I playfully swat at Mom’s arm with my hand. “Stop looking at my ass.” I move further away from her and walk into the water up to my shoulders.
As soon as Angel begins the warm-ups, my cell phone starts to play U2.
Jenson.
I start moving past people and toward the stairs. Mom glares at me. “Is that your phone?” she says loudly.
“Be right back,” I say as I apologize for nearly stepping on someone’s foot. I reach the steps and dash up the stairs and across the tiled floor, being careful not to slip on the standing water.
The ringing has ceased by the time I get to my towel. As I pick up the phone to text him, he texts me.
Where r u?
I dry my hands on my towel and smile.In Hell.
Where’s Hell?
Adult Ed. swimming pool with my mom & Bea. I’ll be done in an hour.
I press send, turn off my phone, and hurry back to the pool.
* * *
Angel is in great shape. And it turns out water aerobics is quite the workout. By the time the hour is up, I’m more tired than after my walks with Mom. The thing about being submerged in water is that you don’t know if you’re sore or not until after you climb out. And I can tell I’m going to be sore.
Mom’s exhausted, but Bea says she feels great and calls us both wimps.
“Love it,” Bea gushes to me afterward in the locker room. “Could do it every day.”
I smile at her. “Good for you, Bea. You’ve found your niche.”
“Isn’t that great?” Mom says as she pulls her shirt on over her suit at a lightning-quick pace. “You don’t mind if we skip the showering, do you girls?”
I shrug. “I can shower at home, sure.” I pull my tank top over my bikini and reach for my shorts.
“Good,” Mom says as she takes Bea’s arm and urges her onward. “It’s just so awkward in there,” Mom whispers as we walk out of the locker room. “Some women parade around naked, talking to you all the while as if you’re out to coffee together.”
“But we’re wet, Nora,” Bea complains. “Wearing our suits underneath our dry clothes isn’t very comfortable.”
“I’m sorry, Bea,” Mom says. “But your apartment’s right next door. I’ll walk you there myself.”
We step out into the parking lot, and I swallow back a gasp.
Jenson’s walking toward us.
His eyes catch mine, and I can read the promise in them from here. He glances at Mom and Bea and waves casually. He looks tanned, cool, and relaxed in shorts and a t-shirt.
“Whatever is Jenson doing here?” Mom says.
“He’s here to see me, I think,” I say, desperately trying to pull my soaking wet hair back into a ponytail.
“Oh, don’t we all look a fright?” Mom says as she puts a hand to her own hair. “I guess we should have showered, after all.”
Bea blanches. “I don’t want to talk to any men right now. Let’s send him away.”
Too late for that.
Jenson grins at me as he reaches us. “Good time in the pool?” he says.
