convincing shriek and dove down. Swimming a couple of feet under the water, she swam with strong, confident strokes.
When she’d exhausted her air, she broke the water as quietly as she could and sucked in a deep breath. There he was, no longer standing knee-deep, but up to his waist, calling her name.
He dived under the water and stealthily Carrie swam behind him.
He came up and called, “Carrie, where are you?”
“Right here,” she shouted as she jumped at him, knocking him forward into the water.
They both came up sputtering.
“You scared about ten years off my life, Carrie.”
He had her around the waist and dunked her into the water. She came up sputtering and he continued.
“Repeat after me, I will not scare Jack ever again .”
“Never,” she yelled just before she was dunked again.
“Say it.”
“No, you deserved it for throwing me into the water.” Down she went again. “Jack,” she screamed as she coughed and laughed. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You don’t look very sorry,” he grumbled.
“But I am. Not that you didn’t deserve it,” she added.
He seemed to be considering her apology and Carrie moved in for the kill. She scooped her right leg behind him and caught the back of his left knee. As it buckled she shoved, knocking him under the water.
“Threaten me, will you?” she asked as he came up for air, murder in his eyes.
“You’re walking a fine line here, lady.”
“Nope, I’m running,” she yelled, moving as fast as the warm ocean water would allow, with Jack right on her heels.
Chapter Four
THEY WERE STILL laughing the next night after another day on the beach.
Jack was remembering to have fun.
That was the part of himself he had forgotten.
The part that Sandy had stolen.
The part that Carrie wanted to help him rediscover—the silly, joyful part.
It wasn’t just Sandy. For the past few years his cases at Ericson and Roberts had become more and more demanding and he’d put aside the playful part of his personality. Carrie missed it.
“You really don’t fight fair, do you?” Jack said.
Carrie grinned. She shoved past him, slammed the bathroom door and clicked the lock in place. “I get the first shower. And to answer your question, no, I don’t fight fair.”
She could hear him laughing on the other side of the door as she turned the water on.
She loved when a plan worked out just the way she imagined it would.
~~~
Jack was still smiling while he waited for his turn for a shower.
This vacation was obviously what he needed.
That Carrie knew it and that she’d gone to such elaborate lengths to get him here....
The thought warmed Jack in a way no island sun could.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so...he started to think relaxed , but that wasn’t it exactly.
He couldn’t get the thoughts of putting the lotion on Carrie’s braless back and the way she looked coming out of the water in the moonlight out of his mind. He’d always regarded Carrie as a buddy, but lately the notion was becoming fainter as he realized that she was a woman—all woman. But, she also wasn’t his woman.
No, relaxed wasn’t the word he’d use to describe how he felt.
Alive .
Yes, alive , that was it.
He’d spent so much time trying to work things out with Sandy.
He remembered thinking at one point that love shouldn’t have been so hard. If what they’d felt was real, how could she have been so content to jet around the world for months at a time, or why had he been so content to let her? Why had they kept the relationship unofficial? Why hadn’t they every discussed marriage?
When Sandy broke her leg, leaving her unable to travel, they both really took a look at the relationship and asked the questions that needed to be asked.
They had both reached the same conclusion—what they felt for each other wasn’t love, it was comfortable, familiar even, but it wasn’t love.
He was with a prestigious law firm, doing work that held
When she’d exhausted her air, she broke the water as quietly as she could and sucked in a deep breath. There he was, no longer standing knee-deep, but up to his waist, calling her name.
He dived under the water and stealthily Carrie swam behind him.
He came up and called, “Carrie, where are you?”
“Right here,” she shouted as she jumped at him, knocking him forward into the water.
They both came up sputtering.
“You scared about ten years off my life, Carrie.”
He had her around the waist and dunked her into the water. She came up sputtering and he continued.
“Repeat after me, I will not scare Jack ever again .”
“Never,” she yelled just before she was dunked again.
“Say it.”
“No, you deserved it for throwing me into the water.” Down she went again. “Jack,” she screamed as she coughed and laughed. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You don’t look very sorry,” he grumbled.
“But I am. Not that you didn’t deserve it,” she added.
He seemed to be considering her apology and Carrie moved in for the kill. She scooped her right leg behind him and caught the back of his left knee. As it buckled she shoved, knocking him under the water.
“Threaten me, will you?” she asked as he came up for air, murder in his eyes.
“You’re walking a fine line here, lady.”
“Nope, I’m running,” she yelled, moving as fast as the warm ocean water would allow, with Jack right on her heels.
Chapter Four
THEY WERE STILL laughing the next night after another day on the beach.
Jack was remembering to have fun.
That was the part of himself he had forgotten.
The part that Sandy had stolen.
The part that Carrie wanted to help him rediscover—the silly, joyful part.
It wasn’t just Sandy. For the past few years his cases at Ericson and Roberts had become more and more demanding and he’d put aside the playful part of his personality. Carrie missed it.
“You really don’t fight fair, do you?” Jack said.
Carrie grinned. She shoved past him, slammed the bathroom door and clicked the lock in place. “I get the first shower. And to answer your question, no, I don’t fight fair.”
She could hear him laughing on the other side of the door as she turned the water on.
She loved when a plan worked out just the way she imagined it would.
~~~
Jack was still smiling while he waited for his turn for a shower.
This vacation was obviously what he needed.
That Carrie knew it and that she’d gone to such elaborate lengths to get him here....
The thought warmed Jack in a way no island sun could.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so...he started to think relaxed , but that wasn’t it exactly.
He couldn’t get the thoughts of putting the lotion on Carrie’s braless back and the way she looked coming out of the water in the moonlight out of his mind. He’d always regarded Carrie as a buddy, but lately the notion was becoming fainter as he realized that she was a woman—all woman. But, she also wasn’t his woman.
No, relaxed wasn’t the word he’d use to describe how he felt.
Alive .
Yes, alive , that was it.
He’d spent so much time trying to work things out with Sandy.
He remembered thinking at one point that love shouldn’t have been so hard. If what they’d felt was real, how could she have been so content to jet around the world for months at a time, or why had he been so content to let her? Why had they kept the relationship unofficial? Why hadn’t they every discussed marriage?
When Sandy broke her leg, leaving her unable to travel, they both really took a look at the relationship and asked the questions that needed to be asked.
They had both reached the same conclusion—what they felt for each other wasn’t love, it was comfortable, familiar even, but it wasn’t love.
He was with a prestigious law firm, doing work that held
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