Page 39 of Here & Now

Nine

Bree sat in front of her laptop and took in her writing view. She’d set up a workstation on the lanai, with a view of the pool, backyard, and, off to the left, Zane’s lanai.

Along with her laptop, she had her notebook from last night, two pens, and a tall glass of ice water. She was wearing a floral one-piece swimsuit with a matching sarong tied around her waist, and her hair was in a messy bun. The only thing that would have made the setting more perfect was if her grandma were there too, but she pushed the thought aside. Today she was focused on her writing, which was usually the best distraction from her worries.

Inwardly she laughed at how many notes she’d taken of Zane’s interview. A lot of it was useless information that wouldn’t even make it into the article. He’d seemed so willing to answer her questions that she’d gone overboard and asked things out of pure nosiness.

She’d already given some thought to what she wanted to write, and when she set her fingers on the keys, they took off, flying over the keyboard almost as fast as her thoughts.

Every so often, she’d pause and read what she’d written. Then she’d correct her mistakes, change a word or two, and move on. She loved the writing process as much as the finished product, maybe even more so.

Time passed quickly, and soon she’d finished the first draft. The next step was to walk away for a while, and then she’d reread it with fresh eyes. She usually edited her work at least three times before submitting it to her boss. This time, she’d be sharing it with someone else too—Zane.

It was quiet next door, and she figured he was at his shop. After hanging out with him last night, she’d needed a reprieve. She hadn’t meant to divulge so much about her personal life, especially the part about John. He’d been so easy to talk to, though, and once she’d started, she couldn’t stop. She vowed to be more cautious around him next time.

There shouldn’t even be a next time, she thought as she pushed back her chair and stood. How had this happened? It seemed like one thing kept leading to another, and if she wasn’t careful… She shook her head to stop from spiraling.

Needing a break from writing and obsessing over her sexy neighbor, she decided to take a swim. She removed the sarong and laid it over a chair. Then she went down the steps into the shallow end, allowing her body to adapt to the water temperature, which felt much cooler than the air. She stood waist-deep in the water for a moment or two and then immersed herself up to her neck.

“Ahh.” The cool water revived her after sitting in the heat for so long. Soon she was swimming across the pool with smooth, even strokes, feeling the power in her arms and legs as they propelled her through the water.

She wasn’t sure how many laps she’d swum before she paused to catch her breath and heard someone clapping. She whirled around and saw Zane peering in from the strip of grass between their lanais.

“Impressive,” he said.

“How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to see what a strong swimmer you are.”

She wasn’t sure whether to be irritated that he was watching or flattered. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

He chuckled. “Marco’s there.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, I came outside and heard splashing, so I thought I’d say hello.”

She gave a little wave, flinging water droplets from her fingertips, and he smiled warmly. It was almost impossible to be irritated with him for long. Besides, like he’d said last night, he was just trying to be a friend. Still, she remained in the pool up to her neck.

“I see you were working too,” he said, glancing at her laptop.

“I just finished the first draft of the article.”

“Can I read it?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Right now?”

“Why not?”

She could think of a dozen reasons, starting with the fact that she was hardly wearing any clothes. Her one-piece was conservative as swimsuits went, but bits of her still stuck out in places he didn’t need to see.

To show him the article, she’d have to get out of the pool and walk across the deck to retrieve her towel, which would put all her bits on display. The thought of that bordered on terrifying.

“Or I could come back later tonight. Maybe we could have dinner together,” he said.

“That won’t work. I have plans.” It wasn’t exactly true, but she thought it would be more dangerous for him to come back later than read the article now.

“Oh.”