Rosalie
watched the pool area from the office for a few hours, venturing out as often
as she could justify to bring Alex water and try to start a conversation. The
row of tiles around the edge of the pool filled in. Rosalie found Alex’s work
ethic remarkable; she didn’t know anyone else who could concentrate on such a
mundane task for so long.
Around noon,
Alex went across the street to buy food, and Rosalie felt guilty, as though she
should have thought to offer Alex lunch. It was the least she could do. Rosalie
would have invited Alex to eat in the lobby, but by the time she walked out,
Alex had scarfed her food down and was back to work. Rosalie retreated, not
wanting to be a nuisance.
Alex
appeared in the lobby an hour later, sweat shimmering off her skin, collecting
in s
