Page 66 of I Wish He Would

There’s a playful quality in my voice as I say, “Surprise me.”

Austin’s mouth tilts up at one corner. “You got it.”

I busy myself with getting ready for the morning-movement class Bradley and Bianca invited all their guests to partake in. I put on a maroon matching workout set that I definitely didn’t buy because it’s the exact color of Austin’s team—okay, I totally did—and pull up the top half of my hair in a silk scrunchie that has long ends resembling my signature silk scarves. I’ve just finished brushing my teeth and applying deodorant and the barest bit of makeup when Austin knocks on the door.

“I’m ready,” I call out loud enough for him to hear me.

Seconds later, Austin steps into the room carrying a cup of hot coffee for himself and extending an iced drink my way. I grab the cup from him and take a sip.

“Do you like it?” he asks.

I close my eyes and nod. “This might be the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. Just don’t tell Kelsey.” My roommate is a former barista, so she’s made us all plenty of drinks over the years, and while they’re delicious, I’ve never tasted anything quite this good. “What is it?”

“Toasted coconut. I thought you’d want to try something more tropical while we’re in St. Lucia.”

“You thought right.” I wrap both hands around the plastic cup and take another sip. “I’ll have one of these every day for the rest of my life, please, and thank you.”

His eyes take in my outfit. “Is it bad I was going to work out in this?” He gestures to his Mustangs sweatshirt and gym shorts.

“Not at all.” I gesture to the door. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Austin opens the door for me, and we head to the elevator. “I just feel like a gremlin next to a supermodel.”

I laugh at the ridiculous thought of him being anything other than gorgeous. I mean, has the man never looked in a mirror?

He nudges my side with his elbow. “That doesn’t help.”

“What, you need me to tell you how handsome you are?”

The elevator dings and the doors open, but Austin doesn’t step in. He looks down at me and his brows furrow. “You think I’m handsome?”

I playfully slap his arm. “Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m telling you something you didn’t already know.”

A slight blush colors his cheeks as he reaches out his arm to stop the elevator door from closing. He waits for me to step in, then follows behind me and hits the button for the lobby.

I’m building up my courage to ask him if he really thinks I look like a supermodel when the elevator stops at the next floor. The doors open and a group of people dressed in fancy workout gear from brands I would never find at the thrift store steps in. I think it’s pretty safe to assume they’re friends of the Vanderbilts. So, I keep my mouth shut until we finally reach the lobby.

We follow the group outside where an instructor waits with Bianca, Bradley, and a few other guests with mats already rolled out. I grab two of the sweat towels from the front and set them down next to my iced coffee beside one of the mats.

“It looks like we have a good group, so we’ll go ahead and get started,” the instructor announces.

I sit cross-legged on my mat. Austin attempts to do the same, but his long legs jut out at awkward angles until he finally just sits with his legs stretched out in front of him.

“My name is Felicity, and I’ll be your instructor this beautiful morning in St. Lucia. Welcome to Mat Pilates.”

Austin leans toward me. “When you said morning movement, this wasn’t what I pictured.”

“You already have a strong core, so you should be fine.”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “Were you staring at my abs last night?”

“I did no such thing.”

I totally did.

“Let’s start by lying on our backs with our knees bent and feet flat. We’re going to have our arms parallel with our backs. Press your hands into the mat. Then we’re going to inhale and exhale like we’re trying to warm up our hands in the winter.”

We follow along with Felicity.