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“I know, I know. I’ve seen the douche-y gym-bro selfie,” I taunted, tryingveryhard not to picture it. It still made my face turn red when I thought about it. “Working out in a gym doesn’t always replicate functional movement.”
“I still think I’d do okay.”
“Well, maybe you should put your money where your muscles are.” I caught myself. “I mean, where your mouth is.”
“Maybe I should. When is this firefighter thing again?”
“Saturday morning at eight.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
Luke balled up his paper towel and the rest of his sandwich and tossed them in the trash before running upstairs like his heels were on fire.
“Where are you off to?” I asked.
“Gym. I have to get in some cardio if I’m going to run faster than you.”
“It’s not a competition, you know.”
“Pretty sure it is.”
Sixteen
Luke
I stayed pretty late at the gym and put in more cardio than I’d done in a long time. I was on mile seven on a treadmill when someone hopped on the machine next to mine.
“Hey, Luke,” a soft female voice said. It was Stephanie. And beside her was her girlfriend, Maya. Well, fiancée now, I guess.
“Hi there,” I replied.
“Training for a marathon there?”
“No. I’m doing that firefighter thing you told Cindy about.”
“You are?” Maya asked, taking the treadmill on the other side of me. Damn. I was starting to feel a little boxed in.
“Yeah. We’re doing it together.”
Stephanie gave me a little side-eye. “Really?”
“Yeah. She said Maya suggested it because of some guidance counselor wisdom. Seemed like a good idea to me,” I said. I turned my attention back to my run, hoping they’d get the hint and leave me alone.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Steph asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I’m just saying maybe you two could use a little distance.”
I tried to keep my knee-jerkfuck youreaction to myself. “Did Cindy say something?”
“I know some things have gone down…”
“And now you don’t trust me around your sister?”
“No. I don’t trust my sister around you,” Steph stated.
“What?”
