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“Great job today,” he said. “That springboard chop? Man, you can move.”
“Thank you, sir,” I replied. The older man had a friendly face and a midwestern accent that immediately set me at ease.
“This is my wife, Hazel,” I said, making the introduction.
“Pleasure.” He held his hand out to her as well.
“He’s a great tree climber,” she said proudly once she’d tucked herself back under my arm. “He’s got to be. We have an errant moose at home. Clive’s harmless, but sometimes you’ve got to get up a tree to avoid those antlers.”
Josh and Tim broke into laughter, and I beamed. Of course she’d be ready with a cute Maine anecdote to make me look good.
“And you know”—she gestured to her flannel shirt, which was tied up around her waist, making her look somehow sexy and adorable at the same time—“I bought this online. I’m loving the new women’s cuts you’ve added.”
That was all it took for her to win Josh over. From there, he dove into how seriously they took the integrity of the fitting process, making sure each garment was built to last.
Hiding behind Hazel’s shy nerd exterior was a curious and brilliant mind. Put her in a room full of interesting people, and her natural curiosity blossomed.
“You two are a hoot,” Josh said, slapping me on the back. “You’re signed up for our wife carrying competition, right? We’re excited to debut it at this year’s event.”
Hazel peeked up at me with her brow all scrunched up and a suspicious look in her eyes.
“Oh. You’ve got to try it. You two are beyond perfect. It’s easy. Remy here will pick you up and carry you through an obstacle course in the woods. It’s a lighthearted, silly event. It’s our charity event this year. Nationals are a full weekend of competition, so we sprinkle in fun stuff for the fans.”
“Sounds challenging,” she said, giving me a side-eye.
“And to make it interesting, the winning team will be featured in the fall Racine catalog. You know we only use real working folks as models. We take pride in it. Steelworkers, farmers, even have had a few artists and a scuba diver. So we thought, why not award a contract to the winning couple?”
Hazel pressed her lips together, the wheels in her head turning, I was sure. I’d love to commit, but I couldn’t ask that of her. She had done enough. Just being here today was above and beyond the call of duty. I was ready to politely bow out of the conversation with a noncommittal response when I spotted a familiar face only a few feet away.
I sucked in a breath, my body going rigid as I prayed she didn’t see me.
Hazel looked up at me and then followed my line of sight to where Crystal was standing with Cedric LeBlanc, looking smug and overdressed for a lumberjack competition in a very short, very tight pink dress.
And then she was approaching and wedging herself into our space, her long blond hair flying in her wake. “Mr. Hanlon, did you say a contract with Racine?”
I took a step back, desperate to put distance between us as she dragged a sheepish-looking Cedric behind her. He had placed fifth overall, just good enough to make the cut, and so I’d have the pleasure of seeing them again at nationals.
“I’ve always wanted to be a model,” she said, tossing her hair again.Good lord, how had I ever thought that was attractive?“My fiancé and I would love to participate. He’s super strong.” She turned and gave Cedric an exaggerated wink that made me want to vomit before holding out her left hand to display a diamond the size of a golf ball on her ring finger.
“Oh, how fun!” Hazel gushed in a theatrical bubbly voice. “We’ll definitely be competing. Remy and I are happy to support Racineandtheir charity work.” Her eyes were blazing. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was possessed.
If Crystal had been a smarter woman, she would have gotten the hell away before my wife put a hex on her or some other demon shit, but she was instead batting her lashes at Josh. After a comically long time, Hazel’s comment finally soaked in through her trashy extensions, and Crystal’s head snapped around at high speed. “It’s for married or engaged couples,” she said, looking down her nose at Hazel.
But the attitude didn’t faze my wife one bit. Nope, she just pulled me closer, her short nails digging into my ribs, and smiled. “Oh gosh, didn’t you hear the happy news? Remy and I are married.” Her voice had a fake, singsong quality that was petrifying. My wife never failed to astound me.
Crystal narrowed her eyes and arched one painted-on brow. “What are you talking about? Remy marriedyou?”
At that, I couldn’t help but break out in a huge grin, leaning down to kiss the top of Hazel’s head. “Hazel and I tied the knot a couple of months ago. I’ve loved her since we were kids. It took a lot of work, but I finally wore Dylan down. You know how overprotective he is.”
“Great,” Josh said, interrupting the showdown between my ex-fiancée and my wife. “We at Racine are so excited about this. And I love a little healthy competition. Chainsaws and axes are great and all, but this will be a fun addition to the weekend.”
Hazel beamed at him. “It’s a lovely idea. And Team Gagnon will be there, ready to compete.”
My heart soared.Team Gagnon. I loved the sound of that.
And I really loved touching her. The way she shifted against me, always keeping our bodies connected. The smell of her hair, the sound of her laugh. It was exhilarating.
After we excused ourselves, leaving Crystal and Cedric far behind, she motioned for me to lean down. I dipped closer, growing giddy by the proximity.
