I swallow. “What sort of things?” Could he be talking about us?
He glances at me. And then suddenly he says, “I’m not sure I can do heavy today,” and drags his hand over his face. It’s almost as though he’s pulled on a mask because a second later he grins and jumps to his feet. “Let’s go for a swim.”
“Come for a swim with me, Gracie!” I mimic his younger self as I follow his lead and get up, trying not to dwell on my disappointment at his deflection.
“What wasthat?” he asks, laughing.
“Come for a swim with me, Gracie! Come and play Monopoly with me, Gracie! Come and play tennis with me, Gracie!”
“Is that supposed to be an impression ofme?”
“It’s agreatimpression of you,” I reply.
“Is it now.”
“Yes, it is.”
We’re standing two feet apart, smiling at each other. I feel as though I have a bunch of little bubbles popping away inside me.
“Did you bring your swimming costume?” he asks after another beat.
“My sexy orange bikini?” I plant my hands on my hips.
“Or anything else?”
“Nope.” I sway a little as I push my bottom lip out.
He shakes his head at me, his eyes sparkling. “That’s a shame.”
“It is,” I agree.
“But you’ll dry off.”
“What the—Jackson!” I squeal as he swings me up into his arms and takes off in the direction of the pool. “Argh, no!” I scream.
He’s laughing as he jogs across the lawn and throws me in at the deep end, fully dressed. I come up spluttering in time to see him dive-bomb in after me, drenching me in a tidal wave.
“How am I supposed to go home looking likethis?” I demand to know as his head pops out of the water.
Thank God I’d kicked off my shoes to play Ping-Pong.
“It’ll dry,” he replies with a shrug, flicking back his brown hair.
“Not if I’mwearingit.”
“So take it off.”
I gawp at him. He’s grinning.
“Would that cheer you up?” I ask boldly.
His grin widens. “Everything about you cheers me up.”
A rainbow bursts into Technicolor glory inside me.
“Okay, you asked for this,” I warn, unable to suppress my smile as I swim to the steps. I’m wearing light blue underwear underneath—thankfully it’s a matching set and isn’t sheer.
It’s actually less revealing than my orange bikini, I try to convince myself as I climb out, pulling my blue-and-yellow-patterned dress over my head. I lie it flat on a sun lounger and then turn around to face Jackson. He’s no longer laughing.
