Echoes of Summer (21 page)
Acknowledgments
So many people go into the creation of a book, from the person who sparks the idea, to the friends who let me pester them asking for help, advice, tips, and so much more. I want to thank Kirsten Osbourne for the mentoring and help through this story. Lindzee Armstrong for help and tips in formatting and revisions. Cindy Whitney for the encouragement, brainstorming, beta reads, and links for advice on writing romance as well as more formatting tips. Jaclyn Weist for checking up on me and helping this happen in a timely manner. And to my chat room buddies in the Sprintwriters Central website for the cheer leading.
And as always, thanks to my husband and children who tolerate my absence when I’m totally immersed in writing and revisions and who only roll their eyes just a little when I tell them, no this story doesn’t have any magic in it. Just kissing.
About Laura D. Bastian
Laura grew up in a small town in central Utah and now lives in another small town in northern Utah. She always loved stargazing and imagining life out-side her own little world. A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education, Laura has been using that training as she raises her children and writes make believe worlds. You can usually find her on her laptop either typing away, or on social media interacting with friends when she’s not playing in her garden
Connect with Laura D. Bastian
Sneak Peek of Sink or Swim
Chapter One
Shelly pulled off her teacher badge and smiled. The school day was over, and it was time to head to the pool for her daily laps. If she hurried the minute her contract hours were over, she could make it before the afternoon rush started and have the pool to herself. One of the good things about starting the school day so early.
She hopped in her dad’s old convertible Mustang he’d given her as a college graduation gift and drove the four blocks to her gym. She relished the warm sun on her skin, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the weather turned cool. Thoughts of the warm climate of Africa reminded her of her broken plans. She would have been there with Charlie right now if she hadn’t caught him with another woman a few weeks before their wedding.
It had been four months since she’d kicked him to the curb, and though she would have loved to have been in Africa on a humanitarian project, she knew she could still do a lot of good right in her own neighborhood.
The locker room at the gym was nearly empty, and she nodded politely at a woman passing her on the way to the showers. Within thirty minutes, the locker room would be crowded and noisy. Shelly changed into her plain black suit, cut high at the neck and low on the legs, then grabbed her towel and headed to her escape. She breathed in the humid air filled with the familiar scent of chlorine.
The corners of her mouth turned down when she saw that her favorite lane was occupied. Though there were three other lanes, she wanted hers. She sighed heavily and glanced at the clock. Could she wait him out? It was definitely a him. A nice looking him at that. She had no idea how long he’d been there, but the definition of his muscles and the power of his strokes testified of years spent doing laps.
She decided not to wait, tossed her towel on the bench, and began her pre-swim stretches. The man continued to swim without noticing her at all, so she adjusted her goggles, made sure her swim cap was tight and dove in. As soon as she hit the water, all the stresses washed away. Even the annoyance of a man in her pool. She pushed herself, zeroing in on the pressure of the water as it brushed against her skin with each stroke. After doing her customary ten laps of the front crawl, she shifted easily into the breast stroke for another ten laps. As she transitioned into the back stroke, she knew she was being watched.
From the corner of her eye she saw the man toweling off on the edge of the pool. His swim shorts were snug and hung low on his hips with the weight of the water. Thank goodness it wasn’t a Speedo. In her experience, guys who wore those were always extra annoying. His washboard abs caught her eye and her concentration broke. She forced herself to ignore him and continue her laps. As she passed him once more on her return lap, she was both relieved and disappointed to see he was moving away from the pool’s edge.
That’s strange.
Most guys wanted to talk while she tried to swim.
How refreshing
.
Her mind wandered to the man, and she struggled to stay focused on her strokes.
Get over it, Shelly. Men aren’t worth it.
She forced thoughts of her ex-fiancé out of her mind and swam harder, pushing herself to the point where she couldn’t feel anything besides the rhythm of her strokes. Even the water had disappeared for a moment, and she was content just to exist in a state of limbo.
***
Brandon had come to the pool on a whim, hoping to find a way to ease some of the tension caused by the move back home. Swimming had done the trick, loosening him up enough he figured he could handle another visit with his parents. He made enough money to afford his own apartment but was nowhere near as successful as his twin brother Rory.
Being the older twin, Brandon had always felt like he should have accomplished more in life than Rory. Not that the few minutes separating their births really meant anything. Rory was just kinda charmed. Anything he did turned out well, where Brandon had to work hard for his successes. After years of school and some time working with a firm in Chicago, Brandon had been recruited to join Davis and Nill, Inc. As an architect, Brandon had thought he’d finally outshine his brother.
