Free Night Swimming by Laura Moore

staring moodily at the dust motes, which told Dave he hadn’t yet shaken off his mayoral responsibilities.
    “Come on, Sean, quit worrying,” he said. “You knew after the panel voted to continue the study that Ferrucci would be in attack mode. Ever since you beat him in the mayoral election he’s wanted to kick your butt. He’s not going to let an opportunity pass him by, especially not on this issue.” He pushed a red plastic bowl toward his friend. “Here, have a peanut, it’ll make you feel better.”
    Always nice to see words of wisdom penetrate, Dave thought, as Sean reached and scooped out a handful of the salted nuts. “So, what’d you think of the bodacious Dr. Banyon?” he asked while Sean munched. “Liked her photographer, too. Very sparkly.”
    “Forget it,” Sean replied. The peanuts had apparently revived him. “Banyon’s trouble with a capital T . Her assistants probably are, too,” Sean added between mouthfuls. “Should’ve told me you were planning on contacting the Marine Center. I’d have warned you to avoid Lily at all costs.”
    “Sorry, bud.” Dave shrugged his shoulders. “I only learned yesterday that there had been a change of plans, that we’d be getting Banyon in place of Hunt. I couldn’t exactly call back and say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’ Not that I would have anyway.” He paused for a swallow of beer. “From that nifty recitation you gave earlier, you obviously don’t need me to tell you she’s one of the best. You read her latest book?”
    “I’ve glanced at it,” Sean muttered into his glass.
    Dave looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. “Pretty thorough glancing,” he said mildly. “Banyon’s got a great track record. Not afraid to tackle tough issues or tough opponents. With someone like her on the panel, we’ll be sitting in clover.”
    “Don’t be fooled by Lily. As you’ll discover, the experience is much closer to lying in a field of poison ivy.”
    Dave grinned. Dr. Lily Banyon did indeed look like the kind of woman who’d leave a mark on a man. He glanced at Sean, wondering. McDermott was behaving a bit peculiarly. Moody, tense, and edgy. Not Sean’s usual MO, that was for sure. “Come on, Sean,” he said. “Banyon can’t be as bad as you imagine. After all, she jumped in and saved her photographer when Ferrucci was going for the jugular. Pretty damned courageous, if you ask me.”
    Sean scowled but remained silent.
    “Did you see how big Karen Masur’s eyes grew when Ferrucci was tearing into her, all for the greater good of Coral Beach? I thought she was going to faint. Ferrucci did too. Swear to God, his teeth must’ve grown four inches. Noticed it when he flashed his signature smile.” Dave gave a mock shudder. “His smile disappeared damned fast, once Banyon leaped into the fray; so you see, that proves Banyon’s got the right instincts.”
    “What that really proves is that Ferrucci’s got a big mouth.” Sean gave a small grin, suddenly looking more like his usual self. “Maybe I should write Pete a thank-you note for being such an ass.”
    Dave laughed. “Be bighearted, send him a fruit basket while you’re at it. So, how far back do you and the doctor go?” he asked casually.
    Sean swirled the amber liquid at the bottom of his glass. “Pre-diaper. Lily’s hated me from the womb. And probably will—right up to the grave.”
    Dave whistled softly. “Is this possible?” he asked in an awed tone of voice. “You mean to say there’s a woman alive who won’t canvass the entire district for you on election eve?”
    “Stuff it, Dave,” Sean replied without heat. “When we were kids, Lily had a notebook where she listed all the reasons why I was the scum of the universe. Didn’t take her long to run out of pages and move on to volume two. One of her favorite pastimes was to quote passages to me. I still remember a few of them.” He drained his whiskey and signaled to Charlie for another round.
    Dave shifted