Since it was my day off and the weather was perfect, I escaped to sit by the pool. Growing up in Alabama, I hadn’t known anyone with their own pool. One of my friends whose parents had a few cows had a stagnant-looking pond in their backyard, but it was full of snakes and every summer it was a mosquito breeding ground.
We’d stuck our feet in a few times when the weather was scorching, but when the temperature was a hundred degrees, it had been lukewarm, and not worth trudging through the mud.
The city near my hometown had a pool, but it was small, and when the daycares showed up, the water was filled with noisy kids. If we had gas money as teens, sometimes one of my friends would drive us up to Guntersville Lake. We’d stop at the dollar store and buy cheap inflatable rafts and we’d float on them for hours, pausing only to pull a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter out of our bag to make snacks. Those had been some of our most fun days, but there were always complications.
We didn’t have money for sunscreen, or we’d run out of food, or the rafts would pop, and we’d sit in the grainy sand. But we’d all be grateful for a break from the daily grind.
Here at the Laurents’ villa, I was a universe away from Alabama. That didn’t mean I didn’t value the simple pleasures I’d had back home, with my friends and my sister. But I could admit that it was really nice to enjoy these lavish pleasures, without having to struggle for each one.
But I was lucky, and plenty of Chileans weren’t so lucky. Thanks to riding around town with Mateo, I had learned more about the impoverished areas in Santiago. Once I’d gotten to know the programs better, I planned to ask Mrs. Laurent if I could spend my days off doing outreach or volunteer work. I was saving so much money by living with the Laurents, they were paying me really well. I could stand to give back a little to the community here.
But while I was here, I was going to enjoy the perks. Social workers in Alabama were paid a liveable wage, but I’d never have access to this kind of affluence again. I just wished my sister could share this with me. Maybe in a few months, I could ask the Laurents if she could come and visit.
I picked up my book and settled in next to the shimmering concrete pool. The water was a clear aqua, and the walls of the pool were constructed from large rocks, to give the appearance of a natural pool of water. A fountain rushed over the rocks, creating the relaxing sound of rushing water. Beyond the pool, the sprawling lawn was green, and beyond that, full trees lined the edge of the estate.
The lounge chairs were a bright white and very comfortable. I had put on a green bikini that Mrs. Laurent had provided. When I’d arrived at their home, my entire room had been fully stocked with everything I could possibly need. Which was nice, because it meant I could save my wages.
I pulled my large straw hat on, and laid back against the cushions. I didn’t even open my book. I loved reading, but just looking at the landscape in front of me was entertainment enough.
I must have fallen asleep listening to the sound of the rushing water. I woke up to the sound of heels clicking on the tile next to me.
Looking up, I saw Mrs. Laurent standing next to the lounge. “Hello, Kate. I apologize for interrupting your day off.” She held Gabriel in her arms, and he reached for me. She kissed him on the cheek. “No, my sweetheart. Your Kate is resting.”
I sat up and tried to clear my foggy mind. “I don’t mind holding him for a minute,” I told her. I wondered if he realized this was the time of day we usually swam together.
“That is very kind of you,” she said. “But I came out here for a reason.” She glanced back up at the house. “You have a visitor.”
A visitor? I didn’t know anyone here besides the Laurents, and their household staff. I’d seen other nannies in the park, and I planned to approach one soon. I figured it would be safe enough to do so with Mateo with us. And, I hadn’t done that yet, so…
“I don’t know anyone,” I said to her.
“You met him last night. Owen, the man you met at the dinner party.”
Owen. The gorgeous man who’d sat across from me. I dropped my fluffy beach towel and stood up. My heart started tapping away just hearing that Owen was here, which was ridiculous. “Owen? He’s here?” I reached down and grabbed my towel, yanking it up to cover my body.
“Yes,” she replied with a pleased smile. “He’s in the foyer with Amelia. I wanted to get your permission before I brought him out here.”
“I should get dressed.”
“If you are more comfortable that way,” she said. “But he would probably like to join you by the pool.”
“Is he wearing a work suit?” Because if he came out here dressed in his office clothes, that would be really awkward.
Gabriel waved at me a few times. “No, I believe he went home and changed after work.”
Over the mountains in the distance, the sun was lower. I really had slept for a long time. I sat back down and dug in my bag for my swimsuit cover. It was made of a white, filmy fabric, and was just as pretty as any dress I’d ever seen.
I tried to get a little extra oxygen in my lungs, hoping it would slow my racing heart. “You can send him out here.” I tugged the cover over my head, somehow getting it twisted. I stayed like that, stuck in my own dress until Mrs. Laurent reached up and gave it a sharp tug. “Thank you,” I said. My cheeks felt like lava right about now. This time when Gabriel flung his little body toward me, I lifted my arms to take him. Maybe giving him a hug will calm me down.
As soon as I had him, I felt a little more grounded. His clean baby scent, which smelled like lavender lotion, filled my nose. “Hey, little buddy,” I said. “I missed you.”
He babbled at me and smacked my arm a few times. Then he whipped his head back to his mother and lunged toward her.
She took him back. “Enjoy your visit,” she said, and I watched her go, with Gabriel waving bye over her shoulder.
I laid back down on the lounger and stared at the running water, waiting for my body to calm down. Owen coming here was the last thing I’d expected.
You can do this. You teach calming techniques to teenagers with ADHD and anger management issues.
But I wasn’t wearing a bikini while I did that.
I covered my mouth, holding in a laugh. Am I becoming hysterical? Where was the calm, cool and collected Kate? Because she was currently nowhere to be found.
Chewing on my lip, I counted, concentrating on taking one big breath after another. If I knew I’d be alone, I’d start some yoga or meditation practices, but there was no way I was risking that when Owen could walk down the stairs to the pool area at any second.
Finally, the back door opened, and Amelia ushered Owen out, closing the door behind her, leaving us alone. I stayed seated, watching him as he descended the ten white concrete steps that led to the pool. I wasn’t sure he could look any better than he had last night in that tux at the dinner party, but he did.
He looked like a movie star on his way to a yacht. No, he looked like James Bond on his way to a yacht. He had put on khaki shorts and a white button-down shirt and dark sunglasses, with a beach towel tucked under his arm. Through the white shirt, the lines of his muscles were clearly visible.
I realized I wouldn’t mind seeing him with no shirt at all, which wasn’t a thought I’d ever had before, about anyone, not even a movie star. He strolled with that same easy confidence, strong and powerful, like he could handle anything that came his way.