Taryn lifted a brow. “Rank?”
“I’m a month older than you,” Kincaid declared. “And relentless. You do not want this girl stalking you all week. Because I will.”
“Ha. She’
s not kidding,” Liv said. “I’ve seen her in that mode.”
Taryn lifted her glasses to rub her eyes, weary. She didn’t have time to start a gym program. She didn’t have time for anything that wasn’t already on her schedule. “Does it have to be this week? I have—”
“This week,” Kincaid said. “I’m serious. You can find an hour here or there. Lucas has some openings on his schedule.”
Taryn adjusted her glasses and peeked over at Kincaid. “Lucas?”
Kincaid smirked and gave a knowing nod. “Yes, your Top Gun rescuer has some room this week. You’re the lucky winner of that time slot.”
Taryn opened her mouth to protest again, but then she remembered Lucas standing in her hospital room, looking tousled and worried and damn hot. He’d told her he didn’t date, which was fine, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to spend a little time getting sweaty with him in a different way. Maybe she could find an hour this week. Plus, based on how poorly she’d run at the race, she could probably use some kind of physical activity. The former track star inside her was embarrassed at how out of shape she’d become.
She could hit a few check boxes with one pen with this plan—help her friends stop worrying, get back in shape, and hang out with a hot guy—all without having to interfere with her work too much. “Okay,” she said finally. “I’m in. I’ll try the crazy gym.”
Kincaid’s determined expression turned bright and sunny again, her friend’s normal state returning. “Yay!”
“Awesome,” Liv said, reaching out and squeezing Taryn’s shoulder. “I’m glad. Y’all let us know how it goes because that shit looks scary. Have you looked at the website?”
“No,” Taryn said, glancing back warily.
“Don’t,” Rebecca chimed in. “Better to focus on the fact that the trainers are, like, holy-crap hot.”
Taryn laughed, some of the pressure on her chest lifting. “Y’all saw them?”
“Yeah, the dark-haired one came to the hospital to pick up the guy who helped you,” Rebecca said. “Wes teased me about my head being on a swivel when they passed.”
Taryn smirked. “He wasn’t offended?”
Rebecca snorted. “My husband knows he’s pretty and that he’s got me completely hooked. He’s got no worries.”
“He’s got no worries regardless. Rivers, the one dressed as Indiana Jones, is gay,” Kincaid said, taking the exit for Long Acre. “And Lucas has his eye on one lady right now, and she’s sitting in the front seat.”
Taryn shook her head. “That better not be what this whole thing is about, Kincaid, because you’re wrong. He’s a nice guy, and yes, easy to look at, but he’s not interested in me that way. He’s already turned me down. He said he’s got too much going on with opening the gym. So I’m willing to go and work out with you, but you have to promise me you’re not going to try to play matchmaker again. That’s not what this is about. This is about getting some exercise and stress relief.”
Kincaid made a dismissive sound. “Sex with a hot guy can be great stress relief.”
“Amen,” Liv said with a laugh. “I’m on that fitness plan and fully endorse it.”
“Hallelujah,” Rebecca added, lifting her palm in praise.
“Hush, you two, with your hot men and all your sex. It’s not nice to gloat.” Taryn poked Kincaid in the arm. “And you, Miss Thing, have to promise this is exercise only or I’m not going. That’s my hard limit. This is not ‘get Taryn a date,’ part two.”
“What if it’s just ‘get Taryn laid’ and not dating per se?”
“Kincaid!”
“Fine.” Kincaid didn’t look pleased, but she relented. “Your loss. Just exercise.”
Taryn narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Okay, then it’s a deal.”
Kincaid tapped the steering wheel as if she were stamping a contract. “Excellent. They’re opening for a sneak-preview week for special guests only, and I got us in. We start on Tuesday. I’ve already signed us up and paid our deposits.”
“You what?” Taryn said, exasperated. “You didn’t even know I would agree.”