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Golden Days

Page 61

by Stef C.R.

I’m out of breath, chest heaving, when I’m met with a sweaty Levi on the other side of the door. He’s wearing running shorts and an athletic T-shirt, and a part of me is disappointed he’s not shirtless again.

A wave of embarrassment passes through me again at the reminder of that morning and I suppress a shiver. “Morning,” I say, trying to sound chipper and not as morose as I feel on the inside after comparing myself to his ex-wife all night.

“Morning,” he says, his voice deep. He still sounds a little out of breath from his run, chest heaving with each inhale.

I try not to stare too much at the way the green shirt perfectly hugs his body and shows off every line of his pecs and abs. Christ, is that an eight-pack? I didn’t notice that day he found me in my car, but in my defense, I had other things on my mind.

Gulping, I force myself to look at his face instead. Big mistake. His bright green eyes are already watching me, little flecks of gold sparkling in the morning light. A high-pitched hum escapes my lips, and I press them tightly.

Really? All it takes is some abs and pretty eyes and I turn into a whimpering mess?

“Good run?” I ask, trying to hide my embarrassment.

Levi nods, still looking at me with that intense gaze. “Good. Great, even,” he says, his breath evening out. “I talked with my team this morning and we’re going to go over some more intense training before the U.S. Open.”

I straighten up, all horny thoughts dissipating at the mention of the tournament. “Of course. Let me know the schedule and I’ll make sure nothing conflicts with my shifts at the country club.”

“I’ll text you all the details. I wanted to let you know it might be more time consuming than you originally thought. We’ll be moving some of the sessions to an indoor training facility outside of town as well.”

Oh. That means less time at my actual job. “Okay. Are you certain my hours will count towards the certification requirements?”

“I’ve confirmed it myself.” He nods, placing his hands in the pockets of his shorts. The movement draws my gaze to his waist and the outline of his⁠—

No. Nope. Focus, Hazel.

“Great, thank you. I’ll be wherever, whenever you need me,” I say, giving him an awkward salute.

Levi’s gaze drops to my lips, his jaw twitching. “Glad to hear it,” he says gruffly.

I give him a too-bright smile back and curl my fingers around the door. “I should probably get ready now. Is there anything else?” I ask.

Levi takes a step back, shaking his head. “I’m making smoothies if you want one.” The corners of his lips twitch in amusement. He no doubt remembers my dislike of fruits and vegetables.

“Are they green?” I ask.

“They don’t have to be,” he smiles fully, leaning in. “They can be brown.”

I laugh and roll my eyes. “Disgusting. Unless it’s chocolate?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him.

Levi laughs, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in the cutest way. There’s a little bit of dark brown stubble on his face that I hadn’t noticed before. “Nope,” he says.

I bite my lip and sigh. Something in my stomach swirls and I choose to believe it’s just hunger, and not the way Levi makes me feel every time he smiles at me.

“Offer still stands, if you decide to eat adult food,” he teases, turning away from the door.

“Breakfast is adult food,” I call after him, poking my head into the hallway.

“Not if it’s the only thing you eat.”

Well, he got me there.

The conversation with Levi derails me just enough so that I’m on the verge of being late. I snag a couple of the granola bars Levi bought when we went out shopping and munch on one as I drive the short way to the club.

A text from Levi comes through with the schedule and wow, he wasn’t kidding. It is very intense. He’s got appointments booked with various people on his team, me included, and most of them take place at a training facility thirty minutes out of town. It interferes heavily with my schedule at the club, but maybe Ben will be glad to see me working less.

Rosie meets me in the locker room as we put away our belongings and prepare for our shifts. She’s quieter than usual and I nudge her with my elbow. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I still haven’t heard anything from Ezra,” she frowns, looking at her phone once more.