Free For Nick by Taylor Dean

himself. The children stared, open-mouthed, and then giggled mercilessly when he stood up, dripping wet, and said, “Whew, that was close.” Then he repeated the entire incident, this time putting up much more of a fight before falling captive into the water. This time he even had Andie laughing. All of her preconceived notions of him once again went out the window. Zach was nothing but a goofball, a large child in adult skin. There was nothing intimidating about him. He repeated his show several times until he had a little audience of children laughing uproariously at his antics. He seemed to enjoy every minute of it and Andie just shook her head.
    She started to shiver, standing in the cold water, and wondered how Zach wasn’t frozen solid. Zach thoughtfully insisted she sit in the sun with a towel draped over her until she warmed up. He was quite gentlemanly and Andie had to admit, she liked it.
    They opted to sunbathe for awhile, letting the sun soak into their skin deliciously. Zach covered her back, shoulders, and arms with sunscreen and she in turn rubbed the lotion on his back, shoulders, and arms. It was a blatant excuse to touch him and she took her time about it. Then they lounged on a blanket and ate the picnic lunch Janine had packed for them.
    “You sure had those kids entertained. I can tell you like children. Do you want children one day, Zach?”
    Zach looked out over the lake pensively, as if his mind was elsewhere. “I did. I lost my wife before it happened for us though. We wasted a year of our lives, not really focusing on the important things. I regret it deeply.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    He shrugged, but she knew it sincerely bothered him. “Do you like children, Andie?”
    “Yes, I do. I taught a Sunday School class of five year olds once. I loved those children. There was one in particular, she was the most adorable little girl, with curly black hair and bright green eyes. When she got excited, she growled when she spoke. It was positively endearing. Once, during an activity, she was chosen to pick the next participant from the class. All the kids raised their hands eagerly and she scanned the room, thinking about her decision very carefully. Suddenly her eyes rested on me and she literally threw herself onto my lap saying with her growl, I want heeerrrr !” The growl happened on the word her . Zach laughed at her imitation. “I swear I couldn’t have been happier if I’d been elected president. Children have a way of making you feel like the most important person in the world. Sometimes those words echo in my head when I’m feeling down… I want heeerrr ! It always makes me smile.”
    “Sweet story,” Zach told her with a wink.
    “True tale,” Andie returned and he guffawed. She was on to him and his bizarre inclination toward alliterations. She wasn’t complaining though, finding Zach to be an interesting companion.
    They spent the afternoon sunbathing, talking here and there. It was comfortable and neither felt as if they had to fill the silence with useless chatter.
    “Andie?” he asked as they lay in the warm rays of the sun.
    “Hmmmm?”
    “Are you happy with this arrangement? I lay here wondering if I’ve brought unhappiness into your life for my own selfish reasons. I realize this is an unusual situation.”
    Andie’s eyes fluttered open lazily. They were face to face, she lay on her stomach and he lay on his back. The position felt oddly intimate. “I’m happy, Zach. I enjoy your company.” Besides, she was being paid to be here. A lot. But it seemed in bad taste to mention that.
    “I enjoy yours too, my twentieth girl. I’m so glad I chose you. I was just thinking how miserable I would be right now if I had chosen badly.”
    He held her eyes and she didn’t break the contact. “Just out of curiosity, how exactly did you turn down the other nineteen?”
    “It wasn’t easy. You wouldn’t believe what I’d been through that day and how refreshing you were. One