“Don’t start. You love the water.” Malcolm moves to stand next to her and begins to rub her back. She turns her body toward him, head hovering dangerously near his shoulder. It’d be so easy to just wrap her arms around him and rest there.

Malcolm asks, “Are you feeling better?”

Joy frowns up at him. “Better?”

He nods. “You two ran off before I could ask.”

“Why would you think I was upset?”

“Well, one second you’re in the car and the next you’re in the lake. You know what? You’re right. That’s perfectly normal Joy behavior.”

Joy laughs lightly, grinning at him. “Fine. I’m tired.”

Giving in, she places her forehead on his shoulder, and he meets her the rest of the way, wrapping her up in a hug. Malcolm is affectionate by nature, both giving and receiving. The only time he draws a hard line with Joy is when he’s in a relationship with someone, out of respect for his partner’s feelings.

His breath whispers across her ear, voice soft and concerned. “That’s all?”

No. “Yeah.”

“Promise.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on.” Gently, he tugs her toward the stairs. “I want to get your opinion on something while you decide which of the thirty swimsuits you brought you’re gonna wear.”

“Excuse you. I only brought two, thank you very much.”

Upstairs, Joy plops down in the middle of her room while unzipping her suitcases.

Malcolm sits on the bed. “I’d like to keep the surprise shopping trips to a minimum so we can stay on schedule.”

“Hey, that’s on her.”

“You could’ve said no. Next time, you should.”

Joy bites back her retort, deciding to cut her eyes at him instead. Malcolm has . . . control issues. Everything always has to go according to plan, and she hates that for him. Truly. Most times, she can work around it, but once he starts telling her what to do? Telling instead of asking? Things fly off the rails with the quickness.

Several calming breaths later, Joy busies her hands sorting through her clothes and putting some of the items on hangers. “I figured it was a good opportunity for some reconnaissance, since she knows oh so much about me and I don’t even know her last name.”

“And? What do you think about her?”

“Too early to say. She cares about you, I think.” Being honest with him will only help her in the long run. This isn’t her first potential girlfriend rodeo—just the first time she’s planning to use what she finds out for herself. If all goes well, he won’t be able to tell anything is amiss.