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Penny is fascinated by the wildlife, calling out every little fish, turtle, and dragonfly she spots. Mostly I enjoy watching Connor operate the boat. He seems quite competent behind the wheel. I’m mesmerized by the way his biceps flex and bunch as he steers the boat.
“How about a swim?” he asks us.
“Yes!” Penny says. “I have my swimsuit on under my clothes.”
“How about you, Kennedy?” Connor asks. “Fancy a dip?”
“Since I’m not wearing a suit, I’ll just have to watch.”
Connor catches my gaze and winks. “I’m fine with you watching.”
My cheeks are burning. I tell myself it’s just a bit of sunburn from being out on the lake, but what’s really heating me up is the idea ofwatchingConnor. It’s not like I haven’t done that before—watch him pleasure himself. And he’s watched me.
After we make one last pass around the lake, we return to the dock. Connor hops out and secures the boat, then he helps me and Penny out. Without warning, he removes his lifejacket and tosses it on the dock, kicks off his sneakers, whips off his shirt, and dives right into the water. I realize the pair of shorts he’s wearing are actually swim trunks.
Penny stands at the edge of the dock and waits for him to surface. When he does, he splashes her, and she giggles with delight.
“Come on in, Penny,” he says, holding his hands out. “The water’s fine.”
I help Penny remove her lifejacket so she can take off her clothes. Underneath, she’s wearing a bright pink, one-piece bathing suit decorated with unicorns and rainbows.
After I put Penny’s lifejacket back on her, she runs to the edge of the boardwalk, throws out her arms, and yells, “Watch me!” Throwing caution to the wind, she jumps fearlessly into the water, bobs to the surface, and doggy paddles over to Connor’s waiting arms.
“Jump in, Aunt Kennedy,” she calls to me. “The water’s fine.”
Hearing her parrot Connor’s words makes me smile.
The water does look inviting, and I would love to join them, but the idea of jumping in wearing my clothes is unnerving.
“Come on, Kennedy,” Connor says as he waves me in. “Join us.”
“Yeah, join us,” Penny says. “Please?”
Connor grins. “Please?”
“All right, I’m coming in,” I say. I know I’m going to regret this when it’s time to get out, and I look like a contestant in a wet T-shirt contest.
I remove my lifejacket and sandals and jump in, gasping when the cool water hits my heated skin. I allow myself to sink down in the water a ways, then kick to send myself back up to the surface.
Penny swims right to me and wraps her arms around my neck. “You did it!”
We swim over to Connor.
“I challenge you to a race to the dock, Ms. Takahashi,” he says. “How about it?”
“Yay!” Penny says. She turns to me. “You can do it, Aunt Kennedy. You can beat him.”
I glance over to the dock, which is about twenty feet away. “Sure, why not?” I reply. I’m already wet, so I might as well go all out. I’m a lousy swimmer, and I’m sure Connor will beat me, but who cares?
Giving us no warning, Penny says, “Ready, set, go!”
I leap forward in the water, stroking and kicking as hard as I can toward the dock. I can hear Connor beside me, splashing and carrying on, mostly in an effort to amuse Penny, I’m sure. Penny squeals with laughter.
As we race toward our goal, I notice Connor is keeping pace with me, and I imagine it’s intentional on his part. We both reach the dock at the same time.
I turn to face him, treading water. “You could have beat me easily if you’d wanted to.”
He smiles. “I’d rather swimwithyou.”
