Castles

Chapter 11

I came up for air. Struggling to catch my breath.

"Why do you always do that?" Joy asked from her raft. "Every time we swim you nearly drown yourself trying to stay underwater."

I loved the water. It set me free. I tried to explain my odd behaivor. "When we were little our parents never let us swim. Besides one time."

Joy sipped at her fruity cocktail. "That's sad."

"It was really sad. I fell in love and never got to go back." I sunk to the bottom again, opening my eyes. The view was a blur but I could make out the raft and the little tiles decorating the sides. I flicked my feet and pushed through the water like a fish making it to the other end and popped back up to the surface.

There were a group of guys all around me. None of them were as enthusiastic about swimming like I was. Instead they were just wading in the water with beers in obnoxious floating drink holders.

"Hi." One of them said to me. He had sandy blonde hair and flamingo swim trunks on. "Want a beer?"

I shook my head and swam back where I came from.

"So, were you ever going to get around to telling me what happened with Sheppard Morgan?" Joy asked, she knew I screwed it up.

"I just don't think he was serious about buying," I shrugged, walking up the pools steps. I sat on the edge and wiggled my feet in the water. "I'm really sorry. Has he talked to you about what he wants?"

"He wants you." Joy didn't waste any time. "That day he called he explained that to me. And I quite honestly thought it was kind of romantic."

"Romantic?" I looked away.

"Yes. Romantic."

I rolled my eyes. "He was anything but romantic. He told me he wasn't looking at my ass when I was showing him the kitchen."

"Have you seen your ass?" She laughed. I don't think there are many guys who don't look at it when they see it."

I twisted around trying to make sense of what Joy was saying. "I've always hated my ass."

"Why?"

I rubbed at my shoulder. Joy was the only person besides my brother I shared much of anything with. "My mother was always making fun of my body. Or how much I ate, or just about anything."

"Well your mother is a jealous bitch." Joy slid off her raft and held her drink high in the air coming out of the pool. She joined me on the edge. "You really need to have more self-esteem."

"Yeah, I know." I toyed with a lock of my hair. "If you only knew how hard that is sometimes."

Joy's parents were happily married. And normal. And she was confident and beautiful. She was happy and living the life I wanted to be living at twenty-five years old.

I watched her twist her dark hair high up on her head and secure it in a bun. She stood up tugging at her bathing suit bottoms to adjust her suit and went over to the towels. All eyes were on her in her little leopard bikini.

"They all want you," I told her watching them all stuff their tongues back in there mouth and pretend to not have slobbered all over themselves.

"Are you kidding me? They want you too," she assured me. "Go get a towel."

I made a face. That was just silly. Sure one of them offered me a beer, but guys were guys they were willing to do just about anything when they were drunk.

But I did what she said, too afraid to look for fear of rejection. I grabbed the towel as quickly as possible and hurried back to Joy doing my best not to trip and make a fool out of myself. That was when I heard them whistle. They were whistling at me.

Joy elbowed me in the side. "I didn't even get a whistle. You should get their numbers."

"You are funny," I laughed. I would never have the courage to go up to a bunch of guys and get a number. No matter how many times they whistled at me.

"Oh look, they have a friend." Joy said, with a chuckle.

I forced myself to look up and my heart picked up speed.

"Look who just joined the party," Joy said.

Sheppard sized me up in my wet swimsuit from all the way on the other side. I was certain he was stalking me. Because things like this didn't happen in real life. But judging by the way he was talking to one of the guys in the group it was pretty clear they were friends. Friends that just so happened to be the same place I was.

I hated that I was so paranoid. It wasn't that big of a town. Sheppard could have very well came there all the time.

"Are you okay?" Joy asked. "You haven't said anything since Sheppard showed up."

I shook myself from my daze. "How often would you say we swim here?"

"Couple times a week." Joy shrugged.

"And you don't think it's funny we've never saw him?"

"Maybe we did but never noticed." She acted like it was just so cut and dry. "It's like when someone tells you about something you never heard about before. Once you hear about it suddenly it's everywhere."

"I think I'd remember him." Those eyes fringed with dark lashes, moss green with tiny flecks of yellow in the centers. Yeah, I had noticed.

I didn't know anything about Sheppard other than I was really attracted to him. I didn't want to be, but the more I saw him, the more he forced himself into every scenario, I couldn't help myself.

His fingers grazed his five o'clock shadow as he talked with his friends.

Something inside of me flickered to life. And I realized it had something to do with this mysterious man across the pool. He made his intentions perfectly clear. It was one strange run in after another.

I didn't believe in much. But maybe just maybe it meant something.

My phone rang and my mood plummeted when I saw who was calling. I jumped to my feet and took off for the exit.