Rory had made big money off the web design company he’d started about the same time Brandon had left town for college. Brandon would be paying off student loans for years and Rory was talking about buying vacation homes in warm places.
Stop comparing yourself to him
. He repeated the now familiar words. If he’d only listened to that bit of advice and not been so obsessed with outdoing his brother, he might still be married. Kathy had left him, claiming he was never around or there for her and that he put his job before her. It was hard to admit she did have a point, but when she married a former coworker a few months later, he didn’t think it was all his fault.
Brandon showered quickly and rubbed the towel through his short hair. Maybe he should let it grow out a little. Set him apart from Rory. Brandon shook his head. He liked it shorter.
I don’t have to change my life to accommodate Rory
.
Brandon wrapped his wet trunks in his towel and shoved them in his gym bag. As he walked out of the locker room, he saw the girl who’d joined him in the lap pool. She was tall and thin, her long arms made for powerful strokes. Her brown hair was wet and braided tightly, falling just between her shoulder blades.
She didn’t seem to notice him, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was beautiful, and carried herself with confidence and assurance. She turned away from the counter where she’d been talking to the receptionist and met his eyes. Brandon took a slow breath, telling himself not to get involved, but as her eyes remained locked on his, interest flooded him.
Just before he could take a step forward to introduce himself, she frowned and looked away pointedly. She waved at the receptionist. “See you tomorrow, Janice.”
Janice mumbled something without looking up. Brandon took the opportunity to watch the girl walk out the door then approached Janice at the desk. “How much for a membership?”
He hoped to see that beauty again.
Chapter Two
When she finished entering the reading scores for the last student, Shelly stood up and stretched. The second most enjoyable part of her day was over, and now she could swim and finish her leftovers from last night’s takeout.
Shelly sighed.
How pathetic
.
The sting of Charlie’s betrayal had subsided to a dull ache, but at times she had to work hard at keeping a positive attitude. She’d traveled to other countries to teach English and met Charlie in China the summer after she graduated from high school. He was one of the other teachers in the program. He’d charmed her right from the start, and they’d fallen in love.
A long distance relationship worked for them at first, while Shelly completed her degree in elementary education and Charlie finished his degree in engineering. He’d moved to Virginia near her to accept a job with a company helping to improve the living conditions of people in third world countries. He got involved in building low cost cement buildings that could withstand the hurricanes and also designing water purification plants for many countries in Africa.
She’d always admired his humanitarian work, and when he’d proposed a couple years ago, she’d accepted, knowing they could go make a difference in the world. But Charlie had been reluctant to set a date at first, and when she’d finally convinced him to commit to a date, she thought things would be smooth-sailing. Finding Charlie with another woman had soured her on men. She would take the time to heal and look at her options later. She loved children and wanted some of her own, but she had time, no matter what her parents thought.
Her students had been some of the most curious. Six and seven year olds were not known for their tact. Most of them were oblivious since they hadn’t been with her last year and known about her upcoming wedding. A few had heard from the older students that Ms. Erikson was supposed to get married and move away. They had asked her innocent and actually sweet questions about why she was still there teaching, but how could she explain infidelity and betrayal to first graders?
She told them her plans had changed, and most of them took that as answer enough. A couple of the more curious ones had offered advice.
“Just find a new guy to marry. There’s lots out there.”
She’d chuckled at their innocence at first, but as that same counsel was repeated by more and more people, she’d begun to resent it. At twenty-seven, she really wasn’t in any rush to get married.
Shelly grabbed her purse and pulled her ID off her neck, tucking it into the pocket of her gym bag the moment she was out the school doors. Her blue Mustang purred as she started it up. Charlie had wanted her to switch to a smart car, but this was her dad’s car and she’d always loved it. She pushed Charlie out of her thoughts once more and headed to the gym with the convertible top down. The pool called her name
,
and she couldn’t wait to wash away her cares in the water.
Her lap lane was open, and the only other people in the pool area were using the sauna. Perfect. She adjusted her goggles and did her stretches before diving into the pool. The routine took over
,
and she glided through the laps. By the time she’d shifted to the breast stroke, she had been joined by another swimmer.
The swimmer was a man, she was sure of that. Too much skin to be female. Not wanting to be disturbed, she tried to ignore him, though she wouldn’t be too upset if it was the same guy from yesterday. Shelly reminded herself how she’d tuned out distractions when she swam in high school competitions. How to be aware of the other swimmers’ location enough to know how much to push herself but not be sidetracked.