“I remain delighted.” She grinned as she pushed through the door. “Ahh!” She jogged past the lockers and swung her head around to gape at the urinals. “Transgression!”

His heart was light as he followed her onto the pool deck. She immediately started shedding her clothing. Instead of the blue one-piece she’d worn for their swimming lessons so many months ago, she was wearing a bikini. The top was purple with a “shell” over each breast. The bottom was shimmery green. It was an Ariel bikini. She was going to kill him. Both because that suit was inherently sexy as hell and because it was so her.

He moved toward her. He’d only been going to hug her. He just needed to hold on to her for a second. But she must have misread his intent—probably on account of the groan he couldn’t hold in. “So we’re getting right to it, are we?” she teased as she slid her hands up his shirt.

“Not necessarily.” She had wanted to eat. He pointed to a beach blanket he had set up in one corner. The effort required was Herculean, but he managed it. “Lunch.” He’d come with takeout from Sadie’s.

She skipped over—but she ignored the lunch and laid back on the blanket. Her hair fanned out all around her, and her eyes were bright with mischief. “Lie back and look at the sky, right? That’s what you tell all the girls?” She cocked her head as she contemplated the ceiling. “Lie back and look at the community center ceiling? I bet you’ve never used that line on any other girls.”

“There aren’t any girls.” There’s only you.

“Currently?”

“Correct.”

“But I bet there have been hordes. Since me, I mean.”

Were they really going to do this? He’d been willing to call a halt to the proceedings if she wanted lunch, but he wasn’t so keen on derailing them to have this discussion. But still. He had to correct the record. “There have been two.”

“Two girlfriends?”

He studied her face. She didn’t seem upset. And it wasn’t like he was going to lie to her. “Yes.”

“But probably more than that who have laid back and looked at the sky.”

Ah, he saw where she was going with this. “Are you asking me what my number is?”

“I guess I am.”

“Including you?”

“Yes. Total number.”

“Five.”

Her eyes widened. Yeah, it wasn’t a very manly number, he supposed, but he didn’t see any need to lie. “So me plus two girlfriends. Who were numbers four and five?”

“Tourists.” Just like he couldn’t make purchases in town without everyone commenting on them, he couldn’t make other transactions, either. Occasionally opportunities had presented themselves. Even less occasionally, they had presented themselves when he hadn’t been on duty or needed by Clara. He’d always intended to get on one of those apps, but life got in the way. It just never seemed urgent enough. Unlike now, when he suddenly started to feel like if he didn’t get inside Evie Abbott right now, he was going to lose his mind.