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CHAPTER FOUR
Grant
This time, I don't catch her. I try, but she trips over that root and hits the ground hard before I can get to her.
"Shit." I squat next to her. "You okay…?" I still don't know her damn name.
"Dani," she groans, not moving. "Just call me Dani."
"Dani. Are you okay?"
She looks okay, and she caught herself with her hands, so she didn't break her face or hit her head.
"I want to go to sleep and wake up to never, ever meet you."
"I didn't trip you." I gently grab her elbow and help her up.
She stands and brushes the dirt off. It doesn't look like she's bleeding, but she'll probably have bruises. "You cursed me."
I snort. "First time I've heard that one, but I'll take it as a compliment."
"Don't." She starts down the hill, moving stiffly. "What are you doing standing around? I've got to get home and dig through the damn couch cushions for your twenty bucks."
I guffaw. "I've seen your house. You're good for twenty bucks."
"Wow, didn't realize you could instantly know everything there is to know about someone from their house."
"You didn't? I thought everyone knew that. A person who lives in a houseboat is a dreamer. Practical, down-to-earth types live in traditional ranch-style homes. A log cabin dweller is almost always someone who claims to be outdoorsy but really just likes to shoot things. And someone who lives in a big-ass mansion, even with four sisters, is always rich."
"Judgy and a gossip," she says. "Glad to know my instant dislike of you has been so thoroughly proved right."
"Right back atcha—"
"Dandelion!" a woman screeches as she races up the trail toward us, her brunette ponytail bouncing
She stops just before she runs Dani over and bounces in place. A good five inches taller than Dani, with the same eyes, she's dressed in running pants that look like the female version of mine and high-end running shoes.
"Clover," Dani says in a flat voice. "Out for a morning run?"
"I sure am." Clover flashes me a quick grin. "Are we getting in the way of your trail run?"
"Nope," Dani says before I can answer. "He's training for some kind of trail-running marathon or something, but right now he's just walking me home."
Clover's attention snaps back to me, her eyes lighting. "The Grafton Mountain run?"
"That's the one," I say.
Clover squeezes around Dani on the narrow trail to get closer to me. "I've got a client who's running that race. What's your training schedule like?"
Behind Clover, Dani continues down the trail at a swift pace. "Actually, I need to go with Dani, she—"
Clover spins, putting her back to me and fully blocking the trail. "Dani, Honey and Goldy have been worried about you. Show your face so they know you're okay."
Dani raises a hand over her shoulder without looking back, and Clover turns back to me. "Still two months until the race. What are you focusing on? Sprints at this point?"
The only way I'm getting around this woman is to tromp through brambles on one side or walk around a copse of trees on the other. "I actually need to go with Dani. She owes money to the park for her campsite stay."
Clover's cheery expression droops, and she glances over her shoulder. Dani has already gone around a bend in the trail and is out of sight. "She hates it when the others fight. She's never been good around any kind of conflict."
