They had arranged towels on the lounge chairs and placed a small cooler near the shallow end. One woman was applying sunscreen, another was reading a magazine, and the third was preparing to enter the water.
Luke stopped in the doorway.
"Excuse me. What are you doing here?"
All three looked surprised.
The woman holding the magazine smiled uncertainly.
"Isn't this the Cedar Ridge wellness pool?"
Luke stared.
"No."
She frowned.
"Celeste said residents could use it during designated hours."
He felt his stomach tighten.
"This is my private swimming pool."
The women exchanged embarrassed glances.
One immediately stood.
"I'm sorry. We didn't know."
Luke believed her. None of them appeared to be trying to intimidate him. They had simply trusted a statement made by someone who held an official-looking position in the neighborhood.
He asked them to gather their belongings and leave safely.
They complied.
Before going, the woman with the magazine hesitated.
"Should we tell Celeste?"
Luke nodded.
"Please do. And tell her I never gave permission."
After they left, he walked toward the side gate.
The latch was functioning, but the gate had been left unsecured earlier that morning while a landscaping crew worked nearby.
Luke closed it firmly.
Then he went inside and called Celeste.
She answered cheerfully.
"Luke! How lovely to hear from you."
"Three people were in my pool."
A pause.
Then she laughed.
"Oh, the wellness group."
"I didn't authorize a wellness group."
"Don't be so territorial."
Luke closed his eyes.
"Celeste, this is not an HOA amenity."
She sighed dramatically.
"I understand that you own the house."
"Then why are you sending strangers into my backyard?"
"We're encouraging community use."
"Of something that doesn't belong to the community."
Her voice became colder.
"You're making this unnecessarily difficult."
Luke looked toward the water.
"No. I'm telling you to stop."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Celeste said quietly, "You might want to reconsider how you speak to the president of your HOA."
Luke's expression hardened.
"I'll speak respectfully. But your title doesn't give you permission to use my property."
She ended the call without another word.
The following Monday, Luke received a violation notice.
It claimed that his backyard facilities created an inconsistency with Cedar Ridge's community recreation standards.
The language was vague.
There was no clear description of an actual violation.
But the document threatened penalties if he failed to cooperate with what it called "reasonable recreational access coordination."