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“Oh my god! Andi, what happened?” Haley rushed forward to help.
“I got it,” I said. “I’m fine.”
But she ignored me, bending to notch her arm under mine. I willed my damn shoes to find traction and miraculously, they obeyed.
“Are you okay?” Haley stepped back to look me over.
“Fine.I’m fine.” My voice was hard, but I couldn’t help it. It was either that or let it tremble, and I refused to sound as rattled as I felt inside.
“I caught her.” Baker’s voice interrupted Haley’s perusal. “I didn’t let any of her touch the ground. Er, not until she went rogue at least.”
Went rogue.
Okay, yeah. That’s technically what happened. If getting off of him as quickly as possible wasgoing rogue.
I still couldn’t look at him. Even when he moved close enough I could smell his cologne. Something faint but woodsy. And a little sweet.
Damn it.
He smelled divine. It was so unfair.
For weeks, Baker had been leaving just as I arrived at the gym for Chub Club, and he didn’t look past me the way others did. It wasn’t even the usual once-over after our eyes met. I was used to that. I had what people deemed a ‘pretty face’. It caught attention sometimes. But mostly when their gaze traveled over the rest of me, they looked away quickly.
Especially the gym guys. They did not dig what I had to offer.
My friends didn’t have the same problem. They’d each ended up with a hunky muscular type who adored them just the way they were. And it did my semi-cynical heart good to see it work out for them all. I freaking loved seeing my friends happy.
Even if I was the ninth wheel most of the time.
Maybe I even started expecting men to see through me. Maybe I’d convinced myself that whatever Chub Club magic Brooks’s gym contained, just didn’t apply to me.
But Baker was different.
He never looked away. Ever.
He even spoke to me. An occasional hello. A ‘have fun’ as I pushed past him into the gym.
I never answered because his attention made me nervous as hell.
Baker Madison, high school football legend who would’ve continued through college to the pros if it weren’t for a catastrophic knee injury his senior year. We didn’t go to the same high school, but we graduated the same year.
And even if we hadn’t,everyoneknew Baker.
He was a sad story turned good again. A tragedy without the vicious ending.
He’d made something out of himself despite the setbacks. Instead of blocking linebackers, he hauled cars out of ditches. And made a pretty penny doing it, according to my partner at the Real Estate office. Baker bought a nice home for his father last year and was seeking out other properties as of last week.
He’d taken his lemons and made lemonade. Hell, he’d made hard lemonade, but it was still good.
Ruggedly handsome. Had his shit together. Held doors open for ladies.
Why wasn’t he locked down already?
And bigger question: what did he see in me that others didn’t?
A project? Someone to fix? Did I come off weak or needy? Or… lonely. Did Baker pity me?
No, stop.
