I close the door behind me and set my towel on one of the lounge chairs.
She reaches the wall and surfaces, pushing wet hair back from her face. Then she sees me. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was here.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s a shared space.” I move closer to the pool edge. “How’s the water?”
“Perfect.” She treads water, looking up at me. “You’re welcome to join.”
I dive in without answering.
The water is exactly the right temperature. Warm enough to be comfortable, cool enough to be refreshing. I surface a few feet from her.
“You’re a good swimmer,” I say.
“High school swim team. It’s been a while, but muscle memory, I guess.” She pushes off the wall and floats on her back. “I forgot how much I loved this.”
We swim in silence for a few minutes. Her doing lazy laps, me doing actual ones, burning off the tension from Marco’s message and everything else.
When I finally stop, she’s sitting on the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water.
“Rough day?” she asks.
“Why do you say that?”
“You were swimming like you were trying to outrun something.”
Perceptive. I pull myself up to sit beside her. “Work stress. It happens.”
“What kind of work stress?”
I glance at her. “The kind I can’t talk about.”
“Classified billionaire problems?”
“Something like that.”
She smiles, and water drips from her hair onto her shoulders. I watch one drop slide down her collarbone and disappear into her swimsuit.
Focus, Donovan.
“How are you settling in?” I ask, redirecting.
“Good.” She kicks her feet gently in the water. “Your family has been incredibly welcoming. Especially after Logan left.” She looks at me. “Is that weird? That I’m relieved he’s gone?”
“No. Logan’s exhausting. I’d be relieved too.”
She laughs at that. “You’re his brother. You’re supposed to defend him.”
“I’m his brother. I know him better than anyone.” I lean back on my hands. “He was never right for you.”
“That seems to be the consensus.”
“Because it’s true.” I turn to look at her. “You’re too smart for him. Too interesting. He couldn’t keep up with you even if he tried.”
She goes quiet, fingers tracing patterns in the water.
I’ve been holding back all week. But right now, sitting here with her, water dripping down her skin, I’m done holding back.
“Samantha.”
