Neither Adam nor Tracie brought up the kiss after the flume ride. In some ways the barriers between Adam and Tracie had been erased — they now knew that the attraction was mutual. In other ways, the kiss added an extra layer of complexity to a relationship that was beginning have many facets.
Of course, there was still Zoë to consider, too. What would happen when she marched back into Adam’s life to reclaim him?
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The steam from Jen’s shower wafted overhead. She’d been in there for a while. The hot water beat against her skin, awakening it with every drop. When she stepped out of the shower, she immediately wrapped herself in a white terrycloth robe. After drying off somewhat, Jen untied the robe and stared at her breasts and stomach in the mirror. Not bad. She let the robe drop to the floor and stood naked in front of the mirror. First, she rubbed lotion over her breasts -- in her new dress they would be making much more than a cameo appearance. She pushed her breasts up to see how much gravity had robbed their elasticity. Jen was winning that battle. Until she saw how she looked in the dress earlier that day, it had never really mattered. She examined herself from the front, sides, and back. She had never really looked at her butt before. It wasn’t the butt of an 18-year old, but it was still fairly firm. The years on the Stairmaster had paid off. Jen’s stomach was flat, but not toned. Still, for exercising only three times a week, she liked what she saw.
It was finally time for the dress. Jen slithered herself into the dress, twirling around in front of the mirror a few times to get the 360-degree view. The real test would be when Quint arrived. Would his reaction confirm what Cooper had predicted? When the doorbell rang, Jen’s heart raced. It wasn’t just about seeing Quint, either. It was because she was feeling a new version of herself being born.
When she opened the door, Quint’s jaw dropped. There were 20 seconds of silence.
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