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Ali glanced at Daniel, but he didn’t take his gaze off Jessica.
“So I called one of her friends under the pretense of getting her mom’s number to see if she was interested in helping me with a project.” Jessica tapped her fingers on the table. “Olivia said she hadn’t talked to Cassie in almost six months and you know how close they used to be.”
“Did she give any reason why?”
Jessica shook her head. “Not really and I didn’t feel like I could push without giving too much away.”
Daniel nodded.
“We’re concerned,” David said. “He seemed like a nice guy when we met him, but some people can be good at hiding their true selves.”
“I’ll talk to her.”
A few moments later, their food arrived. Ali had gone with yogurt and granola. Daniel had told her James would want to go out after his competition, so she didn’t want to stuff herself.
“How long have you two been together?” Jessica asked.
The question was directed at Ali. She swallowed her bite of food and answered, “About two weeks.”
Jessica’s eyes went wide.
While his wife recovered from her apparent shock, David picked up the conversation. “Have you met James yet?”
“No,” Ali said. “Daniel’s told me about his kids, but I’ve never met any of them.”
“James is the most laid-back of the three, but don’t be surprised if he tries to put you on some sort of nutrition plan.”
Ali laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They spent the rest of the meal talking about James and his competition. Ali learned a lot, including more about the competition itself. She’d never been to one of these things before, so she’d been clueless about what to expect.
When the server came with their bill, Daniel pulled out his card and handed it to the man, not bothering to look at the amount. Jessica and David made no move to stop him or chip in even though the meeting had been their idea.
Daniel stood, pulled out her chair, and offered his hand. She took it and got to her feet.
“It was nice meeting you, Ali,” David said.
Ali laced her fingers into Daniel’s. “It was nice meeting you, too.”
They made their way out of the hotel’s restaurant and followed the signs for the fitness competition. A long hallway led to another long hallway. If not for the signs, she would have gotten lost for sure.
As they turned down yet another hall, this one full of people, Daniel brought their linked fingers to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. “You ready for this?”
No. She wasn’t sure she was. But instead, she met his gaze and nodded.
When they entered the room, there were five women standing on the stage. They were all wearing bikinis and heels. But it wasn’t their clothing that stood out to her the most. It was how tan they were and the fact they all looked as if they could bench press a truck.
Okay, maybe not a truck, but she’d never seen women with so many muscles before. Their arms and legs were as big as most men’s, and they all had six-pack abs.
They found seats about halfway back and watched as the judges picked their winner out of the five women. Once the women left the stage, several people in the audience left, clearing out a good portion of the room.
“Thank you for coming with me today,” Daniel said. He hadn’t let go of her hand when they sat down.
“You’re welcome.” She’d do anything for him. All he had to do was ask. Then she noticed his posture. “Are you nervous?”
He turned to look at her, then back to the empty stage. “Maybe a little.”
“Why?”
