Chapter 22
“Yes, Ms. Leonard, sixty million.” Thompson sounded as elated as though he had earned the money for himself.
“That’s…that’s amazing.”
“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you going to do with your newfound wealth?”
What was I going to do with all that money? I didn’t have much time left, and I didn’t thirst for the extravagances that many others seemed to. Then it hit me.
“Well, after I pay my fabulous lawyer—” it never hurt to butter up the people who actually helped you— “then I was thinking about donating two-thirds of it, probably to an orphanage.”
“You’re going to donate forty million dollars?” I thought he was going to choke on that sentence.
“Of course. There are so many people out there who have it far worse than I do. Why not help them out when I can?”
“Well, certainly. It’s just…that’s a lot of money…”
I knew that Thompson would be surprised by my decision and even have a hard time swallowing it. After all, he didn’t know the truth of the position I was in—the whole truth. No one did, and for now, I intended on keeping it that way.
“It still leaves me with more than enough money to live comfortably for, well, the rest of my life.” Not a lie, nor an admission of my condition. “Especially if I keep working.”
“Certainly, Ms. Leonard. Far be it from me to tell you how to spend your divorce settlement. It is for a noble cause.”
“Yes, a noble cause.”
• * *
With the divorce settlement out of the way, I was in higher spirits than ever. Even my cancer could not bring me down. I credited it to the freedom of being single and the joy of working out once again.
Even with my job and my workout schedule, I still had time to explore new hobbies.
I read more. I cooked and baked (Lily particularly loved my new gluten-free brownie recipe). I even used Stand Up’s indoor swimming pool.
One night, after an especially long day at work, I decided to take a dip to help me de-stress before getting ready for bed. It was so late that I had the pool all to myself with the exception of one lifeguard. It was so serene, so relaxing.
I set my phone on a lounge chair near the pool and started recording.
“Hi, everyone!” I said into the camera. “Just taking a quick midnight swim. It’s a great way to relax after a super stressful day.”
I proceeded to dive into the pool and begin my laps. I just planned to get thirty in and then float on my back for a few minutes before heading up to my apartment.
By my tenth lap, though, I heard a familiar voice talking with the lifeguard.
“Water good tonight, Sal?” I heard Barnett say.
“I don’t know. You might want to be careful. By the looks of it, I’d say it’s boiling hot.”
I blushed at the inuendo obviously intended for me. Then I watched, horrified, as Barnett made his way to the pool and into full view of my phone’s camera. I rushed out of the pool and to my phone, nearly slipping on the pavement as I did so.
As I reached for my phone, I directed it at me and said, “Well, that’s all I have time for tonight. I’ll see you guys tomorrow!”
I turned off the camera and stuffed my phone into my bag. Flushed with rage, I pivoted toward Barnett, who stood at the pool’s edge, smirking.
It was hard to stay focused on my rage when he was only wearing a pair of green swim trunks. His pecs and six pack were distracting on their own, but when adding those lean, muscular arms and disarming smile—even if it was mischievously aimed at me—it was enough to throw anyone off their game.
I shook my head and forced myself to remember why I almost fell on my ass a minute ago.
“What are you doing here?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“Going for a midnight swim, same as you,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you were almost spotted on one of my videos again.”
He shrugged, his face returning to its normal serious expression. “I told you before that I don’t care if I’m in those videos. I’m your trainer, after all.”
“With weights and the rowing machine and other gym equipment, but not with swimming!”
“I’m a certified lifeguard.”
I half-groaned, half-laughed. “Of course, you are. What aren’t you?”
He paused for a moment, as though considering the question. “I can’t cook very well.”
I grinned slightly. “Well, I guess that’s one area that I’ve got on you.”
“Oh?”
“Ask Lily. She’s been my taste tester, and so far, I haven’t had any complaints.”
Barnett nodded in approval. “She’s a picky eater, so you must be good.”
“Thank you. I—wait a minute. This is about you barging into another one of my videos, not about my cooking skills.”
He arched a brow at me. “‘Barging in’?”
“Yes, you barged in.”
“This is a public place, Anna. You’re going to need to get used to other people being in your videos.”
“But I can’t have you in my videos if we want people to seriously believe that I had nothing to do with your marriage breaking up.”
“I don’t think that me appearing in your fitness videos is going to affect that one way or another.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really.”
He looked toward the pool, and a light seemed to turn on in his head.
“How about we make a bet? If you can beat me to the end of the pool, I will make sure to never appear in your videos again.”
I crossed my arms and jutted my chin out at him. “And if you win?”
“If I win, I can appear in your videos whenever I want.” He grinned. “As your coach, of course.”
I sighed. “Fine. Who will judge?”
Barnett looked up at the lifeguard. “Sal? Want to judge a race?”
“Sure thing!”
“It’s just from here to the other end of the pool. Whichever one of us makes it there first wins!”
Sal nodded. “Sounds easy enough. Line up at the edge.”
Barnett and I jumped into our lanes and waited.
“All right,” Sal said. “3…2…1…”
He blew his whistle, and Barnett and I kicked off the edge.
As strong a swimmer as I was, I was nothing compared to Barnett. He soon sped past me. I struggled to keep up, and my head was only at his ankles when he touched the other side of the pool.
Sal blew the whistle again. “Barnett wins!”
Barnett pumped both fists in the air. Water dripped down his blond hair, his stiff neck, and his tight muscles. I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my throat.
He swam into my lane and treaded water so close to me that our chests nearly touched.
“I guess I’ll get to appear in your videos again,” he said, his warm breath rolling into my face.
God, I couldn’t think when he was so close to me. His smell was too intoxicating. That scent of mint, sweat, pine, and hockey jerseys now mixed with chlorine, and I couldn’t help my racing heart.
“Something troubling you?”
He tried to move closer, but I put my hands between us. My fingers tingled at the feel of his flesh beneath them. My mind flashed back to my dream of us having sex, and I quickly pushed myself away from him.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s getting late. I should go.”
I pulled myself out of the water before he could change my mind. I wrapped my towel around me and gathered my things. As I headed for the locker room, I took one last at Barnett swimming.
God, that man could swim.
