“Oh, just enjoy the water and forget about her.” Larson reached out and grabbed her hand as their floats bumped. “I’ve had a great time. Although I woke up and you weren’t in bed last night.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” she said. “The pool was calling.”

“Oh? You got in the pool?” She tugged her closer. “Did you skinny-dip?”

Cassidy smiled. “I did.”

“I meant to tell you, you have a fabulous body for your age.”

Cassidy stared at her, trying hard not to frown. “‘For my age’?”

“Well, after forty, I hear everything starts to sag.” She smiled and winked. “You don’t have that issue yet.”

Cassidy gave a fake laugh. “Well…thanks. Maybe I’ve got a year or two left before I fall apart.”

“I’m right behind you. I turn thirty-seven at the end of the year. And honestly, it’s been so nice to spend time with someone older, like you. I mean, most of my dates lately have been much younger than me.” Then she squeezed Cassidy’s hand. “You’ve got lots more stamina than I expected.”

“Gee…thanks.”

Cassidy wondered how rude it would be to call a cab to haul Larson back to Dallas today. Probably very rude. She sighed. Was it too early to start drinking?

Probably. But…

She pulled her hand away from Larson’s. “I’m going to get a beer. You want one?”

“I’m not much for beer. Besides, it’s a bit early for me.”

Cassidy flipped off her float and into the water, wishing she was alone. Maybe next weekend, she’d come out by herself. Take a break from dating. Take a break from…everything.

Chapter Ten

Laura pulled a small oscillating fan out onto the patio, then turned it on to high. It was a warm day, reminding her that April had flipped over to May a week ago. Soon they would no longer be able to enjoy breakfast out here, which she would miss. She sat back and twisted the cap off the bottle of beer she’d snagged from the fridge. Her mother was napping in her recliner—a daily occurrence. She took a swallow of the cold beer—one she’d stashed in the freezer for a few minutes—and gave an audible “ahhh” as she swallowed. The flowers were vibrant; hummingbirds buzzed around them and butterflies flitted about. The bird feeders seemed to have more customers every day and she enjoyed sitting and watching the activity. It cleared her mind. It was peaceful. She had hoped that all of that would carry over to her writing…but no, she still hadn’t come up with anything worthy of being published.