Split Second (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 1)

“There are some swimsuits in the guest room.”

“Sean, one thing you’ll learn about me: I never go anywhere without sports gear.”

With King driving the big red motorcycle-like Sea-Doo 4TEC and Michelle seated behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, they went out about three miles, and then King dropped a small anchor into the shallow water of a cove. They sat on the Sea-Doo, and King looked around.

“Give it six weeks or so, and the colors here will be something to see,” said King. “And I also love how the mountains look with the sun going down behind them.”

“Okay, time for some exercise to work off that meal.” Michelle took off her life jacket, then stripped off her top and sweatpants. Underneath she wore dazzling red Lycra shorts and a matching workout top.

King found himself staring at her, openmouthed, the beautiful mountain vistas no longer engaging his attention.

“Problem?” asked Michelle as she glanced at him.

“No problem here,” said King as he quickly looked away.

“Last one in.” She dove into the water and came up. “Going to join me?”

He stripped down and dove in and came up next to her.

Michelle eyed the shoreline. “How far do you think that is?”

“About a hundred yards. Why?”

“I’m thinking about entering a triathlon.”

“Gee, why am I not surprised?”

“I’ll race you,” she said.

“It won’t be much of a race.”

“Pretty cocky, huh?”

“No, I mean you’ll kick my ass.”

“How do you know that?”

“You’re an Olympian, I’m a middle-aged attorney with bum knees and a bad wing where I got shot doing my public service stint. It’d be like racing your grandmother with lead weights on her feet.”

“We’ll see. You might surprise yourself. One-two-three-go!” She took off, her strokes cutting cleanly through the warm, flat water.

King swam after her and surprisingly made up the distance fairly easily. In fact, by the time they drew close to shore they were neck and neck. Michelle started laughing when he reached over and playfully grabbed her leg. They reached land in a tie. King lay on his back and sucked in air like there wasn’t enough in the entire atmosphere to satisfy him.

“Well, I guess I did surprise myself,” he said between gasps. Then he looked over at Michelle. She wasn’t even breathing hard, and the truth struck him.

“You shit, you weren’t even trying.”

“Yes, I was. Well, I mean I had to allow for the age difference and all.”

“Okay, that does it.”

He jumped up and went after her as she raced screaming away. Yet she was laughing so hard King had no trouble running her down. He lifted her over his shoulder, carried the woman out into waist-deep water and ceremoniously dumped her. She came up sputtering and still laughing.

“What was that for?”

“To show you that while I may be over forty, I ain’t dead.”

Back at the dock as he was raising the Sea-Doo up on its lift he asked, “So how did you go from basketball and track to Olympic rowing?”