A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 51



was just plain old Tracy Ann Warner, artist, and happy to be so.

As for Dominic… well, he was just too weird. She'd be better off if she never saw him again.

After breakfast, she put on her bathing suit. Glancing in the mirror, she resolved to lose ten pounds before summer's end, and then blew out a sigh. She made the same resolution every year.

Grabbing her beach bag, she tossed in an orange, a bottle of water, her suntan lotion, and a paperback novel. She found a blanket and a towel and went down to the beach to work on her tan.

Hoping to seeBryan , she gravitated toward Tower Ten. She felt a moment of disappointment when she saw another lifeguard on duty. With a shrug, she spread her blanket on the sand, slathered herself with suntan lotion, put on her dark glasses, and lost herself in her book.

After an hour, she put the book aside, took off her sunglasses, and waded into the surf. She yelped as the water swirled around her ankles. Gee, but it was cold.

Determined, she waded deeper into the water, then dove under a wave and began swimming. She let out a shriek when something came up behind her and brushed against her arm.
"Hey, it's only me."

"Bryan!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, you did." Treading water, she turned to face him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I always come out for a swim before I go to work. When I saw you…" He shrugged. "Hope you don't mind a little company."

"No, but I was just about to go back in." "I'll race you."

She made a face at him."Like I have a chance of beating a lifeguard." "Well, because I'm a lifeguard, I'll give you a head start."
"Well, because I'm out of practice, I'll take it."

She struck out for shore, her adrenaline pumping. She had been on the swim teams in high school and college, but that had been a few years ago. She hadn't had a chance to get in much practice since college. Now, it felt good to be in competition again, even if she didn't have a hope of winning.

She risked a glance over her shoulder to seeBryan coming up behind her. He swam with seemingly effortless ease. And he was gaining on her.

And then he passed her.