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Gennie nudges my shoulder. “You can always askhim.”
My brows furrow as I shift, following her line of sight. Under the mushroom, my daughter beams, waving frantically at a familiar passing face. Midnight hair glints under the bright sun as he smiles and waves back, his eyes suddenly surveying the space around Lyn.
Like a magnet, his gaze snaps to mine, and the air evaporates, leaving my mouth parched and my core tight.
It’s been a year since I’ve seen Theo, but even that short time has been very, very good to him.
Dressed in a simple white shirt and red swim shorts, Theo’s the billboard model for Baywatch. The muscles in his arms stretch the sleeves to their capacity while the hem pools around his waist. His shorts stop at the middle of his lean, muscular thighs, and even now, twenty feet away, he dwarfs all of us at well over six feet.
He’s not massive, but he’s big, a little intimidating, and unearthly gorgeous. He’s also only twenty-five, which is no age for me to consider dating. Not because of our gap, but because he’s got time, and I’ve got lingering abandonment issues and a child.
When he nears our group, my heart thuds faster, the air drying out another fraction.
“Theo, how have you been?” Wanda’s smile stretches across her entire face as he approaches. “We miss seeing those buns—youaround here.”
Theo smirks, his singular right dimple making an appearance, causing my nerves to prickle in awareness. “Ladies, Happy Mother’s Day. I miss being here. I hope the new guards have been keeping a close eye on things.”
His dark blue eyes flicker to mine, sending a jolt of electricity down my spine. It’s been an entire year, but my body still reacts the same simply being in his orbit.
It’s as though the entire pool is vacant, only he and I in this impermeable bubble. The sounds become muffled and the people fade to blurs. It’s always hard to remind myself that this is probably how he makes everyone feel and it’s not custom to me. But the wistful heart in my chest doesn’t listen and thrums harder, threatening my ribcage with a nasty bruise.
Gennie clears her throat, drawing our attention. “You’re doing computer repair now, right?
Theo nods, his gaze roving over my frame slowly before he glances at the rest of the women. It feels like I’ve suddenly been released from a tight hold, and my body slumps slightly. “Yes, ma’am. Just opened up a store over on Walsh.”
“Oh, nice. Congratulations,” Wanda says, taking another popsicle from the cooler. “What brings you back over to our little West Port abyss?”
His eyes flash to me briefly before he gestures to the lifeguard station at the back of the pool. “They had a problem with one of the pumps, and since it seems like I’m the only one who ever knew how to fix it, I told them I’d stop by.”
Molly smiles. “That was kind of you. Maybe if you have some time later, you could take a look at Olivia’s laptop. It’s giving her issues.”
I shake my head, a swell of heat expanding across my face. “No, that’s okay. It’s nothing, really.”
Gennie bumps my shoulder. “It is. It’s her old MacBook that she refuses to throw away.”
“Because it works.” I frown at Gennie, pursing my lips. “Plus, there’s some sentimental value attached to it.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t get a new one.”
I open my mouth to shoot her a rebuttal, but Theo’s soft laughter stalls the air in my lungs. “I can fix it, Ms. Tran. I’ll swing by later if you want and grab it.”
Somehow, I manage to swallow around the cotton suddenly lodged in my throat. I hate that no other man I’ve encountered stumps me up like an adolescent teen, but his presence has always felt so overpowering it’s hard not to. “Call me Olivia, Theo, and I’ll be at Carnations today, then deep in work on Sunday. Really, it’s fine.”
He hikes a dark brow. “Carnations Inn? My parents own that. I go over all the time to help my mom with tech upgrades.”
“What a coincidence.” Wanda’s lips curl into a mischievous grin. “Could you pick it up there?”
Again, I try to insert myself and tell him it’s not a big deal, that I can definitely send my report without any major inconveniences, but he shuts me down before I can speak.
“Of course. It’s the least I can do for you on Mother’s Day.”
“Theoooo.” That’s the only warning he’s given before my daughter wraps around his waist.
In the next blink, he’s got her up and over his shoulders, her wet legs dangling in front of his chest. Droplets of water fling from her skin and drip onto his white shirt, expanding into large circles that cling to his body.
“How’s my little beaver?” he calls up to her, gripping her slippery ankles in his palms. She beams, sticking out her jaw to show him her two front teeth are growing in just like the nickname he coined for her.
The first time I brought Lyn to the pool, she was two, and I was a nervous wreck. She didn’t take well to the local swim coaches, leaving me with a mound of anxiety when Gennie invited us to her daughter’s summer birthday party.
