Summer Love

Chapter 2

***

Lisa sipped her drink, a blue frozen concoction that was sweet and refreshing. She sighed contentedly as she watched two women frolicking in the pool. For the first time in months, she was actually relaxing. She had even followed Somi's advice and turned off her phone. Well, not exactly. She couldn't bring herself to actually turn it off, but she did leave it in her room. There could be an emergency, she reasoned.

She wasn't really worried about the office. She employed two accountants and Somi. She trusted all of them implicitly but especially Somi. She knew she would keep things running smoothly in her absence. Lisa had planned to check in with them occasionally but that was all. Otherwise, she would try her best to keep the office out of her mind. She was here to relax and recharge, as Somi had advised. And she intended to do just that.

"You're going to burn if you're not careful." Lisa had been so lost in her own thoughts; she hadn't heard the woman approach. She turned her head, finding an attractive young woman watching her with a lazy smile. She held up a bottle of lotion.

"Sunscreen," the woman said. "I highly recommend this brand." Another smile. "And I'll even volunteer my services if you can't reach everything. You know, your back, for example."

While being shocked by the woman's boldness, Lisa smiled, nonetheless. It had been far too many years since someone this young and attractive had flirted with her. Even so, she wasn't really tempted to play along.

"I'm fine. Thank you, though," she said politely. She turned away, hoping the woman would leave.

"I know it's not quite June yet, but you can't be too careful. I'm Roseanne, by the way."

Lisa turned to face her, trying to estimate her age. Late twenties, she guessed. She had an infectious smile and long blonde flowing hair, just messy enough to make you want to brush it away from her face. She was glad her sunglasses hid her expression; she was shocked by her own thoughts.

"Lisa," she said.

To her surprise, the woman pulled a lounger closer and plopped herself down, still holding the lotion. Lisa noted that the woman was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and wondered if there was a swimsuit beneath her clothes. Everyone else in the pool area was dressed appropriately.

"Lisa. I like it. Are you here for the week?"

Lisa blew out her breath. "While I'm flattered by your attention, I'm really not interested," she said bluntly, hoping the woman would get the hint. The woman tilted her head, looking bemused.

"Interested in what? The lotion?"

Now feeling completely embarrassed, she turned away. Great. She couldn't even discern flirting from normal conversation anymore. She really needed to get out more.

"So? The week?" The woman, Roseanne, asked again. "I'm supposed to be here until Saturday," she volunteered.

Lisa wondered how rude it would be if she simply told the woman to leave, that she wanted to be alone. She shoved her sunglasses on top of her head, intending to do just that. But one look into eyes that were too light to be considered brown, too dark to be considered hazel simply stole her breath away. In fact, she couldn't even remember what she'd been about to say. The words that fell out certainly weren't it.

"How old are you?"

Roseanne laughed. "For future reference, that's not a great opening line!"

Lisa dropped her sunglasses back over her eyes, hoping to hide her embarrassment. "Forget I asked," she mumbled.

"It's okay. It's actually my birthday this week. I’ll be thirty."

"Oh? You said that pretty easily. Most women cringe at the thought of turning thirty and try to hold on to twenty-nine as long as possible."