To be fair, I haven't swum since last summer. I'm out of practice and I am really tired from being out last night and having to be at work early this morning.
At lap five, she's still got the lead, but not by much. I could catch up if I really pushed myself. Lap nine I give it my all, my arms and legs going as fast as I can make them go. As we enter the last lap, I'm right next to her. I push even harder and touch the wall right before she reaches it.
"Oh my God," she says, breathing hard. "I don't think I've ever swam that fast."
"Me either," I say, laughing while trying to catch my breath. "I thought for sure you were going to beat me. I can't believe I won."
"I demand a rematch." She rings the water from her hair. "But not today." She takes a deep breath. "I still can't catch my breath."
"When's the last time you swam?"
"Last week. My parents have a pool. I swim all the time."
Just now, I realized she doesn't have an accent. TJ said she's from Italy, but that can't be right.
"Where are you from?" I ask.
"Dallas. One of my friends moved here a few years ago and I never get to see her, so I decided to move here for the summer before starting grad school. I didn't want to live with my parents all summer. They're great. I just don't want to live with them."
"I get it. I still live with my mom, but not by choice. I just don't make enough to move out. So you've never lived in Italy? TJ made it sound like you're from there."
"My parents are, not me. We still have family there so we go back all the time, but I've never lived there."
"Girls, stop talking and start swimming," TJ barks at us.
"We were catching our breath," I tell him.
"You don't start swimming, I'll be adding more time. Now get moving!" He walks off.
"Maybe we can talk later," Giada says. "Maybe grab coffee sometime?"
"Yeah, definitely."
We do our laps, not racing this time, but I do want to race her again. That was fun. She's really nice, and really pretty. And it's clear she wants Brad. But does he want her?
Why do I even care? Brad is Nate's cousin. I shouldn't even be considering a relationship with him. So maybe it'd be better if he dated someone else.
Chapter Eight
Nate
"Hey, about tonight," Brad says, meeting up with me in the kitchen. "I can go pick up Riley if you need more time. I'll just bring her here and we'll leave whenever you're done."
It's Friday morning and I'm getting ready for a phone interview with a company in Denver. I'm not sure about living in Denver, but the job pays well and has good benefits. They're calling me at six tonight, which was the only time they could schedule me. The pool closes at five and I had planned to take Riley out for a nice dinner, but then Brad invited himself to go with us. He's been here a week now and hasn't given Riley and me any time alone. I don't mind that he goes out with us, but all the time is too much.
"About that," I say. "I'd really like it to be just Riley and me tonight."
He was just about to bite into an apple, but stops and sets it on the counter. "Why? What's going on?"
"I um..." I pause to figure out how to say this in a nice way. "It's just that it's been the three of us going out since you got here, and I'd kind of like it to just be Riley and me tonight."
"Oh." He pauses. "You know you could've just told me I was hanging out with you too much. I thought we were all having a good time, but I guess I was wrong."
"It's not that I don't like having you around. You're always the life of the party and that's great, but I'd also like some time with just Riley. She and I always had the summers together, just her and me, and I miss that. Plus, before you got here I told her we wouldn't be spending all our time with you, but so far, that's all we've done."
He leans against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. "Has she complained about that?"
"No, but she's not someone who would. She rarely complains, and if she thinks something makes me happy, she tends to go along with it, for my sake."
"And you think that's what she's doing now. Putting up with me to make you happy."
"I don't know. I haven't asked. Either way, I'd really like some time alone with her. After my interview, I want to take her to a nice dinner and then maybe out for a drink somewhere."
"Sounds like a date," he says.
I don't respond, not sure I want to tell him about my feelings for Riley. I'd rather wait until after I've talked to her.
"It's not a date. I just want to take her out for a nice dinner."
"Without your annoying cousin hanging around." He grins.
"Brad, that's not what I meant. The three of us will still go out. Just not tonight. Why don't you go out with someone else?" I smile. "Like maybe Giada?"
"She asked me out for drinks, but I turned her down."
"Are you serious? What the hell? Every guy in town wants to go out with her, and you turned her down?"
"I don't want to start something with her knowing I'm only here a few months."
"She's not sticking around either, so it's perfect. You date her for the summer and it's over."
"I'm just not feeling it with Giada. She's a nice girl, but not for me."
I look at him like he's crazy.
"What?" he asks. "I'm just not into her, okay?"
"Is there someone else?"
"There's no one else. I just don't feel like dating." He turns and opens the fridge, then closes it. "We're out of eggs again. I'm gonna go to the store. You need anything?"
"No, but before you go, are we good?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"
"I just don't want you being pissed at me for leaving you out tonight. I think I overheard Kent and Johnny talking about going to a club tonight. Why you don't go with them?"
"Kent and Johnny?" He gives me deadpan stare. "You really think I'd go out with those two?"
I laugh. "I know they're a little strange, but sometimes strange can be fun, especially if you don't have anything else to do."
"Thanks, but I think I'll figure something else out." He walks off, going down to his room.
My mom appears, heading straight to the coffeemaker to fill up her travel mug.
"What are you up to tonight?" she asks.
"I have that interview," I remind her.
"Oh, that's right. Are you ready for it?"
"I think so. I've been doing some research on the company." I wake up my laptop and return to the company's homepage.
She spoons some sugar into her mug. "I hope it goes well, although I'd hate to see you move so far away."
"I need a job, Mom. I can't be picky."
"I know, honey." She comes over and hugs my side. "I need to get to work. Oh, I'm going to dinner with Gayle tonight, but there's leftover lasagna in the fridge."