Free 15 Tales of Love by Jessie Salisbury

course?
    And does Matt really think I need improving? Improve how? Just who has he been associating with down there? Somebody else with all these degrees?
    Jasmyn pulled into a parking space under a clump of birch trees and sat a moment, looking over the expanse of Crystal Lake, one of her favorite places. The sun was poised at the top of the trees on the western side and was spreading a golden light across the blue water. A sailboat drifted along the far shore, its sail barely filled by the light wind.
    She climbed out of her Focus, picked up the basket tote in which she carried her clothes, towels, water bottle, and a book. She put the tote down in the tufts of grass at the edge of the sand and looked around. As usual, after the supper hour there were few swimmers. Most of the picnic tables under the trees were filled with families. She could smell the hamburgers grilling. She didn’t see anyone she knew.
    As she walked toward the water, she noticed that the life guard was not in her usual place. Renee was an old friend and Jasmyn hoped she wasn’t sick or something.
    The water was cool enough to be refreshing and she went in quickly, not slowly as she sometimes did when the water was colder, what she thought of as ‘sneaking in.’ It’s best to do something unpleasant quick, Uncle Horace would say. Gets it over with. He was frequently right.
    She swam leisurely to the barrier ropes, rested there a moment, swam back to where she could touch bottom with her toe and then went back to the ropes. Four such laps were her usual routine, varying between crawl and backstroke to exercise arms and shoulders tense from desk and computer work.
    As she walked out of the water, a familiar laughing voice said from behind her, “Lookin’ good, Jaz.”
    She turned to scowl at Rory McAlpine, and was surprised to see him wearing the life guard’s vest. She asked, “Where’s Renee?”
    He grinned. “And hello to you, too.”
    She didn’t answer, bracing herself against his charm. She didn’t want to like this infuriating man, but she couldn’t help it—he was very likable. And very good looking. She squashed the thought.
    Uncle Horace once said a ship needs a rudder, otherwise it just goes where the wind blows. Rory didn’t seem to have a rudder, and wasn’t planning to go anyplace. Lately he seemed to be paying more than usual attention to Jasmyn whenever they met, making her wonder if he was thinking she was the next female to be conquered. She generally ignored him . I’m committed to Matt, no matter how handsome and charming Rory is. He just doesn’t fit into my life plan.
    Rory sighed elaborately. “Renee was offered a job she said she couldn’t turn down, so here I am on the evening shift for what’s left of the summer. Figured I should use that training I took way back when.” He sighed again, shaking his head. “And you aren’t glad to see me at all. I’m devastated.”
    “Nothing devastates you, Rory. You don’t stick at anything long enough.” 
    He smiled, a little sadly she thought, which was odd. “I haven’t found the right place yet.”
    “I don’t think you ever will.”
    He turned to watch a young mother with two toddlers at the water’s edge. “Maybe you could help me look, Jaz.”
    His serious, straightforward suggestion caught her off guard. Rory was usually just breezy. “I am engaged to Matt Colby. You know that.”
    “Only sort of. You don’t wear his ring and you’ve never made an announcement, and now Matt’s gone off to Boston to a new position and goodness knows who he’ll hook up with.” He paused for a fraction of a second. “Or maybe he already has.”
    She was shocked at this suggestion of Matt’s possible infidelity, but realized she had been entertaining the same thought. Rory’s right , w e aren’t formally engaged, we’ve just been talking about it. Forever. “How did you know that? He just told me this afternoon that he’d been accepted at the research