Come To Stay

Come To Stay-02

Chapter Two

A slow smile spread across Aubrey's face. "Come on in. The water's fine."

"I could hate you for this," Reeve growled.

"I've been hated by better men than you," Aubrey informed him cheerfully. She didn't doubt Reeve; her job was to channel some of his angry intensity into the exercises. Bliss had told her how much Reeve had loved the pool, swimming laps early every morning. He would again if she had anything to do with it. "Put him in the water, Peter."

She turned and dove into the blue depths, feeling slightly guilty that Peter was left to deal with the abusive end of Reeve's temper. By turning away she offered him the privacy to climb into the water without her seeing Peter lift him. His pride had taken enough of a beating lately, and she didn't want to make this any more difficult than it already was.

When she surfaced at the far end of the pool, Aubrey noticed Peter was standing back from the pool's edge, his look unsure.

"That'll be all." Treading water, she raised one hand and waved, indicating she wanted him to leave.
Reeve was sitting on the steps that led from the shallow end, his look foreboding. "Let's get this over with so I can get out of here."

"All right," she agreed, swimming toward him. Her arms cut through the water as she stroked. Because of the distance separating them, she couldn't hear his savagely muttered words, which was probably just as well. He held himself rigid, and one hand gripped the side of the pool.

"I've always loved to swim," she announced, and playfully dipped her head back into the cool, aqua-blue water. Reeve's dark gaze followed her actions.

"When I was a child, my father was the one who taught me," she said. "I loved those days. We could never afford a pool like this, but summer evenings when Dad got off work, my brother, mother, father, and I went swimming in the pool at the park." Reeve looked bored.

"It seems ironic to me that my father would drown," she continued. Her unflinching gaze met Reeve's. "For a year afterward I couldn't go near a pool. In some obscure way, I think I wanted to punish the water for taking my father."

Reeve exhaled a short, angry breath.

Aubrey's mouth formed a humorless smile. It'd been a mistake to speak of her beloved father. She couldn't understand why she had-especially with Reeve Whitson.

"For now, all I want you to do is familiarize yourself with the pool. Tomorrow I'm going to start you on a series of exercises. I won't try to kid you. These movements are going to hurt, but they're supposed to."

"Do you want me to leap for Aubrey with some pie-in-the-sky dream you have of my walking again?" he said, and his eyes snapped fire.

"No, but I'll tell you this. Progress will be slow enough; if you fight me, it'll only take longer."

"In other words, a lot of pain and only a little progress."

"That, Mr. Whitson, is up to you."

"If it was up to me, you'd get the hell out of my life."

She couldn't hold back her amusement, and a smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "I'll be happy to leave, but when I go, that wheelchair will be in the attic."

His fist slammed against the water, spraying it along the pool's tiled edge. "Spare me from optimistic women."

"Starting tomorrow, Peter will be taking you to the whirlpool before our session here. There are several reasons for that, none of which would interest you, I'm sure." His impassive expression didn't alter.
"You can go for now. I'll see you at lunchtime."