Page 8 of Love In The Air

“Oh, right. All of it bad, I assume?”

Tori shrugged.

“Okay then, well, in my defense, Iz is a badass at pretty much everything, except lying. I simply try to keep up. What’s a little healthy dose of competition between friends, right Iz?”

“We’re not friends.” And she would not soften because he called her a badass. She was a badass. Chance was simply stating facts. So what if his praise made something inside her sit up and cheer? He would not sway her.

He leaned in, giving her pointed look and speaking in a hushed voice, “While we’re in this building and on tour we are.”

Damn, he had a point. The whole “dream job” on the line thing. With a sigh, she tried for a friendly smile again, a smaller, more believable one this time.

“Right, friends.” Frenemies more like it.

Tori let out a small bark of laughter. “You two are going to have to work a lot harder than that if you want to convince everyone here you’re best buddies.”

They didn’t have to be best buddies. They just had to pull off friendly. They could do that.

“Okay everybody,” Jen called out from the center of the room. “Grab a partner and start stretching.”

“Shall we work on it?” Chance asked, hand outstretched, indicating to the mats in front of them.

Her breath caught in her throat. She glanced to Tori, who she’d planned on warming up with, but her bestie waved a hand in the air and grabbed the bin from Iz’s hands.

“I’ll go warm up with Callie. You two work on playing nice.”

Iz snorted. Playing nice with Chance. There was a situation she’d never imagined herself having to be in.

Swallowing down her protest, she followed him over to the blue and white colored mats lining the room. She sat next to him as they both straddled, stretching their legs.

“Pull stretches,” Meg called out as she and Jen walked up and down the middle of the room, watching everyone stretch and offering help when needed.

Chance turned toward her. Iz scooted until she faced him too. Stretching was important. You didn’t want to pull a muscle or tear anything during practice. But she had to admit it was her least favorite part of this job. She moved to place her feet against Chance’s so they could grasp hands and stretch each other’s legs and back, but there was a problem.

“This isn’t going to work,” she said.

His straddle was much wider than her, not only that his legs were way longer. Splits weren’t her forte.

“That’s because you’re not doing it right. Tuck your hips,” Chance demanded.

She arched a brow. Chance had always had a bit of a bossy streak. It was one of the things that got under her skin the most. She had no problem listening to people when they were trying to help, but Chance was less helpful and more of a commanding know-it-all.

“Trust me, I know.”

See? Know-it-all.

He held up a hand when she let out a harsh laugh at the very idea. “We’re in fake friendship mode right now and I am a personal trainer and certified yoga teacher.”

“You are?” Shock held her immobile for half a second. She’d never really contemplated what Chance went off to do after graduation, but those options hadn’t been it. She figured the pretty boy who everyone loved would have moved off to Hollywood to become a movie star or something.

He nodded. “I am and if you tuck your hips, it will open up your hip flexors and you can widen your straddle. Try it. Please,” he added.

Wow. Now there was a word she never expected to come out of his mouth directed at her. But they were supposed to be getting along, and he did have a good suggestion. Since he backed it up with expertise, she adjusted her seat, tucking her hips. Immediately, she felt her straddle widen, not a lot, but enough that she could press her bare toes against the warm flesh of Chance’s heels.

“There you go, you got it,” he said with an encouraging smile.

Her lips turned up of their own accord, pride filling her. Achieving a goal always made her happy and increasing her straddle had been on her list for years. Of course it would take her nemesis to help her achieve it.

“Thanks,” she said. As much as it begrudged her to admit, he had helped her and he deserved her gratitude.

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