Read Online Practice Makes Perfect by Kathryn Shay - Free Book Online

going swimming at Dr. Kendrick’s
, the little girl had said the other night. Paige had a pool. Maybe she was in it now. He frowned. She shouldn’t be swimming alone. Then a thought struck him. Maybe she wasn’t alone.
    Well, there was no other car in sight, so he headed toward the back, passing bushes of hydrangeas and a few lilacs. When he reached the rear of the house, he could hear someone in the water. Peering over the top of the wooden fence, he saw her—as sleek as a mermaid—swimming laps. Goggles on, her face was submerged, except when she turned it to the side to take a breath.
    Slowly he eased open the gate and moved into the pool area. “Shh,” he whispered to Scalpel. “Don’t bark.” Ian crossed the slate patio and stopped beside a table with a forest-green umbrella over it and four chairs, the cushions in a geometric print.
    He scanned the yard. The slate area was huge and circled the pool. There was a sizable patch of grass inside here, too. Several lounge chairs were scattered around. Two more umbrella tables. Potted plants. The whole place could have been a scene from
Outdoor Decorating
, a magazine his mother used to read. Had Paige shared that interest with her mentor? Again Ian wondered if he was here because of his mother, because of Paige’s connection to her.
    Scalpel jerked on his leash. Dropping his stuff on the table, Ian unfettered the dog and stretched out on a chaise. It felt good to be off his feet. He’d looked forward to the opening of the Center today, but emotionally it had drained him. He watched Paige cut through the water. She had a disciplined, even stroke. No surprise there. Everything about the woman seemed disciplined. He smiled. And began to count. Hell, didn’t she ever get winded? He was up to twenty-five laps. God knew how many she’d done before he got here. The rhythmic motions lulled him. Content, with the dog at his side, he relaxed and let his eyes close.
    o0o
    PAIGE’S ARMS ACHED and her lungs burned, telling her it was time to stop swimming. She did a few more easy laps, then flipped over on her back. Eyes still closed, she floated until her breathing slowed. In the shallow end, she stood up, grasped the side of the pool, pulled off her goggles, opened her eyes—and came nose to nose with the black face of a monstrous beast. She screamed and fell back into the water; the thing began to bark bloody murder.
    Out of nowhere a man materialized, grabbing the animal by the collar. “Quiet, Scalpel.”
    The brute quieted immediately, but Paige’s heart stampeded in her chest. It was a few moments before she could speak. “What the hell is that dog doing here?” She looked up at Ian. “And you?”
    He bestowed a meant-to-melt grin on her. She scowled.
    “No big deal. Scalpel and I just stopped by to see you.” His gaze landed on the water. “We caught you playing the Little Mermaid. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I sat down.” He shrugged. “I fell asleep.”
    Doctors got tired enough to doze off anywhere, but Paige wasn’t feeling any too friendly toward the guy. “Do you always make yourself at home in a stranger’s house?”
    “We’re not strangers, Paige.” At her stern look be said, “I’m not Goldilocks, though you’re sure acting like one of the three bears.”
    He had nerve. After all, he’d barged into
her
backyard. “Why are you here?”
    “I came to see if you wanted company.”
    “Why would I want company?”
    “You seemed disconcerted today.” She didn’t like the fact that he’d noticed. “And I’m at loose ends. I thought we might spend some time together.”
    “Don’t you believe in phones?”
    “You wouldn’t have heard it.”
    “You didn’t know I was swimming.” Tired of craning her neck up at him, she climbed the three steps out of the pool and crossed to the towel bin near the built-in bench. Though his dog had scared her half to death, she was actually glad to see Ian, and she didn’t like that feeling at