Page 46 of Torin

But she’s laughing.

Then she pushes away from the bottom and starts swimming.

I watch her take a few strokes. Then a few more.

Huh.

There’s nothing rusty about the way she moves. Her stroke is clean and easy, and within seconds she’s cutting across the water like she’s been doing it all summer instead of telling me it’s been years.

I swim after her. “Thought you said you hadn’t done this in a long time.”

“I haven’t.”

“You’re pretty good.”

She turns onto her back. “I used to swim competitively.”

I grin. “Now you tell me.”

“Through high school.” She rolls over and keeps swimming.

Another little piece of Hannah I didn’t know yesterday. I like finding them.

She glances back and catches me watching her. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve got a look.”

“I was thinking you’re full of secrets.”

Her smile flashes. “Maybe.”

Then she kicks hard and takes off across the lake.

I stare after her.

Oh, she wants to play.

All right.

She’s fast. By the time I realize we’re apparently racing, she’s already put a decent stretch of water between us, heading for a broad slab of granite near the opposite shore.

Little cheat.

I put some power into my stroke.

The gap starts closing almost immediately. Hannah looks back, sees me gaining and laughs before putting her head down and swimming harder.

I could catch her.

Probably.

But watching her try this hard is more fun.

She reaches the rock a couple of seconds ahead of me and slaps one hand against the granite. By the time I catch up with her, she’s treading water, breathless and grinning.

“I win.”