AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t look so shocked, a lot of people don’t or can’t you know.”
“I know but…but do you not care what you are missing?”
“What am I missing?”
“Um, okay on the hottest summer days, when the heat is bearing down and the air is sticky from humidity the waters close over your body like a cooling silk sheet, underwater it is peaceful and still. That is what it is like to swim.” Her face burned. “I guess I am better at reading words than creating them.”
“No, if I were not so terrified of the water you would have made me want to learn to swim.”
“Why are you afraid of it?”
“I tried to learn to swim as a little kid, my big brother got the bright idea that if he just tossed me in I would sink or paddle. I sunk like a stone. He had to come get me out. Scared the hell out of him since he was babysitting me. I had to promise not to tell our folks and since it scared the both of us so badly I did no try again until I was in high school.”
“What happened then?”
He laughed. “I was a horny teenaged dumbass. There was this gorgeous girl that I fell crazy in love with and wanted to impress very badly. She went to the rival high school and I met her because she was a cheerleader and I played football and for almost a year, I literally stalked her all over the city.
“She worked at waterpark that summer and I decided that was where I needed to be. Since there was another equally asinine guy competing for her affection I tried to impress her by doing a header off the tallest diving board, figuring I would work out how to swim once I got down there.”
“I don’t mean to laugh,” Sandra sputtered through her giggles.
“Oh no—go ahead. It is funny.”
“I take it you did not learn to swim that day?”
“Nope, she had to come get me out of the water in fact.”
“Whatever happened to her?”
“I married her.”
Sandra’s heart gave an empathetic squeeze. “You said you miss her.”
“I do. It is hard not to miss someone you spent so much of your life with.” He changed the subject. “Would you be willing to teach me how to sail?”
“Yes, if you really want to learn and if you promise to invest in a very good life jacket.”
“Deal,” he said promptly. “I will even sign a waiver saying that if I do manage to drown myself it will not be your fault at all.”
“Oh good, that would really help keep my insurance costs down if you did drown.” Sandra was amazed at how easy it was to be glib, to be witty when she talked to him. Most conversations that she had were dull, plodding things but Connor had a way of bringing her out of her shell that she liked as much as she marveled at it.
“I aim to help when possible.”
Giggles sounded from behind them. Two very attractive young women hurried to catch up to them. One of them, a nubile blonde with her lithe body on clear display in a pair of tight leggings and a thin tank top exclaimed, “Hi Connor!”
“Hello,” he said.
“I loved your discussion in class today,” she simpered.
Sandra wanted to claw her eyes out. Connor seemed clueless but Sandra knew what was going on, the young woman was obviously hitting on him acting as if she was not even there!
Reason kicked in. For all his student knew they were just two people who worked together out for a walk. And really, was that not all it was? She had no claim on Connor after all.
Connor sensed Sandra’s growing aggravation and his own grew as well. Hiding his irritation at the interruption below a smile and pleasant words, he attempted to send the woman on her way but she slowed her pace, her friend bookended them and soon they were a foursome walking around the lake.
He was not a fool. He knew when he was being hit on. He also knew that the appearance of the two women had upset Sandra and tossed a wrench into what had been a perfectly good time up until that moment. What he did not know was how to get rid of her.
The last thing on earth that he needed was a student that had a crush on him. He sure as hell did not need a student who had a crush on him following him around as he was trying to talk to Sandra.
