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spaced out drinking in the sight of her. She quickly snapped
out of it, but she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t felt those flames
—a match strike
that lit dry tinder and ignited a fire deep in
her belly. Her heart was racing, beating out the wrong pattern.
“Why did I have to get out of the water? Last time I checked
swimming in a shallow area when you’re an actual certified
lifeguard isn’t a big deal. There aren’t any tides or currents. I
was careful.”
“It’s freezing!” Claire couldn’t believe she had to explain
herself. “You could have gotten a cramp and died.”
“I was swimming just beyond where I could touch, plus,
like I said, I’m experienced. I was fine.”
Claire didn’t like being talked back to. When she spoke,
people listened. That’s how it went in her world. She was the
authority figure, and in return, she looked after everyone, and
she looked after them well. She didn’t ever disrespect the
people who worked for her or anyone else. Robert was
probably as close as it came to her ever being rude to anyone.
She was just distant and formal. There was a difference.
She didn’t like the attitude Haley was giving her without
even trying.
She didn’t like the way her skin felt like it was sizzling
either.
“No swimming until the water warms up,” she repeated. “I
don’t care how good you think you are. Unless you’re
supervised or wearing a life jacket.”
Haley’s lips curled up and sparks danced in blue eyes the
same color as the cloudless sky above them. “Lucky for me,
you’re here now.” Without waiting for a response, she took off
