Cassidy couldn’t help but let her gaze linger on Laura’s body. The odd tan lines were mostly merged now. Her legs were firm, well-muscled, evidence that she worked outside and didn’t sit behind a desk. Her feet were slender, her toes manicured, but there was no trace of nail polish. There was nothing huge on her at all, although her breasts were full…nice. Laura cleared her throat dramatically, and Cassidy finally met her eyes, smiling somewhat sheepishly for blatantly staring her up and down.

“Not huge in the least,” she murmured around her smile as she paddled over to the beer bucket. “Another?”

“Sure.”

“Oh…I’ve got steaks. For dinner. You interested?”

“I’ll never turn down a steak,” Laura said. “But we’re still on for jerk chicken, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Chapter Thirty

Laura didn’t quite know what to make of the weekend thus far. Last night had been so relaxing and fun—the impromptu steak dinner. And this morning, as she was sitting on the patio having coffee, she had heard the now familiar “hey, you out there?” from across the fence again. Cassidy had come over and they’d had three cups each while chatting and watching the birds at the feeder. And now, when she should be doing laundry—which she’d put off for the last two days—she was slipping into her swimsuit to join Cassidy out at the pool. Again.

Not that she was complaining…no. But it did puzzle her somewhat. Did Cassidy really want her company or was it a need on her part to have somebody around? To have somebody around so she wouldn’t be alone?

Again, not that she was complaining. A day at the pool beat laundry by a wide margin. She looked at herself in the mirror, the one-piece clinging to her curves. Curves, yes. Not skin and bones. Not by a long shot. But at least her tan was more universal now.

She met her reflection. Did it matter? She wasn’t trying to impress anyone—Cassidy. She couldn’t compete with the skinny, blond models that had been paraded through here. She arched an eyebrow at herself in the mirror. Compete? Where did that come from? She had a little crush on Cassidy, that was all. And who could blame her? She was cute—attractive. She was nice. She was charming. She was playful. She was…cute!

“Oh, Laura…she’s so out of your league,” she murmured. Yes, she was. Because Cassidy had given no indication—not even a tiny hint—that she found Laura attractive or viewed her as anything other than a friend. Well…there was the full body perusal that Cassidy had done yesterday in the pool. When their eyes had met, she would have sworn Cassidy’s brown ones were a little darker than normal, but that hardly meant anything.