Page 24 of Easy Reunion

After surgery, the water became my exercise refuge. Surrounded by its weightlessness, I could do more, dream more, be more. I tip my head to the side to get another burst of air, continuing to rotate my arms over again. Finally, sixty laps later, I glide into the wall. “Not bad,” I murmur to myself.

Then I hear a voice above me. “No, not bad at all. If you cool down, you’ll have swum over a mile. Jesus, Kelsey, I’m impressed.”

Tipping my goggle-covered eyes upward, I follow bare feet up to a pair of nylon pants, past a T-shirt, and into the remarkably handsome face of Rierson Perrault.

Dunking under the water, I yank my goggles off over my head. Popping my head back out, I toss the tangled mess on the deck at his feet. “What are you doing here?” I’d only just started coming to this gym at Darin’s recommendation. It’s centrally located to the areas I’m looking to buy a home in and is a fantastic facility. Darin has been a member for years. Did he know that Ry was a member here too? No, there’s no way—I quickly disabuse myself of that notion. Sinking, I let the water’s motion pull me slightly back so I can meet his gaze head-on.

“Waiting for you. And I’ll keep waiting if you want to cool down.”

“That might take another fifteen years.” I reach for my goggles and untangle them before slipping them back into position. I start to push off into a slow breaststroke for the last 200 meters when I hear him say, “But at least I’d be around you trying.”

Shit. Ducking my head beneath the water, I surround myself with the cool blue to calm my mind.

And my racing heart.