Page 11 of Over the Moon

And that was coming from someone who took his job a little too seriously.

“Don’t be ludicrous.” She dropped her bag and tore her tank top over her head, exposing her pink sports bra. She kicked off her shoes and socks, putting them beside her tank top. She kept her shorts on, much to my disappointment, and stormed past me. “Of course, I’ve swum in my underwear. I wasn’t born under a rock.”

I barked out a laugh and followed her down to the dock. “When was the last time you did it?”

She whipped around, and I came to an abrupt stop before risking another crash and pissing her off. She repeated my question as if it were an outrageous question. “When was the last timeyoudid it?”

“Yesterday,” I said dryly. “You?”

She tipped her chin up defiantly with the hint of a smile that could have been easily missed. But I was a dude who paid attention. “It’s been a little longer for me.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that.” I barked out a laugh. “Let’s go, Weeze.”

“It’s Eloise,” she snipped as she jogged to catch up.

“Nah. That name doesn’t fit you, and it’s too long. I like Weeze.”

“I hate that name.”

“Even more reason to use it.” I chuckled before motioning for her to jump in first.

“Such a gentleman,” she grumped as she dipped her toe in the water.

The sun was shining down on the ribbon-like water, making it appear a mix of blue, green, and yellow. The surrounding redwood trees provided a little bit of shade as we stood on the wood stationary dock at the edge of my property.

I arched a brow. “Having second thoughts?”

“In your dreams, Hotshot.”

And she dove in like a professional diver being scored for entering the water without so much as a splash.

It was impressive.

I had a feeling Eloise Gable was as unpredictable as her mood swings toward me.

four

. . .

Eloise

“Damn.You basically skinny-dipped with Clark Chadwick. There are a lot of women who would pay good money to have that opportunity,” Emilia said, as she dipped her french fry in ketchup.

“Well, I would have paid good money to get out of it,” I said, and she laughed.

We were at the Honey Biscuit Café having dinner in downtown Rosewood River. It reminded me of the small town in Texas where I grew up, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes crave small-town living.

“Are you the doctor here in town who came to help our local superstar get back on track?” an older man said as he approached the table.

“Hi, Oscar. This is Eloise Gable, and she’s renting my guest cottage for a few months,” Emilia said.

“Ahhh… the two musketeers. Eloise and Emilia, that’s interesting.” He quirked a brow.

“Well, we’re fast friends, so there you go,” she said.

“So, are you here for Chadwick? It’s all everyone is talking about. Even theTaylor Teaknew you were coming.” He arched a brow and turned to Emilia.

She told me about the anonymous column, and he was looking at her suspiciously.

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