“Well, I’m waiting.” Chatter and music play in the background. “And I have to be back by ten.”
“I didn’t ask you to work out with me tonight.”
This was her idea.
But she just goes on, not hearing me. “Can you bring some leftovers?” she asks. “Hunter snuck me away behind the archery range, and I missed dinner.”
I hang up on her.Unbelievable.
Then, it occurs to me I could’ve asked her if Lucas was there.
I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t want her thinking that would have made my decision for me.
A text rolls in.Hurry!she writes.I’m so hungry!
I growl. “This is stupid.” I slide my phone into my pants. “Go exercise so you can go to sleep.”
I start to leave, mumbling to myself, “Your brother paid for a membership. You’re allowed to use it.”
But then I circle back and throw some leftover croissants into a paper bag and stuff them into my backpack.
In three minutes, I walk through the doors of Astrophysics a block away.
Heading up to the counter, I tap the device with my membership card.
“Welcome.” The same young woman from last night greets me. “Towel?”
“Please.” She pulls one from under the counter, and I take it. “Thank you.”
After I secure my backpack and jacket in the locker room, I fit in my earbuds and climb the stairs to the track with the bag of croissants. I glance around for Dylan, but try to keep my shoulders relaxed so it doesn’t look like I’m looking for someone else.
Noah Van der Berg lies on a bench, pressing a bar up and down above his chest. He exercises with Dylan sometimes, part of their race training. Where is she?
Then, Farrow Kelly rises off a leg curl machine far to my left. He stares at me.
I glance back at Noah, who drops the bar back into his cradle and sits up, meeting my gaze too.
Unease settles into my stomach, and I stop breathing for a moment.
Oh, no.
Quickly, I tap out a text to Dylan.
Where are you?”
The hair on my neck rises. Darting my gaze up, I see Farrow and Noah walking straight toward me, one from the left, and one from my right.
“No, no, no…”
A notification pops up.
Oh, I’m at camp, she writes.I sent my associates.
My chest caves. “Dylan,” I whimper under my breath.
Trust me, she says next.
And just as both men close in, I spot Lucas breezing past on the track, his chin lifting in greeting. My heart thuds, and he almost looks like he’s about to smile, but his gaze flickers to the boys, and casually, he turns back to the track, disappearing.
