Page 43 of Lines We Cross
That’s it. I have to get back in shape.
I was a professional athlete, and while I may have still been on the injured list, it didn’t mean I had to eat every home-cooked meal Mom made, or slack off on my physical fitness.
Rae rubbed circles on my back while I was bent over, hands on knees, trying to catch my breath. She was sweet, but this was embarrassing. I could do better. I straightened and gave her a sweaty kiss.
“Okay, I’m good. Let’s keep going.”
“Only half a mile to the lookout,” she encouraged.
We sped back up and it wasn’t long before I was huffing and puffing again. I told myself to suck it up. The lookout came into view around the next bend in the trail, giving me an extra surge of energy. The first few minutes at the lookout were spent getting my heart rate to come back down out of the stratosphere and not puke. When I had that under control, I could finally take in the beautiful view.
“The ocean looks calm today.”
I knew what Rae meant. In the winter, the ocean would be a dark grayish blue with a choppy surface and loud crashes of waves. Today, it looked sparkling and royal blue, gentle waves making their way to land. The dark jagged rocks looked exactly the same as the last time I’d been out here twelve years ago. It was comforting to know that some things withstood the test of time.
“I love this place,” I said absentmindedly.
“Do you?” Rae turned to me, the ocean as far as the eye could see her backdrop.
I nodded. “Yeah, I love Nickel Bay. It’s gorgeous. Nothing like it from all the places I’ve traveled.”
She smiled then and had I not been all sweaty I would have wrapped my arms around her and never let her go. She was beautiful on any normal day, but today with her cheeks pink from exertion and little wisps of her auburn hair clinging to her face, she was stunning.
“Know what else I love?” I raised an eyebrow and Rae looked at me warily.
“What?”
I hooked a finger over my shoulder. “The surprise I have waiting for us back at my place. Let’s finish this run and I’ll show you.”
Rae stepped closer, her hand landing in the middle of my chest. “Just tell me now. I don’t really like surprises.”
“What? Everyone likes surprises. It’s a good one, I promise.” I picked her hand off my chest and kissed the back of it, tugging her back on the trail with me.
We picked it back up to a run and got back to the truck before dark. She did her best to question me down to figure out what the surprise was, but I held strong.
In my driveway, I came around to the passenger side and helped her out of the truck. She was dragging her feet, even when I tugged on her hand. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t like a fun surprise. I’d have to ask her if she’d had a surprise birthday party go wrong that I wasn’t aware of. Instead, I leaned down and tossed her over my shoulder, fireman’s carry style. Better to get this surprise over quickly and put her out of her misery. She squealed and slapped my backside.
“Come on. Let’s just see it already so you can relax.” I turned toward the house and opened the front door. “And watch those frisky hands, Ms. Mulholland.”
That got her riled up like I knew it would and focused on me instead of worrying over the surprise. I opened the sliding glass door off the back patio and flipped on the white string lights I’d hung in a crisscross pattern across the whole patio. Only then did I set her down and spin her around to see what sat on the wood deck, hot and bubbling and waiting for us. Every athlete’s necessary tool in his recovery toolkit.
A new hot tub.
“Ohh…” Rae breathed.
“Does that not look like the best way to end a five-mile run on a crisp spring night?” Plus it meant I got Rae in a swimsuit which I wasn’t ashamed to admit I’d enjoy very much.
“I didn’t bring a suit.” Rae turned, her mouth in that cute little “o.”
“Never fear, you’re dating Max Duke, a man who plans for all possibilities when he takes his woman out on a date.” I puffed up my chest, feeling happier and happier the more time I spent here in Nickel Bay with Rae.
She frowned. “Does Max know speaking of himself in the third person is not the best way to make an impression on ‘his woman’?”
“Max doesn’t care. He knows his sparking personality and charming good looks will cover for any deficiency in his English usage.”
Rae rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging on her lips. “Did you bring me a suit or what?”
“I did. And I promise to stop talking about myself in third person.” I leaned down and kissed her for the sheer joy of being able to. “I stopped by your house and Kadee packed you a bag. There’s enough stuff you can spend the night if you’d like.”
