“Nice to meet you,” Derrick said with a nod.

Laura smiled, then slid her glance to Cassidy. “Coming in?”

“Yep. Let me get some floats.” She pointed at the bucket of beer. “Want one?”

“If everyone else does, I will.”

“Count me in,” Derrick said as he dove in off the side.

It turned out to be one of those relaxing, stress-free days that Laura loved. As Cassidy had promised, Tanya and Derrick were “normal” and Laura enjoyed both of them. They made her feel as if she were old friends like they were, including her in the conversation as they told stories of when they’d first met. Laura got a glimpse of the younger Cassidy and judging by the tales she heard, she had been quite a handful back then. Cassidy, in turn, seemed almost embarrassed and tried to shift the conversation away from herself as often as she could.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon in the water and by the time six rolled around, she was feeling quite relaxed, having had three beers. The deviled egg tray had been mostly devoured, leaving only a few left on the plate. The dips and chips that Cassidy had put out were nearly gone too, but Laura still found herself ravenous as she smelled the delectable aroma coming from the smoker.

“That smells delicious.”

“That’s the third time you’ve said that.”

Laura smiled at Cassidy. “So?”

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

Cassidy smiled and shook her head. “You can’t possibly be.” She reached out and teasingly rubbed Laura’s stomach. “There’s room for one more egg in there, I think.”

She didn’t take her hand away immediately, and as their eyes held, Laura wished she was brave enough to wear a bikini. If she was, then Cassidy’s hand would be resting on her skin instead of her swimsuit. She finally found her voice when Cassidy slowly removed her hand.

“No. I’m saving every bit of room for ribs and chicken. I may even skip the potato salad.”

“I made dessert.”

Laura arched an eyebrow. “Something decadent?”

“It involves chocolate.”

Laura’s mouth watered. “I love chocolate,” she said quietly.

Cassidy leaned closer. “I guessed that about you. Glad I was right.”

Laura found her gaze lowering to Cassidy’s lips as she smiled, then she forced them back up, immediately being captured by Cassidy’s. God, she was doing a horrible job of pushing this attraction away, wasn’t she?

Cassidy leaned closer, her voice little more than a whisper. “I’m still attracted to you.”