Page 23 of Drowning Erin

“Yeah,” he says, “because that’s not something normal people do. She’s 22, not 12. She’s allowed to talk to boys. Why don’t you just admit you likeher?”

“I don’tlikeher,” I say with disgust. “She’s practicallyfamily.”

“Cool,” he says, eyeing me. “Then you don’t mind if I ask herout?”

“You’re not allowed to ask her out,” I tell him. “Companypolicy.”

“That only applies if I’m herboss.”

Everyone privy to this conversation is watching the two of us like it’s a tennis match. I swallow. Why do I care if she goes out with Kirk? I don’t. And anyway, he’s harmless, because I know she won’t say yes. For some bizarre reason, Erin still likes me. Even though she acts like she hates me, I see it in her face. Every time she walks in the room it’s like she forgets, for just a moment, what a dick I’ve been each minute of thissummer.

When she leaves the bar, I walk out after her. I do this each time she meets us out. People still think of Colorado Springs as a small town, but bad shit happens everywhere, and it happens disproportionately to women. She’s standing by her piece-of-shit car, fumbling around in her purse for keys. That’s when I notice the guy who spoke to her earlier crossing the parking lot and heading her way. She doesn’t even see him, and if I have anything to say about it, it’ll stay that way. I step in hispath.

“Hey, buddy,” I say, folding my arms across mychest.

“I’m not your buddy,” he says. “Get out of myway.”

“What’s your rush?” Ismirk.

He glances beyond my shoulder at Erin, who I assume has found her keys by now, and tries to sidestep me. I step in his path again and he takes a swing, which makes my night. Because I was dying to punch this motherfucker from the moment he spoke to her, and he just made itlegal.

17

Erin

Present

Ten-mile runs suck.Running intervals sucks. Combining them, though? That’s a whole new level ofsuck.

Were it not for Olivia asking me to run a small portion of her 100-mile race with her, now only weeks away, there’s not a chance I’d be doing this. Even when we ran college cross-country together, enduring grueling two-a-day workouts, she was so much faster than me that it looked like I was walking. And in the years since we graduated, her training has only increased, whereas mine has dwindled to a few casual runs each week. But it’s impossible to tell a woman who has just given birth that you don’t think you can run one-tenth of a race with her. My pride won’t allowit.

By the time I get home it’s dark, and I’m so drained I barely have the energy to climb the stairs to my door. I shower quickly and slide into the hot tub, already so stiff I’m wondering how I’ll climb backout.

I close my eyes and lean back against the headrest. Rob and I practically lived in the hot tub when we first moved in, but I don’t think he’s been out here once in the past year. I understood it, because he had so little free time, but he sure seems to have plenty of free timenow. Just this past weekend, he and a few colleagues went to Brussels, while I can’t remember the last time he didn’t work a weekend while he was home. That shouldn’t annoy me as much as itdoes.

I shut him out of my mind and begin to drift off. I might hate long runs, but this is one of my favorite things—the way exhaustion plus hot water lulls you tosleep.

“Hello, roomie.” My eyes fly open, catching on the tattoo on Brendan’s right shoulder, the definition of his chest, before I drag themaway.

“Shouldn’t you be out?” My voice is clipped and barelycivil.

“It’s 9 PM. That’s early for most people in our demographic. Not you, obviously. I didn’t know you were such a hot tub super-fan.”

“I’m not. I’m training to run part of Olivia’s race, and I’mstiff.”

He looks like he’s considering something, and then sighs. “I rented a car if you need a ride to Squaw Valley,” he says, “since we’re on the sameflight.”

“Weare?” My chagrin borders on despair. I didn’t realize Brendan was going at all, much less a day early like me. Even in another freakingstatewe need to be stuck in the samehouse?

He raises a brow. “Rob gave me his ticket to Reno. I thought he toldyou.”

My molars grind so hard I can hear them over the sound of the Jacuzzi jets. How could Rob not have mentioned this? As if it’s not bad enough that I have to live with this guy, I now have to sit right next to him for an entireflight?

“He didn’t mention that,” I reply between myteeth.

I’m no longer enjoying the hot tub. I only remain because I don’t want to give Brendan the satisfaction of knowing he’s driven me off. He barely restrains a smile, leaning his head back and stretching out his arms. “This is one hell of a set-up you’ve landed,” he says. “Big house, pool, hot tub. Rob’s quite the provider. I can’t believe you didn’t get all this shit locked down the minute heproposed.”

I’m no longer exhausted. I now have just enough strength to lunge across the hot tub and pummel him, and God knows I’d like to. “Fuck you, Brendan. You’ve known me for way too long to sit there and pretend you think I’m a golddigger.”

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