Stepping Out : Young Adult Romance Books (A New Adult Romance Story "Swanson Sisters Series" : Book 2) by Amelia Jones Read Free Book Online
Authors: Amelia Jones
Chapter 1
Alicia Brown loved the feeling of swimming. Face in water, smooth stroke, face out of water; another smooth stroke. It was a soothing and peaceful series of motions that carried her from one end of the pool to another, with the sleek turns at each end. Her hand touched the end of the pool, her body turned, her foot danced on the pool edge and she was off to the other end of the pool.
There was no time for thought or worry or tension when she swam. There was no need to talk or compare swimming sessions. She looked at Sophie bobbing swiftly beside her, trying another stroke. Alicia preferred her tried and true basic swimming stroke that carried her powerfully from one end of the pool to the other and back again. Sophie had a variety of strokes she used.
Alicia was aware that Sophie was coming to the end of her swim. She could see her slowing as she reached the end of a lap. Alicia didn’t want to stop. Not yet, anyway. For one thing, once she was out of the water, the same long list of tasks awaited her. She could feel the tension in her shoulders at the mere thought of having her water therapy end. That’s what she called her swimming – water therapy.
The other reason Alicia didn’t want to stop was she knew that she didn’t want this time with Sophie to end. It was wonderful that her sister had a reason to come to visit. Sophie avoided coming back home with such vigor that Alicia could hardly believe she was actually here. She’d come back with her boyfriend, Jack.
Because Alicia lived in residence, Sophie was staying with one of her old friends and Jack was in a hotel where the seminar he was attending was taking place. Having this time alone with Sophie was special. One more lap, Alicia told herself. One more lap and then she would grow up and get out of the pool.
Alicia grinned when she pulled herself out of the pool. Just as she expected, Sophie was standing there, hands on her hips, something that she did without realizing it, to add emphasis to her words. “Let’s go and get prettied up for the party.” The hands on her hips indicated to Alicia that her older sister was expecting resistance.
Alicia had not asked yet if Sophie planned to visit Mom and Dad and it would only ruin the magic moment they’d been having, to bring up the topic.
The party was at Jack’s friend’s place and it was important to Sophie, so it seemed, that Alicia be part of the event. Besides what was waiting for Alicia other than an evening of writing a report?
Alicia knew what was waiting for her. A party full of people she wouldn’t know. But she sighed and reluctantly agreed to go to the party. The sisters walked to the nursing student residence where Alicia lived so that Alicia could get ready for the evening.
While Alicia knew that she needed to shed this feeling of pressure to be someplace else doing something else, the party was not nearly as annoying as she thought it would be. The patio on the modernistic flat-roofed house was huge. It wrapped around three sides of the house and in the back there were low wide steps leading to a well lit backyard.
Alicia did not recognize one face at the party other than Sophie’s. And Jack’s, but she did not really know Jack other than he was the man who seemed to bring happiness into Sophie’s life. In a way this made it a much more enjoyable party for her because she did not feel obliged to talk to anyone. She was free to observe, listen to the music and organize her thoughts.
One of the things that Alicia had discovered was that a great deal of report writing could be done in her head while she was forced to do other things such as sit through a really boring seminar or go grocery shopping. Standing quietly away from the chattering groups of people, she was concentrating on the report she had to write. She was sure that by the time she got home, even if it was the middle of the night, she would be able to rattle off the report immediately.
She was lost in her
Alicia Brown loved the feeling of swimming. Face in water, smooth stroke, face out of water; another smooth stroke. It was a soothing and peaceful series of motions that carried her from one end of the pool to another, with the sleek turns at each end. Her hand touched the end of the pool, her body turned, her foot danced on the pool edge and she was off to the other end of the pool.
There was no time for thought or worry or tension when she swam. There was no need to talk or compare swimming sessions. She looked at Sophie bobbing swiftly beside her, trying another stroke. Alicia preferred her tried and true basic swimming stroke that carried her powerfully from one end of the pool to the other and back again. Sophie had a variety of strokes she used.
Alicia was aware that Sophie was coming to the end of her swim. She could see her slowing as she reached the end of a lap. Alicia didn’t want to stop. Not yet, anyway. For one thing, once she was out of the water, the same long list of tasks awaited her. She could feel the tension in her shoulders at the mere thought of having her water therapy end. That’s what she called her swimming – water therapy.
The other reason Alicia didn’t want to stop was she knew that she didn’t want this time with Sophie to end. It was wonderful that her sister had a reason to come to visit. Sophie avoided coming back home with such vigor that Alicia could hardly believe she was actually here. She’d come back with her boyfriend, Jack.
Because Alicia lived in residence, Sophie was staying with one of her old friends and Jack was in a hotel where the seminar he was attending was taking place. Having this time alone with Sophie was special. One more lap, Alicia told herself. One more lap and then she would grow up and get out of the pool.
Alicia grinned when she pulled herself out of the pool. Just as she expected, Sophie was standing there, hands on her hips, something that she did without realizing it, to add emphasis to her words. “Let’s go and get prettied up for the party.” The hands on her hips indicated to Alicia that her older sister was expecting resistance.
Alicia had not asked yet if Sophie planned to visit Mom and Dad and it would only ruin the magic moment they’d been having, to bring up the topic.
The party was at Jack’s friend’s place and it was important to Sophie, so it seemed, that Alicia be part of the event. Besides what was waiting for Alicia other than an evening of writing a report?
Alicia knew what was waiting for her. A party full of people she wouldn’t know. But she sighed and reluctantly agreed to go to the party. The sisters walked to the nursing student residence where Alicia lived so that Alicia could get ready for the evening.
While Alicia knew that she needed to shed this feeling of pressure to be someplace else doing something else, the party was not nearly as annoying as she thought it would be. The patio on the modernistic flat-roofed house was huge. It wrapped around three sides of the house and in the back there were low wide steps leading to a well lit backyard.
Alicia did not recognize one face at the party other than Sophie’s. And Jack’s, but she did not really know Jack other than he was the man who seemed to bring happiness into Sophie’s life. In a way this made it a much more enjoyable party for her because she did not feel obliged to talk to anyone. She was free to observe, listen to the music and organize her thoughts.
One of the things that Alicia had discovered was that a great deal of report writing could be done in her head while she was forced to do other things such as sit through a really boring seminar or go grocery shopping. Standing quietly away from the chattering groups of people, she was concentrating on the report she had to write. She was sure that by the time she got home, even if it was the middle of the night, she would be able to rattle off the report immediately.
She was lost in her
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