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“Do you want a head start?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
Holding my hands up in surrender, I said, “Hey, I was just trying to be nice.”
“I don’t see it the same,” she informed me. “All I need is for you to tell me how much longer we’re going to be standing here before we get back to the running,”
Damn, she was tough.
“I think I’m good to go now. On the count of three. One, two, three.”
Both of us took off running, doing it hard. And within roughly thirty seconds, I put my plan into action. Without thinking twice about it, I stumbled over my own feet and went down to the ground. “Ow, shit.”
I managed to see Rhea get a few additional strides before she realized what happened, stopped, and came back. “Are you okay?”
It was like I’d flipped a light switch. She sounded genuinely concerned, which only proved to me she had it in her to be just as sweet as she was sassy. I shifted to a seated position and said, “Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I mean, my pride is a bit wounded, but I’m physically okay.”
“What happened?”
Shaking my head as I stood, I said, “Just a bit clumsy, I guess.”
Rhea narrowed her eyes on me in a way that had me thinking she didn’t believe a word that came out of my mouth. She nodded slowly and said, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Why don’t we just stick to our normal run?”
I smiled at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shrugging, I returned, “I just like the way you asked me that and called it our normal run. At least you’re willing to admit this has now become our thing.”
If looks could kill, I was convinced I’d be dead. Rhea ignored my teasing. “Are you ready?”
I clenched my jaw in an attempt not to burst out laughing. I loved the way she hated it when I pointed things out to her that she never would have dreamed of saying if she knew how I’d twist it around. She’d been quick on her feet when I noted she’d called me Wyatt, but maybe now that she couldn’t seem to come up with a response was an indication I was getting somewhere.
“I’m ready.”
“Great.” The sarcasm was dripping from that one word, and she didn’t wait another second before she took off and started running again.
I had no choice but to follow behind her. And throughout the remainder of our silent run, I was, at the very least, grateful she’d at least come back to check and make sure I was okay.
When we finally made it back to the parking lot, I said, “Hey, would you mind hanging tight for just one second? I have something I wanted to give you.”
Her body visibly tensed. “What is it?”
“Your winnings.”
She blinked in surprise. “What?”
Rhea came to a stop beside her car, and when she made no move to get inside it, I jogged over to mine, pulled out what I brought for her, and returned to her side. She still hadn’t moved from where she’d been standing.
I held the small gift bag out to her.
The caution and uncertainty were written all over her face. “What is this?”
“Take it.” She hesitated, but eventually took it from me. Once she did, I said, “You won it, fair and square.”
“We both won a round,” she reasoned. “Besides, are you telling me you brought this gift bag and would have kept it if you won?”
She caught me, so all I could do was shrug and press my lips together in hopes she wouldn’t throw the bag back in my face.
