Page 6 of Summer Affair

He sniffed his shirt. “And a change of clothes. Good thing I keep some in my locker.”

“Most employees do, for this reason,” she agreed.

They headed back down the pathway towards the main pool area while the rest of the class disappeared down other pathways or stuck around the beach area. The early-morning fog was still swirling around the pathways but was slowly evaporating as the sunlight reached through the trees. Mist and moisture on the asphalt turned into steam while the birds sang overhead in the trees.

In various spots around the grounds, there were brightly colored benches and birdhouses scattered around the many pathways. Most of them had been made by guests who had taken a class in the wood shop that Liam Costa ran.

When they reached the pool deck, she slipped off her sandals, shorts, and T-shirt. The cool tiles were a welcome contrast to the warm sand. Thankfully, the pool area was deserted at this early hour. The water was still and very inviting. Even though it was still early in the year, she knew that in a few hours, the pool would be packed with guests.

Dean pulled off his camp T-shirt and walked over to dip a toe in the water. He shivered dramatically. “Brr! It’s like the Arctic in here!”

Andrea tossed her clothes onto a chair and rolled her eyes, smirking. “Oh, come on, you big baby. It’s not that cold. It will feel refreshing.”

“One could freeze and drown in the deeper water,” Dean shot back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here to save you if you do.” She laughed.

“I’ve seen you swim. You’re practically a mermaid. Though, after watching you do yoga this morning, maybe I should say you’re a yoga goddess?”

She smiled and felt her body heat at his compliment. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Except maybe into the pool.” Before he could react, she playfully shoved him into the deep end. Then she jumped in after him and landed right by his side.

She came up laughing uncontrollably as his arms circled her body.

“Don’t you dare drown me!” She laughed as she tried to hold onto him, his toned muscles unmoving under her fingertips as he pulled them back under the water. They surfaced again, both laughing and splashing each other.

The cool water felt like tiny spikes cutting her skin. Still, it was so refreshing that she didn’t care. It made her feel alive.

“You don’t play fair,” Andrea exclaimed, wiping her hair and water from her eyes.

“You’re the one who pushed me in,” Dean reminded her as he slicked back his wet hair. “All’s fair in love and pool war.”

Andrea swam closer, poking his chest. “I guess that makes us even. I think if we stick around in the deep end much longer, we’ll both end up at the bottom. How about we dry off and get some breakfast?”

Dean nodded quickly and headed to the side of the pool with her. “I could eat an entire stack of pancakes with extra syrup.”

As they swam to the shallow end, she glanced around, making sure they were still alone. It wasn’t against the rules for employees to enjoy the amenities, but the unwritten rule was to not draw attention to yourself while doing so.

“You know, if we keep this up, people might start talking,” Dean said as they stood in the waist-deep water now.

Andrea raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh? Just what do you think they will say?” His smile for an answer had her knees going slightly weak.

One thing she’d learned working at the camp for so long was that the employees loved juicy gossip. Over the years she’d heard all the scandalous rumors about herself. If you believed them, she had slept with more than a hundred people in the time she’d worked there. Both men and women.

Sure, she’d enjoyed herself, but not nearly that much.

She had heard just as many rumors about Dean. Most of them she knew for a fact were true. But that didn’t detour her attraction for the man, only doubled it.

“Probably something about how the handsome, charming Dean, that’s me”—he pointed to his bare wet chest and grinned—“has finally met his match,” he added with a wink.

She splashed him, laughing. “Handsome and charming, huh? You don’t have an ego at all,” she said dryly. “Besides, everyone knows you’re the male equivalent to me.”

“Oh?” He moved a little closer.

She lowered her voice and pretended to glance around. “Didn’t you know? We’re two of the biggest flirts on campus. You and I combined have slept with every single employee and guest that have ever walked through those front gates.”

He smiled slowly. “Yet for some reason, there has never been a rumor about us together.” His hands slipped to her waist, holding her under the water.

“No.” She smiled and easily slipped out of his hold. “Thankfully,” she said, diving into the water.