Page 51 of Hitting the Gap

His head snapped up. “What?”

“I heard you and Gonzo the other night when he said you didn’t date women like me. And I appreciate you being so nice, but I don’t really want to be anyone’s pity date.”

“What are you talking about? Gonzo didn’t say that because he thought it was a pity date, he was making it known you’re a good girl. And I don’t date good girls.”

Good girl? What the hell was that? She’d had a one-night stand before. “I’m not a good girl.”

Brandon snorted. “Ugh, yeah you are.”

She planted her hands on her hips. He couldn’t tell that just by looking at her. That was rude.

Brandon chuckled and held up his hands. “Easy Tiger, it wasn’t an insult. I respect the hell out of it. I’m just not a relationship guy. Besides, I’d have to be an idiot not to see what’s happening with you and Gonzo.” He flicked his finger for her to give him the phone again. “Give me your phone. I could use a yoga buddy.”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Not yet maybe. But I’m gonna have fun bugging the shit out of both of you till you admit it.”

Yeah, right, if only that was true. But she’d given up on that childhood dream back in high school. She handed him her phone. “Gonzo’s not really a relationship guy either.”

“I don’t know. Eventually we all meet that person we can’t walk away from, and I think you might be his.” Brandon typed in his number, then handed her phone back. “Now you better hurry up, Rayne will be waiting.”

“Good luck at your next game,” she said as she took her phone back. Was he right? Could there be something between her and Gonzo? Things felt different between them ever since she’d moved in. Sometimes she’d swear he was looking at her like a woman instead of Bailey, the best friend, but she’d written it off as wishful thinking. Could it be more? No. She shook her head. She was just being stupid. If she couldn’t hold the attention of Brad, there was no way she’d even get the attention of someone like Gonzo, let alone hold it. It was stupid to even dream otherwise. She should just be thankful they were friends, like they’d always been. Wishing for something more would only make things awkward because it was never going to happen.

Bailey walked back into Ananda. A gorgeous brunette stood behind the counter. Her brown hair shone in the sun.

“Bailey?” the woman asked.

“Yes.”

The ethereal goddess smiled. “I’m Rayne.”

Of course she was.

Rayne stepped out from behind the counter. Her shirt flowed down her body and hung off her shoulder in that effortless way it did on some women. Bailey had never been able to pull off that kind of look. Probably because she required an industrial strength bra to keep her boobs contained. A wave of envy stabbed Bailey in the gut and she bit it back. Nope, she wasn’t going there.

“Come on back,” Rayne said.

As they walked down the hall, Rayne glanced back over her shoulder. “Thanks for filling out the forms online. It gives me a great starting point.”

Starting point? That was the most thorough form she’d ever filled out in her life. It covered everything from when she ate, to her menstrual cycle, to whether she preferred hot or cold liquids to drink.

“Sure, no problem,” Bailey replied.

Rayne stepped into a room. There was a massage table on one side of the room and a pair of comfy looking chairs facing each other on the other. Some kind of aroma puffed out from a vaporizer in the corner.

“Have a seat,” Rayne said, indicating the chair against the wall.

Bailey sat down and stared in awe as Rayne dropped onto the opposite chair and pulled her legs up under herself like a pretzel. The human body wasn’t supposed to move like that.

“Peyton tells me you just moved to San Diego?”

“I did yes.”

“How do you like it so far?”

“Good, I guess. It’s a bit early to tell.”

“You came here for a job?” Rayne asked.

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