“Okay, are you ready?” she asked, the boy. “We’re going to jump into the water and make the biggest splash we can. Do you think you can make a bigger splash than me?”
A flicker of a smile crossed his face. “I’m gonna win.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and made a big show of jumping into the shallow water. Since it was a graded beach entrance, she only landed in about six inches of water but managed to make a decent splash. She was pleased to find the pool was heated to a comfortable temperature. “Beat that.”
Tyson let out a whoop and used every ounce of his small frame to propel himself up and into the shallow water. His splash was messy, but he grinned as he looked at her. He wasn’t so afraid. She was going to make sure he kept this new confidence.
“That was awesome!” she told him. “I think you beat me. Are you sure you don’t know how to swim? You seem like a natural.”
He smiled wide and shook his head.
“Okay. Let’s go a little deeper.” She took a couple of steps until the water lapped at her mid-thigh.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Dylan stop at the end of his lap and take his goggles off. His eyes were a warm heat on her back, and she tried not to let it fluster her. Just because he was looking didn’t mean anything.
“Come to me, Tyson,” Bonnie encouraged. She dropped to her knees, so the water hit her upper stomach.
Tyson’s smile faded a little with every step into the deeper water, but he made it to her. The water lapped at his chest. He smiled weakly as he came to a stop.
“You’re doing great,” she told him. “The next step to swimming is to blow bubbles. Like this.”
She took in a dramatic breath and put her mouth and nose in the water and blew out a steady stream of large bubbles.
“See? And my ears didn’t go in the water.” She showed him her dry ears. “Your turn.”
Tyson frowned, but he took a deep breath and put his chin in the water. Immediately, he pulled up and away from the water. “I can’t do it.”
“Are you sure? I think you can,” Bonnie replied. “What if we just made little bubbles first?”
“You can do it because you’re a girl,” Tyson told her, crossing his arms. “It’s harder for boys.”
“Oh. So you need a boy to show you how it’s done?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He looked pleased with himself, thinking that he had found a way to keep from doing something difficult.
“Okay.” Bonnie turned to the lap lane where Dylan was watching the two of them work. “Hey, Dylan? Will you come blow some bubbles with us?”
Dylan grinned and ducked his head under the lap lane rope. He quickly crossed the length of the pool to join them in the shallow water. He knelt next to Bonnie. She had to tell herself not to stare at his chest and abs. He definitely worked out, and it showed. She was just glad that most of him was underwater.
“So, we’re blowing bubbles?” Dylan asked. “I’m a bubble master.”
He took a deep breath and put his mouth in the water and blew an impressive stream of bubbles. Tyson watched him, but his worried expression didn’t change.
“See? Boys can totally do it,” Bonnie told him. She watched him for a moment and remembered that Tyson didn’t like water on his ears. “Are you scared of the water getting on you?”
“What if it gets in my eyes and I can’t see?” Tyson asked. “This water hurts my eyes.”
“I bet Dylan will let you borrow his goggles,” Bonnie told him.
“Of course,” Dylan said. He pulled the goggles off is head and helped Tyson put them on. “Plus, these are magic goggles.”
“Magic goggles?” Tyson asked. He looked like an adorable water creature with big eyes wearing Dylan’s goggles.
“Yup.” Dylan nodded solemnly. “They let you hold your breath for three seconds longer underwater. I got them from a mermaid.”
Tyson felt the goggles with his fingertips and grinned. “Okay.”
He took a deep breath, hesitated and then touched the goggles before putting his face in the water and blowing. Bubbles came fast and short, but he managed to get bubbles under the water before quickly standing again.