The arrival of the sunny spring-to-summer weather usually meant one ritual of the Granger estate being played through all over Maple Grove. From one gate to the other, in almost every house ....the pools were cleaned and refilled. For a few days, there was a distinct smell of chlorine hanging over the Grove, but that dissipated soon enough, leaving just the fresh glee of having somewhere to cool off not so far away.
With Tommy and Lena now living at King's Cove, Dru had Willow Manor all to herself, and had partaken on this particular chore with startling enthusiasm. Her reason for this had been rather difficult to get out of her until now, though. What it basically boiled down to was that she was feeling waves of pre-emptive shyness about spending time on the beach when the sea warmed enough to surf. Thus, she had formulated a plan to get some of that shyness out of the way.
Which was why Josh had been recruited to help her, and why he was currently talking to the back door of Willow Manor, through which Dru's voice floated. "You have to promise not to laugh," she informed him worriedly, despite the fact that he had already seen everything there was to see, even if he hadn't had full access yet.
"Why would I laugh' Have I ever laughed at you, Princess?" he called back from where he stood just outside the back door to Willow Manor. "Don't answer that!" he added quickly with a chuckle, though he couldn't really ever remember having laughed at her yet. With her, perhaps, but never at her. He was too much of a gentleman for that, in any case.
She peeped around the door, blinking in the sunshine that illuminated the hidden golden in her brown hair. "And there's really no one else out there?" she asked nervously. "Only you? Because I think I might die of embarrassment if anyone but you saw me just now." She bit her lip, looking every inch the young woman and not at all the self-assured princess - what he could see of her, anyway.
He chuckled again, wondering what it was that was making her so nervous. "Yes, Dru, it's just me!" He turned glanced over each shoulder, first left, then right, just to make sure. "No one's around. Not even your brother's dog! What's this all about anyway?"
"Well, I have to get used to this somehow, don't I?" she demanded, inching out into sight. Quite what "this" was wasn't on display; all he could see of her was loose long hair, her pink robe, and soft shoes on her bare feet. She paused before she reached him, blushing already. "You're supposed to be in the pool, Joshua," she told him, drawling his name with teasing affection to try and hide some of her nerves.
"If you're worried about what you look like under that robe, I've seen it all already. Most of it, anyway. And might I remind you that jumping into the pool isn't going to stop me from seeing you!" He wasn't sure what this was all about, but it certainly seemed important to her. "Look," he started, tugging his shirt off and tossing it onto a chair. "I'm getting into the water, okay?"
"There's a difference between, you know, what we do, and being virtually undressed on a public beach," Dru said with a shy shrug. She shook her head. "I know I'm making a fuss, I just need to get used to wearing this thing again. And I trust you to help me do that."
He chuckled again, a little amused by her shyness, especially around him when he'd already seen her naked more than once. "You were only half dressed in Joseph on stage for everyone to see and you're afraid of being seen on a public beach in a swimsuit?" He wasn't sure if that was the issue or not, but that seemed to be what she was alluding to. "Dru, everyone wears a swimsuit on the beach. You will only look weird if you're not wearing one!"
"Yes, but on stage, I'm not me," she attempted to defend her frankly ridiculous attack of shy nerves when it came to such a simple little thing. "On the beach, I'm just me, and here I'm not even the princess, I'm just Dru. And yes, I am a little bit scared of other people seeing me this exposed. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him, toeing out of her shoes as she approached the edge of the pool.
"What are you going to do if your sister decides she wants you to wear a swimsuit to her wedding?" Josh pointed out, referring to the upcoming nuptials between Tommy and Lena that were to take place on the beach at King's Cove in the not too distant future. It was unlikely to happen, but then, he wouldn't put it past Tommy and Lena. It was kind of a given that there would be some swimming and surfing going on at some point during the celebration.
"Take her drink away and wait for her to sober up before asking her again?" she suggested sweetly. There was a brief pause as she drew in a deep breath, and abruptly she was on the move, shucking out of her robe and diving into the pool as quickly as she possibly could. It was ludicrous to be embarrassed of this around Josh, but incredibly, she was.
He laughed again, both at her remark and at the dive she took into the pool, especially since he was still standing on the deck, but only for a moment. He dove in after her, making a splash, as comfortable in the water as he was on land.
Bobbing up to the surface, Dru swept her hair back out of her face, watching Josh scoot through the water as she backtracked until her feet touched the bottom. As soon as her feet did touch the bottom, however, her arms went around herself shyly. "For goodness' sake, Drusilla, it is just a bikini," she berated herself audibly. "Your own uncle has seen you in one, this is nothing."
Had Josh been one of those boys who liked to torment girls, he might have teased her relentlessly or even tried to untie her bikini top or steal her bottoms, but Josh was not nor had ever been that kind of boy. He'd been raised a duke's son, and though a streak of mischief might make itself known now and then, for the most part, he was a perfect gentlemen, especially when it came to Dru. He surfaced a short distance away from her and pushed his hair back from his face, smiling reassuringly at her. "You don't have to be so shy of me, Dru. I don't bite."
