“Hot?”
“Not relevant.”
I summarized the reservation, the fall, and Dani catching me.
“You increased the speed because a hot woman was watching.”
“There was an adversarial context.”
“That is not a denial.”
In my bedroom, the bright blue workout top I had planned to return waited in its bag. This was an assessment. There was no reason to wear blue.
I set the bag beside my shoes.
Chapter Four
Spreadsheet Versus Stopwatch
Dani
At five fifty-three on Wednesday, May seventh, Amy Price arrived at Iron & Ivy dressed entirely in black and carrying enough paper to establish a small government. I watched her cross the lobby from the mezzanine. Her dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail. She wore the same silver watch as yesterday, though she had exchanged the white shoes for another pair that looked nearly identical.
She moved with the purposeful speed of a woman who had never wandered anywhere in her life. Under one arm, she carried a binder. Not a folder. A binder. I checked the time. Seven minutes early. Apparently, five fifty-three was what happened when Amy tried to arrive casually. Rose stepped beside me and followed my gaze.
“That her?” Rose asked.
“My face is monitoring the gym.”
“Your face is smiling.”
Amy looked up from the front desk. I lifted a hand; she adjusted her grip on the binder and started toward us.
“You remembered what she wore,” Rose said.
“She almost died in it.”
“She lost her footing.”
“Death begins with small choices.”
Amy reached the top of the stairs.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Morning, Price.”
Her gaze moved to Rose. I straightened.
“Amy Price, this is Rose Graham, our physical therapist and the person most likely to interrupt a workout if she believes I’m making a bad decision.”
“Which is often,” Rose said.
Amy offered her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Rose shook it. “You too.”
“Amy is training for Lake City,” I said.
