covered one wall of the room. “My brother, Ryan, takes care of my fish when I’m gone for extended periods, but I wanted to check on them. That’s the primary reason I wanted to come by.”
“They’re really pretty fish.”
“I read that having a fish tank helps you relax, so I got one. I only planned to have a small one, but then I decided I wanted those right there”—he pointed at a beautiful fish swimming in and out of the coral—“and they are saltwater fish that require all kinds of crazy stuff. Next thing I knew, I had this tank being brought in. I wasn’t sure we were going to get it down the stairs even. I’ve added different types of fish since then, and I do like to watch them. Not sure if I think they’re relaxing, though. I have everything I need if you’re ready to go.”
“Sure, I’m ready when you are.”
We left the way we came in, and on the way out, a large grill that sat off to the side of the deck caught my eye. “You said you don’t use the kitchen much, do you use your grill?”
“All the time. Since I’m in the middle, I seem to be the logical place to gather.”
“In the middle?” I asked.
“Yeah, sorry, I thought I mentioned that two of my brothers are my neighbors. Rand is on that side, and Ryan is on the end there. He had to have the end house because that meant he got a side yard. Not that he does anything with it. He has better balconies, though.”
I stepped back and looked up, using my hand to block the sun. The house on the left had the same balcony the other two had, but it wrapped around the corner. “That is a pretty sweet balcony.”
“Yeah, Ryan got the cool balcony, Rand has a rooftop terrace, and I have a grill. Somehow, I think I came out behind. But isn’t that the way it always works, the middle child always gets the raw deal,” he said with an exaggerated sigh.
“So you and your brother’s work together, and you bought houses next door to each other?”
“We have another brother, Jordan. He wasn’t living here in town when we bought the townhouses. He just moved back this year. And yeah, we drive each other crazy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual. This whole mess, from the campaign, to Rebecca getting ready to marry that putz, to the silence from the stalker was making me antsy. I needed a good swim. I put on my suit and went quietly down to the kitchen. We’d stocked the fridge on our way back from Roman’s house, and I pulled my favorite orange juice out of the door of the fridge. Shopping with him was fun. We liked most of the same things, but with slight variations. For example, I loved orange juice; he loved orange juice. I wanted pulp; he said it made him gag. We both love blackberry jam. He wanted the one with the seeds; I thought he was insane. I laughed as I poured my extra pulp juice in a glass. I mean, who doesn’t like pulp? It’s the orange part of the orange juice.
I slipped out the patio door. It was beautiful outside. Dawn was breaking up over the water, casting a pink and orange hue over everything. It was my favorite time of day. Still dark enough that the outdoor lights surrounding the pool area were still on, but light enough to see. I glanced over at our sailboat. I should see if Roman wanted to go out. We’d talked about it, and today seemed like the perfect day for it. It was breezy, but not overly so. I watched the waves lightly crash on the shoreline. Yeah, just about perfect.
I slipped into the water, kicked up my feet in front of me, and floated there on my back for a minute. It was so peaceful. No people, just the chirping of a few birds, the waves hitting the shoreline, and the low hum of an engine from somewhere out on the water. I took a deep breath and let myself sink down under the water. Twisting so I was upright, I began to swim.
As always, a swim was just what I needed, and after only a few laps, I could feel the tension leaving my body. I stopped thinking and lost myself in