Page 12 of What About Us

“Now, let’s⁠—”

“No, back it up. You’re a hockey fan. Who’s your team?”

Ivy stares at me like Really? “I’m not here to discuss hockey with you.”

“You’re in my house, and I was told that I’m your only patient, so we have time. Who’s your favorite team, Ivy?”

“I follow Denver, okay?”

A smile slowly spreads over my lips. Yeah, I like that.

“Do you have a favorite player?”

“Now you just want me to feed your ego, Xander Hendrix.”

“Guilty. Who is it?”

“Maybe it’s Cooper.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Or?”

“I’m not participating in this conversation. Now, where’s your gym?”

I want to push her. I want to hear her say that I’m her favorite player. Why? I have no fucking idea because most of the time I don’t care.

But rather than threaten to submit her to torture to get the answers out of her, I gesture for her to follow me to the other side of the house.

“Your home is beautiful,” she says.

“Thanks. I had it built about five years ago, and my sister Ava decorated it. It’s way too big for one person, and I’m only here a couple months out of the year, but it’s my favorite place. And this gym is about to blow your mind.”

I open the door, and she walks in ahead of me, and I grin when she gasps.

“Told you.”

“Holy shit. You could charge a lot of money for memberships to this place.”

I laugh and look around at all the free weights, the cardio equipment, the mats and medicine balls. I have kettlebells, boxes for standing jumps and step-ups, ropes.

You name it, it’s in here.

“This will be perfect,” she assures me and then turns to the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the mountains and the pond behind my house.

Fall is starting to settle into Montana, but it’s still warm and sunny out there, and when she sighs and bites her lip, I can’t help but nod in agreement.

“It’s a hell of a view.”

“It’s insane,” she agrees. “At least you’ll have something pretty to look at while I whip you into shape.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

She glances at me and finds me looking at her, and she laughs.

“Right. Okay, then. I want you to walk to the other side of the room and back.”

“That’s it?”

“To start.”