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“You mean present-day Paige and Rhea?”
“I was gonna say ‘Paige and Rhiannon,’ but sure.”
“Youwouldsay my real name.”
“Remember? It’s what the Justice of the Peace said when we got hitched.”
“He insisted on calling me by the name on my birth certificate, yes.”
“You mean ‘Rhiannon Kennewick?’”
“God,what a pretentious name.”
Paige laughed. “When did you add your mom’s name again?”
“After she died.” Rhea pushed herself off the couch. “Legally, the summer between senior year and college.” She put her hands on her hips. “My wife needs to go to work before she gets in trouble.”
I’m already in trouble.With her wife, whom she struggled to fully understand in a changing relationship that faced an ever-changing world.
“I’m going to call out. Literally anyone else there can take over my appointments.”
“You don’t…”
“I want to.” Paige slipped out of her shoes and kicked them toward the front door, which still remained open. “Even if we don’t do anything, let’s spend the day together.”
“I was gonna put together a work sample for my publisher, but sure.”
Paige could have asked if it was a sample of her more erotic writings but refrained.Don’t open any wounds.There were plenty between them, apparently.
“It’s a nice day,” she said. “The first not-God-awful-hot day in a while. How long has it been since we chilled in the pool? We could bust out the inflatable tic-tac-toe set.”
“We don’t have to.”
“No, but last I checked, we do pay someone to come by once a week to clean it for us, so…” Paige gestured toward the backdoor. “We should get our money’s worth out of that pool we had to have when we bought this place.”
“Itisa nice pool.”
“I know you don’t like using it when no one else is around.”
“You almost drown one time as a kid…”
Paige took her wife’s hand. “Let’s put on our swimsuits and pretend we’re in a Hayley Kiyoko video.”
“You had to bring up my favorite homegrown LA celebrity.”
Paige gently tugged on Rhea. “It’s almost like I know you.”
She knew it wouldn’t take much more convincing. As soon as Paige called in to work, she threw on her favorite bikini, grabbed the sunscreen, and prepared a smoothie to share with Rhea by the pool. As soon as they were done relaxing on their chairs and drinking their lunch, they removed their coverings and dipped into the cold pool that was big enough for them to chase each other from one end to the other.
Paige knew the neighbors could hear their laughter as it bounced between high fences. She didn’t care if they peeked between the slats or grumbled to themselves that a married couple dared to have some lunchtime fun. It beat any of the alternatives.
Like fighting. Like forgetting why they had fallen in love in the first place.
Paige wrapped her arms around Rhea’s shoulders as they emerged from the water. When water sputtered from her lips, she planted a wet kiss on her wife’s cheek and was immediately dragged back under.
Always better than the alternative.
Chapter 24
