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“You had it bad for this woman.”
“I don’t know… I don’t know if I did.” He trails off again. He shifts. Our knees bump gently, then settle in side by side.
I notice the way the late afternoon light illuminates the tousled waves of his hair. When was the last time he shaved—two days ago? Three? The stubble on his jawline is tinted auburn. It suits his roguish, confident, devil-may-care look.
My eyes travel to his lips.
A fantasy of what it would feel like to feel them on mine passes through my mind, unstoppable.
Delightful.
Devine.
I can imagine the heat, the warmth, the thrill.
I shift my leg underwater so it’s no longer touching his. Maybe the friendly, super-casual physical contact is getting to me.
“I think I liked being with her for the wrong reasons,” he says. “I liked her through rose-colored glasses, you know? That’s what Brett—sorry, my brother—told me earlier today. Like the hippies used to wear, so a filter of pink covered everything. It was some sort of trick I played on myself. Probably not the makings for a healthy relationship.”
“Yes.”
“Hunh?” He crooks his mouth at me. “Yes, about what? That I’m messed up about love?”
“No, no. I mean, yes, you can use the photos.”
“Great. We have a win-win here, I think.”
“The elusive win-win. Easy enough in theory, but in reality, they’re hard to come by.”
“Then I’m especially happy we landed on one. I’ll help you cheer up your mother, and you’ll help me regain my dignity with my ex.”
“Deal.” I stick out my hand.
His grip is strong and gentle at the same time. Energy pings along my forearm, then zips through me. “Deal.”
I don’t want to let go of his hand. Like, ever.
But I make myself break contact. “Okay, great. I guess we better get down to business. If we take a couple of selfies with both our faces in the shot, that’ll do for today. We can use my phone for the photos; I have a decent camera. It’s over in my bag by that chaise.” I gesture over to the pool and then stand up.
My mind is already on getting my phone. Mentally, I’m flawlessly getting out of the hot tub to move this rendezvous along. I am really enjoying this guy’s company, but I don’t want to waste his time.
However, my body malfunctions. I feel it in my heart first. The thump-thump starts in my chest but radiates to my temples in a way I’ve never experienced before.
That’s not right, I think, as the thumping gets louder.
Then, my vision changes. A dark tunnel closes in on me so fast I barely have time to blink.
The world turns black.
The next thing I know, I’m falling.
Chapter 6
Hazel
The world is dark, and I’m falling fast.
I expect to hear some sort of horrific splash. Feel the hard metal of the hot tub railing, or worse, a skull-jarring conk on patio tiles.
