“That’s OK,” replied Laura shyly. “I’ll come with you.” Then she realized she’d have to get out of the pool, and hesitated. Pull yourself together, she thought. You’re not wearing lingerie at a board meeting, remember? She pulled herself up and out of the water, quickly tugging and pulling on all planes, making sure everything stayed where it was supposed to.

“Wow,” said Maggie, looking over her glasses at the younger woman, “that’s quite the swimsuit.”

“Uh, it’s Polly’s,” replied Laura, heading toward the house quickly, trying not to catch anyone’s eye.

“It doesn’t look like that on me,” said Polly nonchalantly. “I’d need to work out much more than I do.” She laughed. “Or at all.” She looked over at Bob, who was staring after Laura with a fairly obvious expression of astonishment on his face. “Weren’t you going in, too, Bob?”

“Yes,” he said, “yes, I was.” He started after Laura, who’d reached the gate and was nearly out of sight. “Wait for me.”

Once they were both gone, Polly turned to the others and grinned.

“I’ll open the betting at two to one in favor of them hooking up by the end of the summer.”

Everyone started reaching for their wallets.

•   •   •

Laura went directly to her room and quickly changed into sweats. The suit had made her feel self-conscious and exposed, so now she reached for big, soft, and baggy. Returning to the kitchen, she found Bob standing at the sink, measuring sugar.

“Are you cooking?” she asked, and he turned and smiled at her. She looked warmer and more comfortable than she had at the pool, and while he wasn’t likely to forget what she looked like with fewer clothes on, he could see she felt better like this.

He turned back to the sink. “No, I’m making nectar for the hummingbird feeders. Maggie keeps several by the pool, and I noticed they were empty.” He finished with the sugar, and added warm water, stirring to dissolve the crystals. “I should probably have brought them, too, to clean them, but . . .” He shrugged. “Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”

Laura frowned. “Because you forgot the feeders? That’s a little harsh.”

He said nothing, just lifted the glass jug he was filling in order to check it was clear. Then he smiled at her and said, “Are you going back out?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “Can I help with the feeders?”

“Sure,” he said. “I already made another jug. Can you carry that one?”

They made their way back to the pool, where the others were sitting and arguing about sushi.

“It’s not real wasabi,” Asher was saying. “It’s horseradish dyed green. Real wasabi is a horse of a different color.”

“Not green?” asked Polly, who was watching him closely while also trying not to watch him closely.