With Tommy and Lena now living at King's Cove, Dru had Willow Manor all to herself, and had partaken on this particular chore with startling enthusiasm. Her reason for this had been rather difficult to get out of her until now, though. What it basically boiled down to was that she was feeling waves of pre-emptive shyness about spending time on the beach when the sea warmed enough to surf. Thus, she had formulated a plan to get some of that shyness out of the way.
Which was why Josh had been recruited to help her, and why he was currently talking to the back door of Willow Manor, through which Dru's voice floated. "You have to promise not to laugh," she informed him worriedly, despite the fact that he had already seen everything there was to see, even if he hadn't had full access yet.
"Why would I laugh' Have I ever laughed at you, Princess?" he called back from where he stood just outside the back door to Willow Manor. "Don't answer that!" he added quickly with a chuckle, though he couldn't really ever remember having laughed at her yet. With her, perhaps, but never at her. He was too much of a gentleman for that, in any case.
She peeped around the door, blinking in the sunshine that illuminated the hidden golden in her brown hair. "And there's really no one else out there?" she asked nervously. "Only you? Because I think I might die of embarrassment if anyone but you saw me just now." She bit her lip, looking every inch the young woman and not at all the self-assured princess - what he could see of her, anyway.
He chuckled again, wondering what it was that was making her so nervous. "Yes, Dru, it's just me!" He turned glanced over each shoulder, first left, then right, just to make sure. "No one's around. Not even your brother's dog! What's this all about anyway?"
"Well, I have to get used to this somehow, don't I?" she demanded, inching out into sight. Quite what "this" was wasn't on display; all he could see of her was loose long hair, her pink robe, and soft shoes on her bare feet. She paused before she reached him, blushing already. "You're supposed to be in the pool, Joshua," she told him, drawling his name with teasing affection to try and hide some of her nerves.
"If you're worried about what you look like under that robe, I've seen it all already. Most of it, anyway. And might I remind you that jumping into the pool isn't going to stop me from seeing you!" He wasn't sure what this was all about, but it certainly seemed important to her. "Look," he started, tugging his shirt off and tossing it onto a chair. "I'm getting into the water, okay?"
"There's a difference between, you know, what we do, and being virtually undressed on a public beach," Dru said with a shy shrug. She shook her head. "I know I'm making a fuss, I just need to get used to wearing this thing again. And I trust you to help me do that."
He chuckled again, a little amused by her shyness, especially around him when he'd already seen her naked more than once. "You were only half dressed in Joseph on stage for everyone to see and you're afraid of being seen on a public beach in a swimsuit?" He wasn't sure if that was the issue or not, but that seemed to be what she was alluding to. "Dru, everyone wears a swimsuit on the beach. You will only look weird if you're not wearing one!"
"Yes, but on stage, I'm not me," she attempted to defend her frankly ridiculous attack of shy nerves when it came to such a simple little thing. "On the beach, I'm just me, and here I'm not even the princess, I'm just Dru. And yes, I am a little bit scared of other people seeing me this exposed. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him, toeing out of her shoes as she approached the edge of the pool.
"What are you going to do if your sister decides she wants you to wear a swimsuit to her wedding?" Josh pointed out, referring to the upcoming nuptials between Tommy and Lena that were to take place on the beach at King's Cove in the not too distant future. It was unlikely to happen, but then, he wouldn't put it past Tommy and Lena. It was kind of a given that there would be some swimming and surfing going on at some point during the celebration.
"Take her drink away and wait for her to sober up before asking her again?" she suggested sweetly. There was a brief pause as she drew in a deep breath, and abruptly she was on the move, shucking out of her robe and diving into the pool as quickly as she possibly could. It was ludicrous to be embarrassed of this around Josh, but incredibly, she was.
He laughed again, both at her remark and at the dive she took into the pool, especially since he was still standing on the deck, but only for a moment. He dove in after her, making a splash, as comfortable in the water as he was on land.
Bobbing up to the surface, Dru swept her hair back out of her face, watching Josh scoot through the water as she backtracked until her feet touched the bottom. As soon as her feet did touch the bottom, however, her arms went around herself shyly. "For goodness' sake, Drusilla, it is just a bikini," she berated herself audibly. "Your own uncle has seen you in one, this is nothing."
Had Josh been one of those boys who liked to torment girls, he might have teased her relentlessly or even tried to untie her bikini top or steal her bottoms, but Josh was not nor had ever been that kind of boy. He'd been raised a duke's son, and though a streak of mischief might make itself known now and then, for the most part, he was a perfect gentlemen, especially when it came to Dru. He surfaced a short distance away from her and pushed his hair back from his face, smiling reassuringly at her. "You don't have to be so shy of me, Dru. I don't bite."