one-piece. She looks to be about five or six. She must be the other person Milo was talking about.
Great. I'm about to make myself look like the world's greatest wimp in front of a pre-schooler. Because she looks absolutely thrilled to be here and is staring at the water as though she can't wait to dive in. "Hi Milo!" She waves at me. "Hi, I'm Genevieve Maple Harrison, but you can call me Ginny."
Charmed, I wave back at her. "Hi, Ginny, you can call me Meredith."
"Hello, little Ginny!" Milo says happily. "Ah, welcome to your first class," he continues, but I realise he isn't looking at her any longer. I turn again and notice a man making his way towards us.
Though no Adonis, his body, which I can't help but notice, still cuts a fine figure with his broad shoulders and muscled arms. As he gets closer, I realise with a jolt that he has green eyes like mine, just slightly darker, and thick, straight brows.
In fact, they are the exact colour of my bikini. He suddenly glances at me, a swift, inquisitive look and I turn away quickly.
What the hell ? I could feel myself turning red as I realise with disbelief that I had been checking him out.
"Welcome, Grant. This is Meredith, it's her first lesson too. Now, don't worry, we will be taking things slowly, at your own pace," Milo says, as I reluctantly face them again, hugging myself self-consciously. Ten minutes of my swimming lesson has already elapsed and I can't wait for this to end. And by the look on Grant's face, he feels the same.
We exchange small smiles and I relax a little as he gives the water the same suspicious glance I did.
"Daddy, soon you'll be able to swim with me!" Ginny pipes enthusiastically and I see him give a visible wince.
"Go on then," he tells her, "but stay in the shallow end."
She nods and slips into the water lithely, like a little dolphin. I can't help but envy her. The water looks like a horrible, hungry monster just waiting to drag me in.
"So," Milo says, with a clap of his hands. "I understand that the both of you have a little phobia of the water, is it not? No matter, I'll have both of you swimming like fish in five weeks," he promises, while we stare at him apprehensively.
To my surprise, despite my initial misgivings, Milo turns out to be quite a reassuring teacher. He sits us down and walks us through his curriculum, breaking down the various swimming strokes we will be learning throughout the course.
They sound absolutely impossible to me, of course, though I keep quiet and listen dutifully.
I can't help but glance over occasionally at Grant, because I find it fascinating how his expressions seem to reflect exactly what I'm feeling.
Finally, Milo announces that there is just five minutes left to the lesson. But that changes quickly to horror as he says, "Okay, let's end this by actually getting ourselves wet, shall we?"
This time, Grant and I exchange real glances, united by our fear.
"Only up to your knees, guys," Milo adds quickly as he observes our faces.
Suddenly, and quite without warning, I hear Mike's voice in my head. Baby steps, Mer, baby steps.
Okay, Mike. I breathe in and out, trying not to sound like a woman in labour.
Somehow, he manages to coax me into sitting at the water's edge and the cool water laps softly under my butt as we dangle our legs in the water.
I stare at my legs, which are distorted in the water as I wiggle my toes. I can't believe it. I'm actually doing this and my mind isn't screaming that I'm
Great. I'm about to make myself look like the world's greatest wimp in front of a pre-schooler. Because she looks absolutely thrilled to be here and is staring at the water as though she can't wait to dive in. "Hi Milo!" She waves at me. "Hi, I'm Genevieve Maple Harrison, but you can call me Ginny."
Charmed, I wave back at her. "Hi, Ginny, you can call me Meredith."
"Hello, little Ginny!" Milo says happily. "Ah, welcome to your first class," he continues, but I realise he isn't looking at her any longer. I turn again and notice a man making his way towards us.
Though no Adonis, his body, which I can't help but notice, still cuts a fine figure with his broad shoulders and muscled arms. As he gets closer, I realise with a jolt that he has green eyes like mine, just slightly darker, and thick, straight brows.
In fact, they are the exact colour of my bikini. He suddenly glances at me, a swift, inquisitive look and I turn away quickly.
What the hell ? I could feel myself turning red as I realise with disbelief that I had been checking him out.
"Welcome, Grant. This is Meredith, it's her first lesson too. Now, don't worry, we will be taking things slowly, at your own pace," Milo says, as I reluctantly face them again, hugging myself self-consciously. Ten minutes of my swimming lesson has already elapsed and I can't wait for this to end. And by the look on Grant's face, he feels the same.
We exchange small smiles and I relax a little as he gives the water the same suspicious glance I did.
"Daddy, soon you'll be able to swim with me!" Ginny pipes enthusiastically and I see him give a visible wince.
"Go on then," he tells her, "but stay in the shallow end."
She nods and slips into the water lithely, like a little dolphin. I can't help but envy her. The water looks like a horrible, hungry monster just waiting to drag me in.
"So," Milo says, with a clap of his hands. "I understand that the both of you have a little phobia of the water, is it not? No matter, I'll have both of you swimming like fish in five weeks," he promises, while we stare at him apprehensively.
To my surprise, despite my initial misgivings, Milo turns out to be quite a reassuring teacher. He sits us down and walks us through his curriculum, breaking down the various swimming strokes we will be learning throughout the course.
They sound absolutely impossible to me, of course, though I keep quiet and listen dutifully.
I can't help but glance over occasionally at Grant, because I find it fascinating how his expressions seem to reflect exactly what I'm feeling.
Finally, Milo announces that there is just five minutes left to the lesson. But that changes quickly to horror as he says, "Okay, let's end this by actually getting ourselves wet, shall we?"
This time, Grant and I exchange real glances, united by our fear.
"Only up to your knees, guys," Milo adds quickly as he observes our faces.
Suddenly, and quite without warning, I hear Mike's voice in my head. Baby steps, Mer, baby steps.
Okay, Mike. I breathe in and out, trying not to sound like a woman in labour.
Somehow, he manages to coax me into sitting at the water's edge and the cool water laps softly under my butt as we dangle our legs in the water.
I stare at my legs, which are distorted in the water as I wiggle my toes. I can't believe it. I'm actually doing this and my mind isn't screaming that I'm
Similar Books
