Brant wasn’t far behind me. He pulled his truck up next to my car. I wished he hadn’t driven his truck. Too many good memories, that I didn’t want to remember, had occurred in that truck. Sometimes after our runs together, we sat in it and talked until we were both late for something or other. Oh well, that was the past, and what I was doing now was for my future.
He hopped out of his truck quickly, while I took my time, hardly believing I was doing this.
Brant seemed eager as he opened my door for me. He was behaving less pensively than he had last night. Honestly, I didn’t know how to read him.
“I guess you’re ready to get down to business,” I said, trying not to be taken in by his smile.
“Actually, I was hoping we could catch up first.”
I tilted my head.
He gave me a crooked grin. “I feel like it’s important for business partners to be on good terms.”
“How do you know I’m going to accept your offer?”
“You wouldn’t have met me up here if you were going to decline,” he said with an air of smugness that was admittedly sexy.
I had to stop thinking things like that. “True, but I have concerns.” Lots of them.
“As you should.” He stepped out of the way so I could exit the car.
I slowly got out and braved coming face-to-face with him; well, sort of. I was quite a bit shorter than him. There seemed to be a heat rolling off him that kept the cool temperatures at bay. Part of me wanted to bask in his glow, but most of me knew it was an unwise choice. From here on out, I needed to think about him from a professional point of view.
“Do you want to stretch first?” He grinned.
I nodded, afraid to speak for fear I would say something like, “I have a cat.”
I grabbed my water bottle before closing the door. I met Brant where the trail started and did my best to avert my eyes. I used to love to watch him stretch. His lean, toned body was like a work of art. As if a master had painted every brushstroke with the utmost care. Brant moved in a masculine, yet graceful way. He was meant to be admired, but I couldn’t. Instead, I set my water bottle down on the ground, which was littered with leaves, and began to stretch my quads. I bent my right knee, grabbed my ankle, and pulled it toward my butt. I held it for ten seconds before switching to the left side.
“You still have perfect balance,” Brant commented.
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Really. I always admired your strong core.”
That was a weird compliment, but I didn’t mention it. “Thank you.”
“How’s the Hula-Hooping going?” I could hear the smile in his voice, though I was still refusing to look at him.
I dropped my foot, surprised he remembered my ridiculous goal. He was still the only person I’d ever talked to about it. I tugged on my ponytail. “I’ve only made it to ninety-eight times in a row. One hundred continues to elude me.”
“You’ll get there.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see him do a standing lunge stretch. Of course, his form was perfect. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of the bright sun on my face. It also kept me from ogling my potential business partner. “We’ll see. I’ll keep on trying though.”
“Which is why you’ll make an excellent business partner.”
My eyes popped open and met his, which were zeroed in on me. “Brant, do you think this is a good idea?” He had to have some reservations. He was assuming most of the risk. Unless you counted the risk my heart was taking.
Without hesitation, he answered, “Best idea I’ve had in a long time.”
I wasn’t so sure. “Maybe we should run.” It always helped to clear my mind. And suddenly I was full of nervous energy.
“Let’s do it.”
We hit the trail, and for the first quarter of a mile, it was a silent run, though while I said nothing, my mind was racing. All that could be heard was our breathing and the crunch of the leaves beneath our shoes. It felt like old times, and I realized how much I truly had missed his company and the steady beat of his footfalls. There was an odd comfort with him that I couldn’t explain. It was like being at home. I had never gotten there with Tristan. Why I didn’t recognize that sooner, I don’t know.
“How’s Oscar?” Brant broke the silence.
“He’s good.” I smiled. “Except, for being so little, he somehow manages to hog the bed. He’ll be stealing the covers next,” I joked.
Brant laughed, like a real laugh. I hadn’t heard that in a while.