered the pan still holding the half-finished chicken, and slid it back into the fridge. It was early enough, she could roast it up when they got home. She rushed to her room and changed into running shorts and a tank top so she wouldn’t roast next to the pool, then put on her flip flops and grabbed her waist bag.
Brett emerged from his room wearing board shorts and a faded T-shirt and holding a towel under his arm. Penny nodded approvingly, then walked out the door. She drove them the few blocks to the community center, then checked in and pushed through the doors to the indoor pool.
It wasn’t huge. Three lap lanes, a hot tub, a wading pool with a small slide for toddlers, and a steam room next to the bathrooms. Perfect. Brett set his towel on a chair, and took off his sandals. Penny did the same and dropped her bag on the chair next to his.
A woman who looked to be seventy plus was swimming in the far lane, so Penny motioned for Brett to take the closest one.
He peeled off his shirt, then hesitated. “You’re not getting in?”
“Why would I get in?” Penny worked to keep her expression even as she took in his broad chest with her peripheral vision.
Brett’s eyes wandered over her athletic wear, and Penny shivered. “I thought we were swimming.”
“No,you’reswimming. I’m going to coach you.”
Brett’s nostrils flared. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I doubt this will be—”
“Can you just get in the damn pool?” Penny planted a hand on her hip to emphasize her point, and Brett stalked to the edge of the water. He dipped his toe in like a gazelle testing for crocodiles, but before she could give him a hard time, he took the plunge and dropped into the shallow end. The water barely came up to his hips.
Penny stood by the edge of the pool, her dark hair still pulled up into a messy bun from when she’d started prepping dinner. She crouched down in front of Brett, trying not to notice that his skin grew tight and prickled in the cool water.
"I probably should’ve recommended we try this earlier in the week, so I’m sorry about that. This is one of the best ways to get your muscles back into action without straining anything,” Penny explained. Brett nodded once and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm going to teach you how to flutter kick the right way.”
“I know how to flutter kick.”
Penny rolled her eyes. “You just told me you aren’t a swimmer.”
“But I’ve gone swimming before.”
“Fine. Show me a flutter kick.” Brett turned to go down the lane, but Penny stopped him. “Right here. Just hold onto the wall.”
Brett’s lips were tight as he gripped the tiled edge of the pool and stretched his legs out behind him. He started to kick, and Penny got down on her knees. “You need to engage your core and keep your legs straight. Don't bend your knees much. Instead, focus on kicking from your hips while keeping your ankles relaxed." Brett nodded and made the adjustments. “Better.”
“Just better?” His blue eyes rose to her in challenge.
“Right.Better.” Penny stood. “Do you know a proper front crawl?” Brett dropped from the wall and showed her the arm motions. She nodded. “Get on your knees and drop your top half into the water. Show me how you breathe.”
Again, Brett did as she asked. When he pulled his face out of the water, Penny said, “Keep that right shoulder fully rotating. Don’t let it get away with less motion. And you need to exhale fully. Don’t hold anything back before your next breath.”
Brett nodded and pushed his hair away from his face. He had it in a hair tie, but she should’ve thought to bring him a swim cap. Penny stood. “Okay. Let’s go. Give me a lap.” When he got to the other end of the pool, she told him to work on even kicks, then set him loose for lap two.
When he stood in the shallow end, he sucked in a breath. Penny crouched in front of him and grinned. “Tired?”
Brett wiped the water from his face. “I’m just getting started.” He turned and did another two laps while Penny walked along with him on the pool deck. His form was still jerky, but it was improving. This time when he stood, he struggled to catch his breath.
