Elliot’s gaze wandered over the other guests enjoying the deluxe pool grounds. Water slides flowed from fake mountains, and an aquarium was set into one side of the pool, which gave the guests the illusion of literally swimming with the fishes—and a few sharks, if he wasn’t mistaken. There were a lot more kids around than he was used to.
The hotel had other pools he could have chosen. But this one, with its waterfall and palm trees sprinkled liberally around, had felt more tropical, like he was relaxing in some jungle oasis rather than at a five star resort.
The woman beside him asked him something, and he turned to ask her to repeat the question when he caught sight of a total knockout standing ankle deep in the opposite side of the pool. But what had caught his attention wasn’t the fact that her modest, one-piece swimsuit clung to her like plum-colored perfection, accenting her blond coloring and showcasing her beauty in a way that the skimpiest bikini never could have. Or even the fanny pack she wore around her waist— Who wore those anymore? It was the look of sheer terror on her face.
Her eyes were wide, staring at a little boy standing in the shallow water near the aquarium.
“Tyler!” she shouted. “Get out of the pool right now!”
Stacy tsked. “Some people. If you can’t control your kids, you shouldn’t bring them out in public.”
Any interest Elliot might have had in her evaporated.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. If you’ll excuse me,” he said. He stood and gave her a sharp nod before heading toward the pool.
The woman had waded a little farther in. Her face was completely bloodless, so pale even her lips had lost their color. Her gaze darted from the child to the surrounding water like they were standing in a river of molten lava instead of a pool not more than three feet deep.
Elliot wasn’t sure what he could do to help, but he was going to find out.
Lena paced back and forth near the edge of the hotel pool, her heart pounding in her throat. The pool sported a large ramp that sloped gently into deeper water instead of the typical cement lip and the water lapped gently at her toes. That was as far as she’d go. Under normal circumstances. She and any body of water, no matter how large or small, did not mix. Ever. And if Tyler wouldn’t get out, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
“Tyler Nathaniel, you get out of the pool right now!” she called again.
Tyler, nearly drunk with joy over his first foray into a massive, watery wonderland, pretended not to hear her.
She couldn’t really blame him. The pool had been designed as a child’s fantasyland come to life. Waterfalls, water spouts, and jets sprouted out in every direction. One wall of the pool even butted up to an aquarium. The wall was thick Plexiglass, enabling the kids to “swim” with the exotic fish.
While Lena knew there was no logical chance of the fish and her child actually touching one another, she’d done her best to steer Tyler clear of that wall. No need to make the whole swimming thing even more dangerous than it already was. Especially for an inexperienced kid like Tyler. Heck, he’d never done more than run through the sprinklers in their backyard before. Even those little plastic baby pools had been too much for her to handle.
But when he’d seen the amazing pool at the hotel where they were staying for her brother Oz’s wedding, Tyler had begged her and she’d finally given in. After all, swimming was a totally normal part of life. For most people. And she didn’t want to inflict all her fears on her child. But still… What if she couldn’t get him out?
Panic clawed at her throat, and she choked back tears. He was having a good time and theoretically, she knew he was safe. With a life vest and arm floaties, he wasn’t likely to drown in the waist-deep water he stood in. Especially with a lifeguard on duty. But it was time to go, he wasn’t interested in leaving, and she couldn’t go in to get him.
“Tyler!” she called again, trying to keep the fear from her voice. She didn’t want to freak anyone out. He ducked under another waterfall, his laughter echoing from behind the water.
“Come on, Tyler, we need to go. You can come back later.”
“Ten more minutes!”
“No, Tyler, now!”
He giggled and ran farther off, water spraying around him as he splashed away.
She hated resorting to bribes and usually didn’t need to. Tyler was a pretty good kid. But enough was enough. At that moment, she’d promise him anything as long as he got out of the damn pool.
“Tyler, it’s time to go get some ice cream! Don’t you want to go get a nice, big hot fudge sundae? You can get extra sprinkles.”