Chapter 9

Very little was said between Lance and me for the next few hours.   We were each deep in thought.  Sensing that I needed my space, he made his way to a separate part of the house to allow me alone time to process all that I’d learned and all that he wanted of me.

When Nora finally came out of her room, she found me sitting on a lounge chair near the pool.  Unlike the partiers from the day before, my body wasn’t filled with alcohol and I was feeling the cold nip in the air.  Even though the pool was still ready and waiting for swimmers, I wasn’t about to use it.  Instead, I’d grabbed an afghan from the back of a chair inside of the house and bundled myself into it while I breathed in the cool air and tried to think on what to do.

“Where’s Lance?” she asked as she lowered her body onto the lounge next to me.  “I can’t believe I went swimming yesterday.  It’s freezing.&rdqu