She took a deep breath, then quickly blew it out before turning and going back inside. The house was quiet, but it didn’t feel empty. Maybe she really was starting to think of it as home. She went into the kitchen, looking out at the glistening water of the pool. Then movement caught her eye and she saw Laura heading toward the closet where the floats were kept. But Laura wasn’t wearing her swimsuit. Cutoff jeans. A tank top. She raised an eyebrow. No bra?

She opened the door and Laura turned to look at her. Cassidy returned her smile.

“Time for a swim?”

Laura nodded. “Yes. You won’t need your suit.”

Cassidy felt her stomach turn over, felt her heart flutter in her chest, felt the blood rush into her ears…felt a smile light on her face. As usual, Laura seemed to be the one in control, not her. Never her.

Laura tossed the floats into the water, then came closer, studying her. She tilted her head, her eyebrows raised.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

Cassidy shook her head. “Nothing.”

Laura took another step toward her, then reached out and touched her cheek lightly, her brown eyes gentle.

“Tell me.”

“How is it you can read me so well?”

Laura stepped closer still, finally pulling her into a hug. “I know they don’t like me. I’m sorry.”

Cassidy shook her head when Laura pulled away from her. “It’s not that. Well, no, they don’t like you. But it’s not that. I don’t care if they like you or not.” Cassidy took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m crazy about you, Laura. Crazy. My friends…well, I realized they don’t really want me to be happy. At least not with you. They want things to stay the same. They want me to stay the same.”

Laura met her gaze, but she didn’t say anything. Cassidy let her hand drop and walked a few steps away, trying to gather her thoughts, trying to find the words to explain to Laura how she was feeling.

“It occurred to me that I’m not lonely anymore.” She turned back around to Laura. “All these years, I’ve been so lonely. Whether there was one person with me or thirty, it didn’t matter. I felt lonely.”

“The night of your party…when you looked so sad?”