“They don’t make you scrimp and save unnecessarily. You’ve been blessed with wealth. Why wouldn’t they share that with you? It’s not like they can take it with them when they cross over.”
“I think it’s to instill a sense of work ethic in us.” I winced. “I can’t say it doesn’t work. Knowing our college educations are dependent on us makes us do stuff we might not if things were different.”
“Wouldn’t you swim?”
“Maybe not.” I ducked my head underwater for a second. Then, when the water stopped the itch from the chlorine, which meant I needed a shower, I muttered, “For pleasure, sure. But competitively? No. I get nervous. It’s why—”
“Why, what?”
“Why Cain always beats me. He’s a shark. I’m just a—”
“A dolphin?”
A laugh escaped me. “Yeah. I’m good with that.” Dolphins could beat off sharks, couldn’t they? I liked the idea of that.
“Cain is very predatorial,” she agreed, and then she shivered. “I don’t like him.”
Music to my ears.
Clearing my throat, I muttered, “I don’t either. But he’s a damn fine swimmer, and, like I said, he’s got the heart of a shark when it comes down to races.”
“What would you do instead?” Thea inquired, her head tipped to the side. “If you didn’t swim, I mean.”
“My family wants us to go to college.”
“Yeah, your family. But what do you want?”
I pulled a face. “It’s stupid.”
“Nothing’s stupid if it’s what you want. If it makes you happy.”
I didn’t know why, but her question hit me on the raw. It was harder than it should be to admit, “I like to fix stuff.” Fuck, why did that feel like I’d admitted to having a foot fetish or something?
“What kind of stuff?”
“Things. Just… things.” Shoulders hunched from embarrassment, I cleared my throat before I quickly changed the subject. “Now, we can stay here all morning, or do you feel like grabbing something to eat?” I knew from the little she’d told me, as well as from the state of the center she swam in, that she didn’t have much, so just in case it was an issue, I tacked on, “My treat?”
“If you want,” she replied offhandedly, but I wasn’t offended. I liked the way she peered down at my face then glanced quickly away when she saw me looking.
Now that I knew a little about her past, tonight I’d be researching what I could find out about the Roma people. Their traditions, their customs. Even if she was no longer being raised that way, maybe it would explain the ethereal quality to her that made her magnetic to me.
Maybe it would let me understand who Theodosia was and why she was that way.
Fifteen minutes later, after leaving the pool and showering—the fastest shower I’d ever had because I preferred to spend my time with her rather than under the shitty showerhead—we met up in the coffee shop which was just opening in the center.
I was used to enthusiastic, bubbly staff offering me smoothies and protein shakes for breakfast. Trying to get me to spend thirty dollars on the first meal of the day.
Here? It was more yawning, disinterested servers, and I was lucky to get a banana and a coffee.
“I’ll get a car next birthday.”
As she sat down, an English Breakfast tea and an apple on her tray, her brow arched at that. “Good for you.”
My lips twitched. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“No? How did you mean it?”
“I mean, I’ll be able to drive us places.”
Her brow puckered. “Adam, you barely know me.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “We both know that’s a lie. I don’t know what in the hell is between us, and honestly, I don’t want to know, but damn, I’m not going to—”
“Going to?” she pressed when I broke off. She flinched in surprise, then instantly settled when my hand snapped out and grabbed hers, folding my fingers around hers and holding her tight.
“This is strange but good.” I blew out a breath. “Okay, that’s not romantic at all.”
Her laugh told me the truth—she agreed. Wholeheartedly. “No, it isn’t. But I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
Relief almost had me crumpling in on myself.
“I do.” Her smile was faint, and her gaze, oddly enough, didn’t connect with mine, but instead seemed to roam around me. Overhead, to the side of me. Whatever she saw had her smiling, and jealous, I twisted around, trying to figure out who she was looking at. But the place was empty. Even the bored server had disappeared somewhere.