She shook her head. "No, I have an application. Let me stretch a little more, then I can set it up. I'll put in a twenty-second stretch after each jog."
"Oh, nice. That sounds great."
She set up the application with the correct times and then did a little more stretching. "You ready to start?"
“Sure, walking first, right?”
“Yes.”
North Carolina was different from California. Not just the lower population but also the taller trees. The air smelled different. She was used to the ocean breezes, but here, the scent of pine and dust filled the air.
Once they were on the path, tall trees blocked her view of the horizon. It would take some getting used to, but it wasn’t awful.
“I’ve got to say that the trees make me feel a little claustrophobic.”
Link nodded. "Moving here was different. Before being stationed here, I was in Texas. Being able to see for miles, then coming here and having the trees block everything took some getting used to."
The timer rang for them to jog, and they took off. Link slowed to her pace, so he didn't get too far ahead. She was still getting used to the new reality from her leg injury, and her pace was slow. They stretched after the jog and started walking again.
“How is your leg doing?”
She shrugged. “Good. I’m glad I can jog, but I’m so slow compared to how I was before.”
"Yeah. Are you still doing physical therapy exercises?"
Laugher rose, and it came out maybe a little harsher than she wanted it to. “This week, no. I should do them, but after driving, I was tired.”
He nodded. “You should do them.”
“I know.”
The timer rang, indicating they should jog. She tried to go faster, but the muscles in her calf pulled, and she had to slow down. Though she'd been a badass Marine for years, she had little doubt that Link was even more of a badass than she could ever be. Jogging wasn't winding him, and she got the feeling he could run twice as fast as they were going and last all day.
“You’re smirking,” Link said as they slowed to stretch when the timer rang.
“Just thinking about you and how much of a badass you are.”
Link was stretching his quads and had to drop his foot as he laughed. “Well, the job demands it.”
“Yeah, the Recon guys I knew were an upgraded badass level from regular Marines.”
“Same with any special forces group.”
It was time to jog again, and they took off. This time, she didn't try to go faster. At least she wasn't having a hard time breathing.
When they stopped to stretch, Link reached out to steady her as she wobbled. "Thanks."
“How are you feeling?” Link asked.
“A little tight.”
"Let's walk."
“Are you sure?”
Link nodded. “I can work out later if I feel the need.”
“Are you sure?”
