They heard laughter coming from across the fence and she swore she heard a splash in the pool.

“It’s still April,” she said. “Even in Texas, who swims in April?”

“Well, the days have been warm, but I bet the pool is heated. It sounds like they’re having a party.”

“It’s barely nine o’clock in the morning.”

Her mother shrugged. “Sounds like fun. Maybe you should go meet her.”

“I will not. I’m mad because the woods are gone. I might say something ugly to her.”

“I think the reason her house is so close to us rather than in the middle of the property is that she left a lot of the woods on the other side. That’s where most of the big trees were. It’s one of the large lots, Laura Sue.”

Yes, Laura had already seen that from her bedroom window. The lots here ranged in size from one and two acres up to ten. Her parents were on a two-acre lot. She guessed the neighbor’s was the larger, at ten. At least from what she remembered when she was a kid, the woods had seemed to go on forever.

She leaned back, looking at the backyard. It had been neglected. Her mother’s flowerbeds were crowded with grass and weeds. The neat cobblestone walkway had been encroached upon by the lawn. The lawn that needed cutting. Badly.

“You used to keep this so tidy, so colorful with all your flowers.”

“For everything Frankie did for me after the accident, he was not into gardening. He kept the lawn mowed, that’s about it.”

“Is the riding mower still working?”

“Frankie bought a new one just last summer. That old one finally went to the junkyard.”

“Well, I guess I’ll tackle the yard this afternoon.”

“It’s Saturday. Our new neighbor is here. It would probably be polite to wait.”

She nodded. “I’ll wait until they go inside. How’s that? I don’t plan to schedule my chores so as not to disturb the neighbor.”

Chapter Four

At the time, Cassidy had thought it extravagant to heat the pool. This was Texas and the few months of winter could be tolerated. However, after watching not two, but three ladies—all clad in bikinis—take the plunge on this April morning, she was glad she did. Well, Deb would be better served in a one-piece rather than a bikini, but who was she to complain.

“Come on in! It’s fabulous!”

Yes. She already knew it was. She’d tried it last night after everyone had gone to bed. She turned her eyes to Claudia and smiled. After bed and after sex, she clarified. Claudia waved her in and she paused, pulling her T-shirt over her head and tossing it down before going to the board and diving in.

Oh, yeah, heating the pool had been a great idea.