Chapter 1
Lina James stole a quick glance behind her, though she wasn’t sure why. Dillon had the same blank expression on his face while he did his endless bicep curl reps. She had once heard that men had a nothing box they sometimes went to, where they could literally think about nothing. Based on the look on Dillon’s face while he worked out, she was pretty sure that’s where he was.
It actually sounded nice. Her thoughts were a constant raging river, only calmed by intense workouts like this. Was it a river? Maybe a better comparison would be the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, or a Black Friday in Walmart. Either way, hitting the gym first thing in the morning was great for quieting everything. Her mind quieted to a low buzz, and she could focus the rest of the day.
She pedaled hard through her last mile and then hopped off and moved to the treadmill where she could walk her heart rate down. One more glance back confirmed that, yes, Dillon still had amazing biceps and an angel face. Not that it mattered. Gym guys were not reliable dating material. Pretty much anyone she found attractive wasn’t reliable dating material. She used to be able to laugh it off, but lately, she’d grown quite bitter about it.
Nope, there would be none of that. Lina was nothing if not cheerful.
“Hey, beefcake,” she said, breaking the silence. “What do I get to find out about you today?”
Dillon stopped staring into space and smiled at her, showing off his perfect dimples. “What do you want to know?”
They’d started this little game a few months ago when they’d first met, and none of her flirting seemed to work on him. All he would offer at first was a hello in greeting and a goodbye when he left. The only indication he gave that he liked her company was the fact that he started aligning his schedule with hers, so they were always here at the same time.
He was either incredibly shy or incredibly focused on his workouts. Maybe both. And so, to fill in the silence, she began begging him not to talk, saying things like, “We must keep the mystery alive, Dillon. If you say anything more, I might stop wondering about you. Is he an astronaut? A physicist? A boxing champion? Better to wonder than to be disappointed.”
He’d only grin at her and shake his head.
They’d decided on a rule. One new thing about each other every day. Nothing more.
“Hmm.” Lina stretched out her arms, groaning at how good it felt. The after-workout euphoria was like nothing else. “I’d love to know what you do for a living. I didn’t want to ask that at first. You would’ve thought I was a gold digger or something.”
Dillon raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yes. Living in this luxury apartment complex, I have to be on the lookout for gold diggers.”
“Why, Dillon, is that sarcasm I hear? I think I’m rubbing off on you.”
He turned red and didn’t answer. All done with bicep curls, he moved to the angled bench and began sit ups.
Lina rolled her eyes. His focus on his exercises had once again taken precedence over their conversation. “FBI man. I thought as much.”
“I’m a farmer,” he puffed out between reps.
“Are you being serious?” Maybe she should have asked this question first.
Dillon stopped and rested his arms across his knees. “I grow alfalfa and feed corn.”
She looked him over, trying to picture him in a straw hat and Wranglers. The image just wouldn’t come. The only things she’d ever seen him wearing were athletic t-shirts and basketball shorts, but it wasn’t only that. Dillon looked like he should have a leather jacket draped over one shoulder, smoldering into a camera. To be honest, he had the potential to sell just about anything with those gorgeous, light green eyes of his. Not that she wished he was a model. Imagine the ego.
“Sorry I’m not an FBI agent.” Dillon tried to hide a smile.
She gave a mock frown. “It’s a slight disappointment, Dillon. I won’t lie. But why does a farmer live in an apartment complex in Phoenix?”
“It’s a family business, but my brother decided to be a lawyer instead. I’m his roommate. Our fields actually aren’t too far from here. It doesn’t matter to me where I live. All the equipment is stored on my parents’ property.”
The game was definitely broken, but she hoped he wouldn’t notice. She’d found out more about him in the last few minutes than she had in the last week. This was much more interesting than knowing that his favorite color was red or that his favorite football team was the Dallas Cowboys. “Does this brother not like to work out?”
“Doesn’t have the time. He’s always working.” Dillon did another set of sit ups and then collapsed against the bench and stared at the ceiling, taking deep breaths. “Your turn.”
Lina was done with her workout, but a quick look at her phone told her she could waste another ten minutes before she needed to get ready for work. “Okay, ask me whatever you want.” She did a few more stretches and waited.
Dillon glanced over. “Are you going out of town for Thanksgiving?”
“Nope.” Lina didn’t get the holiday blues, but thinking about everyone else getting together with family was slightly depressing. It had been ten years since her mom died, and she missed her every day. She missed Thanksgivings with her mom’s quirky coworkers who had sort of formed a family back in San Antonio. She missed their funny assortment of side dish attempts, from the mashed potato cheese fries to the Twinkie cobbler.
“But do you have plans?” Dillon asked. He was trying to sound casual about it, but the way he was asking was more than mere curiosity.
Was he trying to ask her out? For Thanksgiving? Who had a first date on Thanksgiving? Lina fiddled with her shoelace, trying to figure out why he wanted to know. Maybe he had a dog that couldn’t stay alone in his apartment, and he was looking for a pet sitter.
