Page 5 of Brodie

“Yeah.” She glances at the guys in the pool, their friendback with them now. All of them are watching us. “Thanks for saving me,” shewhispers.

“Anytime.” I put my sunglasses back on and sit, watching herpick her bag off the ground and start putting her book inside. “Don’t let themmake you leave,” I tell her quietly, and she glances over at me. “If you wannago, that’s fine. But don’t leave because of them.” Biting her full bottom lip,she nods once and places her bag on the pool deck, taking a seat with her bookon her thighs. “What are you reading?”

“World Beneath,” she answers without looking at meand opens to the page her bookmark is holding.

“What’s it about?”

“Marine biology,” she answers again without looking up.

“That’s an interesting choice of reading material.”Honestly, with the title, I thought it might be some fantasy or sci-fi book.

She turns my way. “I’m hoping to get into the marineveterinary program here.”

“Really?”

Really.”

“That’s cool as fuck,” I mutter, and she flashes a smallsmile. “Do you live here?”

She nods. “I just moved to Miami.”

“Me, too. Where did you move from?”

“Minnesota.”

“Seriously?”

“Did you move from there, too?”

“No, Tennessee,” I say. She laughs, and the sound makes mesmile. “I said ‘seriously’ because it’s rare that I meet someone fromMinnesota.”

“I guess.” She leans back in her seat, raises her knees, andpresses her feet into her chair. “So, why did you move to Florida?”

“Work,” I say simply and leave it at that. I don’t think sherecognizes me. Then again, she could be one of those women who thinkspretending they don’t know who you are will score them points. It doesn’t. Inthe long run, it’s just annoying.

“Cool,” she mutters, turning her attention to the book onher lap. I frown at her easy dismissal.

Chapter 3

Reese

I knew moving from Minnesota to Florida would be anadjustment, but I assumed the weather would be the biggest thing I’d have toget used to. I was wrong. It’s the people, or more accurately, the number ofdrunk jerks who come to party for the weekends and believe every woman on thebeach, by the pool, or just out and about is seeking their attention. We’renot. Or, at least, I’m not. The guy from earlier wasn’t the first to hit on mewithout me giving them the slightest inkling that I was interested. The firsttime I came to the pool, I wore a bikini and stupidly thought that was thereason for the unwanted attention. After today, I realize it’s just because I’mfemale.

I look at the guy lying next to me out of the corner of myeye and feel the heat rise to my cheeks when my eyes connect with his muscular,tan torso. When he first came out of the building, I noticed him the same wayall the other women did. It was difficult not to. He’s gorgeous with his darkhair, chiseled jaw, broad shoulders, and lean, muscular frame. For a moment, Ithought I recognized him, but it was only because he looked like he would playthe leading hero in some action movie or be on a billboard in Times Square. Inever would have expected him to come rescue me from the guy at the bar likesome kind of white knight. But if he hadn’t come over to save me, there is achance I would have let that guy in the pool buy me a drink just so he’d backoff. Because me telling him, “no thank you,” the three times he asked hadn’tworked.

Turning my attention back to my book and finding the wordson the page not penetrating, I decide to just close it. Placing it on top of mybag, I sit up and adjust my chair so I can lay it flat and then lie down on mystomach. I wish I could say my aunt was wrong and that getting some sun on mydays off doesn’t make me feel good, but it does. There is something about thewarmth on my skin that I’ve come to appreciate.

“Have you been to the aquarium here?” Opening one eye, Ilook at the guy next to me and find his chin dipped, and his aviators on me.

I’d thought his one-word answer for why he’s living in Miamiwas his cue that our conversation was over.

“I work there.”

“You work at the aquarium?”

“I do. I work with the sea lions and dolphins. Have youbeen?”

“Not since I was a kid.”

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