Page 47 of See You at the Finish Line

“Yes, when you signed your contract, you signed up for mandatory staff bonding activities. This is the first of many if you stay on here.” I don’t actually know if I can enforce it.

“Is it always a running race?”

I look at her hard, trying to figure out what she’s thinking, but I can’t read her face. She’s so guarded. She’s changed over the last few years—hardened. She leaves me with one choice: I need to be straightforward.

“I’m sorry, Paige, but I have to ask, why is this a problem? You can run 5k backwards in your sleep.”

She laughs, but there’s no soul in it. “Not anymore.”

I expect her to elaborate, but she doesn’t. I take a big swing.

“Do you want to go out for dinner tonight to talk about it?” I manage to keep the desperate hope out of my voice. She looks surprised but doesn’t respond right away.

“I can’t.”

She can’t. Not won’t.

“Another night?”

“That depends on how tonight goes,” she says, confusing me even more.

“What’s tonight?”

She stares me straight in the face and says, “I have a date.”

“A date.” I think my brain freezes.

“That’s what I said.”

“So you can’t go out with me if tonight’s date goes well?”

She looks like she wants to say something but keeps her mouth shut. Her beautiful, perfect mouth.

“Does that mean it’s getting serious?”

“Why do you care?”

Is she probing? Why am I probing?

“I don’t.” A lie. “I’m just having a conversation.”

“Okay,” she says slowly. “So would I be able to get excused from the race?”

“Unless you have a doctor’s note, I expect you to participate. Same goes for everyone else.”

Finally, there it is. There’s the fire in her eyes.

“Maybe I’ll get lucky and you’ll forget who I am over the next month and won’t notice if I don’t show up.”

She whirls around, whipping the door open and slamming it behind her on her way out. I do not hold back the grin that spreads across my face.

My forgetting her name did bother her.

“Is everything okay?” Nateasks me.

I look up from my scallops, realizing he’s staring at me expectantly. I guess I’ve been quiet.

I met Nate my second day on the job and, big surprise, he’s a hockey player. I’ve always had a thing for athletes, but since Utah hasn’t had a professional hockey team until recently, athletes like Nate Leverre have been few and far between out there for me to date. Until I moved here and have been surrounded by them every day.

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