Trapped in the Pool with a BROKEN ARM and I AM DONE Chapter 02
Brielle sneezed.
Everett immediately rose from his chair, his face tightening with alarm.
“Did you get chilled out there?”
Brielle rubbed her nose, her voice thick and nasal.
“I’m fine. My clothes are just wet, and they feel cold against my skin.”
Everett turned toward the employee locker room.
Without pausing, he entered my code from memory and opened the private locker assigned to me.
Inside sat a brand-new pink tracksuit, neatly folded on the top shelf with every original tag still attached.
I had saved nearly two months of pay to buy the matching set for Everett and me to wear on our anniversary.
Everett took it without the slightest hesitation.
He also took the limited-edition quick-dry hair wrap that I had carefully hung inside the locker door.
“Put these on.”
Everett handed the clothes to Brielle.
When Brielle noticed the price tag, she widened her eyes and waved both hands in apparent alarm.
“No, I can’t. That’s Maren’s favorite brand.”
“This cost a fortune, and she hasn’t even worn it herself.”
“She’ll be furious if I put it on.”
Everett shoved the clothes firmly into her arms.
“Her locker is full of clothes. She won’t miss one outfit.”
“Besides, clothes are meant to be worn. Leaving them there will only ruin them.”
“If she has a problem, she can come directly to me.”
Brielle bit her lower lip and pretended to give in reluctantly.
“All right. I’ll wash everything before I return it to her if I get it dirty.”
She carried the clothes into the changing room.
Everett waited protectively outside the changing room and ordered lunch through a delivery app on his phone.
His order note requested no onions, no jalapeños, and extra barbecue sauce.
He remembered every one of Brielle’s preferences without needing to stop and think.
Yet despite knowing about my peanut allergy, he had ordered peanut brittle for me only two days earlier.
Mrs. Walker, one of the park custodians, approached with a mop.
“Everett, something doesn’t seem right at the wave pool.”
“The drain screen looks like it’s completely blocked by something large and heavy.”
“The water sounds muffled. Shouldn’t you take a look?”
Everett continued answering Brielle’s messages without bothering to lift his head.
“Mrs. Walker, someone’s inflatable raft probably deflated and got pulled into the drain.”
“Call maintenance for that. Why are you asking me?”
Mrs. Walker hesitated.
“I caught a glimpse of it, and it looked almost like a person. Could it be…”
Everett finally looked up with a deep frown.
“Do you need to have your eyes checked again?”
“There isn’t a single person in the deep end right now.”
“Maren probably climbed out somewhere else. If you saw a figure, she must have put it there deliberately.”
“She loves these stupid pranks. Just ignore it.”
Mrs. Walker sighed at his stubbornness, shook her head, and pushed her mop back toward the pool.
The delivery driver arrived with their lunch only a few minutes later.
Everett opened each takeout container and arranged the entire meal across the lounge table.
Brielle emerged from the changing room wearing my clothes.
The expensive pink tracksuit fit her so perfectly that it could have been purchased for her.
Everett looked her up and down, and his expression softened considerably.
“Come eat before it gets cold.”
He thoughtfully unwrapped a clean plastic fork and placed it directly beside Brielle’s food.
Brielle picked up a piece of peanut brittle and slipped it into her mouth.
“Everett, you remembered my favorite.”
Everett smiled.
“Of course I remembered.”
“Unlike some people, who complain about everything and can’t even get through a meal peacefully.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the radio on the table crackled sharply.
The water-park manager’s voice came through.
“Everett, report to the deep end immediately.”
“We have an emergency.”
Everett picked up the radio, his voice heavy with impatience.
“Is Maren causing trouble again?”
“Ignore her. She’s only trying to turn this into a bigger scene.”
