Page 48 of Marriage is a Shore Thing
When Brynn walks through the open garage doors, Vivian practically squeals, bouncing on her toes before rushing to her sister’s side. “You changed your mind!”
Brynn tugs at the hem of her athletic tee. “I thought I’d try something new.”
Vivian nearly decapitates Brynn, she’s hugging her so hard. I think I hear her whisper, “I’m so proud of you,” but I could be mistaken. Then my brother strolls through the front door, and Brynn seizes up like a cat being held above water. I’m certain the only thing keeping her inside my gym is Vivian’s firm grip around her shoulders.
To be fair, Noah’s gait halts momentarily as well. But he does that every time he sees Brynn, like it’s an involuntary tic. Normally, Noah would set a flirty smile on his lips and try to engage Brynn in conversation, but he must be having a tough day, because he drops his keys atop the open shelving for attendees’ belongings and bypasses everyone without a word on the way to the bathroom.
“Maybe I should—”
“Oh, no.” Vivian cuts Brynn off. “You’re staying.”
Brynn gives her sister a look, and then they do that weird twin thing when they talk without talking. It’s a mix of micro facial expressions and body language that I’d first seen while we were in Vegas. They’d both silently debated what our next activity would be on our second night without saying a word.
A huff comes out of Brynn’s mouth, but she follows her sister toward the hand wraps. When Noah comes out of the bathroom, Finn intercepts him.
“You’re with me tonight.”
Since Vivian started attending class, she usually partners with Finn.
“I figured that,” Noah grumbles.
My stomach twists for my brother. I only know the broad strokes about their past relationship since we don’t really talk about deep topics. Everyone in town knows Noah and Brynn were high school sweethearts who made it onto their respective athletic teams—track and baseball—at the same university out of state. It wasn’t until Noah had been called up to play for the Virginia Beach Waves that things got rocky.
Him skipping the minors and being fast-tracked to the bigs before he even graduated wasn’t something anyone saw coming. Brynn and Noah did long distance for a year as he quickly became the team’s starting first baseman and one of the most coveted players in the MLB.
But then everything disintegrated in one epic flame-out. Noah lost his position on the team, his opportunity to return to the university, and Brynn in one fell swoop. The only detail I know that the rest of the town doesn’t is that my scumbag of a father had a hand in it—something Joanna let slip when she’d been in the throes of their divorce. Noah has done the work since: gotten sober, gone to therapy, re-careered, but Brynn can’t forgive whatever happened years ago.
Being the type of person who doesn’t forgive easily, I can’t blame Brynn, but I find myself feeling for Noah too. I’ll admit that he’s a great guy who deserves a second chance.
I pause to pat my brother on the shoulder on my way to turn the music up, making his forehead scrunch. My shoulders bounce in aTake it or leave itgesture, which has Noah attempting to put me in a headlock. As always, I’m quicker than him—sliding beneath his arm and nearly slamming into…
Van.
An unsteady inhale stumbles into my lungs as I straighten. “Hey.”
He looks impossibly sexy in his blue scrubs, his hair a bit wild, like he drove home from volunteering at the free care clinic withhis truck windows down. His gray eyes practically sparkle as they settle on me, and there’s the ghost of a five o’clock shadow on his strong jaw that makes my fingers twitch at my sides.
“Hey.” It bends the laws of physics, but Van’s already large smile triples.
“What—” I clear my chalky throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d try the best workout in town.” He lifts the small duffel bag in his hand. “Just got to change first.”
My lips twitch. Prior to getting sick, I’d fantasized about having Van in my class so I could mentally and physically exhaust him into understanding that we’re completely incompatible. Now I just want to see what he’s made of. He’s always so annoyingly confident. It’ll be fun to take him down a few pegs.
Van’s brows raise in a flirty challenge, like he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
I keep my expression even as I pick up the remote for my music.
“Get on your bags,” I command, my gaze darting around the room, daring anyone to lollygag. Then I return my focus to Van, allowing a slow, devious smile to split my face. “And if you’re sore tomorrow, you can blame the newbie.”
I see Van laughing, but Skillet’s “Monster” blaring from the speakers drowns out the sound.
Forty minutes later, Van is still smiling, and I’m…completely ticked. Seething isn’t a strong enough adjective. More like enraged. Incensed. If a fuming wolverine and a volatile honey badger had a baby, I’d be it after being dropped in the ocean and electrocuted for optimal aggression. Because not only is Vantaking every physical challenge I throw at him like they’re pieces of candy, he’s doing it whiledimple-grinningat me.
Sure, Van is drenched with sweat, breathing hard, and the strain of his muscles has gotten distracting more than once, but he’s not even fazed. I’d run Finn through this when he’d arrived months ago, and though he’d completed each task, he sure as heck hadn’t been smiling like a lunatic the whole time.
“Knock it off,” I grit through my teeth when Van comes up from a weighted burpee to throw air kisses at me.
