Page 44 of See You at the Finish Line

I sigh. This is why I wanted to have them over, I need to talk about it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“Paige is in town.”

Dead silence is the response. I swear there’s even a lull in the ocean.

“Paige?! LikeUltra Paige?!” Isabel shrieks, grabbing my arm.

“Did she show up at your door?” Liam asks, immediately skeptical like I knew he would be.

“Yes, that Paige,” I answer Isabel’s question first. “And no, she showed up at work.”

“What the fuck?” It doesn’t take much to set off Liam’s temper.

“She got a job with the Whales not knowing I worked there.”

“No way.” Liam shakes his head in disbelief.

“Oh my god, Adam.” Isabel has not recovered. Out of all my siblings, I’m closest with my sister. She’s spent many nights with me at the bar helping me drink to forget my failures.

“How would she know, Liam? Two years ago I was a physiotherapist.”

“The internet exists.”

“There’s no way she knew. No one is that good at acting surprised.”

“Enough of this, tell me everything!” Isabel waves Liam’s rage away with a polished hand and slides out of her chair, coming to sit cross-legged in front of me. I have her full, undivided attention. So Itell them what’s happened over the last couple of weeks, which earns me several punches to the chest for keeping all of it to myself.

“I can’t believe you didn’t call me the second she appeared!” Isabel chides, whacking my arm.

“Probably because he totally shit the bed.” Big-brother-Simon has replaced therapist-Simon, and he thinks this is hilarious. He’s also good friends with Mateo so it doesn’t surprise me that they’d have the same reaction to my blunder.

“What are you going to do?” Liam demands.

“What do you mean? What can I do?”

“Fucking woo her, you idiot!” Isabel exclaims with another punch to my chest. I’m going to have a bruise tomorrow.

“Okay, first, stop hitting me,” I say, shoving Isabel. “And second, you need to calm down, Liam. She’s not a stalker.” It’s well established that I’m the stalker in this relationship. Not that we can really call it a relationship.

“Can you invite her to lunch? Can I meet her?!” Isabel is way too excited.

“Kind of gives away that he lied about not remembering her if he introduces her to his family.” Simon, ever the voice of reason.

I blow out a breath.

“I have a plan,” I say, getting back to my feet to start collecting our tools. There’s no way we’ll be able to finish this now. I’ll have to hire someone. Just another example my dad can use to prove I’m a quitter.

“You have to run this plan by me,” Isabel says, coming to help me. I think it’s the first time she’s touched the drill all day, except maybe to move it out of her way.

“I’m making the staff do a race,” I say, my cheeks flushing again. I’m not sure if it was a good idea, but I’m a sucker for sentimentality.

Another slap to my arm, but before Isabel can yank her hand back, I grab her around the middle.

“Adam!” She strikes me as I fireman carry her off the deck and over to the water. She’s kicking and screaming, but it doesn’t matter. I’m bigger and stronger.

“I said”—she struggles against me as I stalk down to the docks—“stop hitting me.”

I ensure the splash she makes as she lands in the water is as big as possible, laughing at the way she thrashes around until she can get her bearings.

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