Chapter Eight

Bec

“ I can’t believe you convinced me to do this. I’m three seconds away from staging a scene so I can leave.” Dee lies on the ground and lets her arms flop lazily to her sides.

I glance at her and giggle while I finish my reps. “Stop, you’re fine. We only have the leg press after this, and then we can cool down on the StairMaster.”

Her head snaps up and she glares at me incredulously. “Cool down on the StairMaster? That is not possible. No one cools down while climbing stairs.”

I grab a pair of dumbbells and start my next set while Dee rolls to her side, dragging herself up to sit and wrapping her arms around her bent knees. She’s the most dramatic gym partner in our group, but she’s usually always willing to go. It helps that she and I both live downtown, separated by only a few blocks, our gym conveniently located between us. There’s also an incredible brunch spot next door with bottomless mimosas on Thursdays. It would take next to no effort to convince Dee to abandon our workout and wander over there, but for some reason I feel restless, like I need to keep moving.

We’re almost done with our workout, and I still feel on edge. Dee’s noticed. She’s fun and free-spirited, but she’s also observant, fiercely loyal, and knows me well.

“You good, girl? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.” She takes a drink from her water bottle and starts stretching.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I grab the spray bottle and clean the mats and weights we’ve been using before moving on to the next exercise. “Just a little restless lately. Work has been busy.”

Truthfully, work is great. I love what I do, and I feel fulfilled every day I get to work with dogs. I’m not sure I even know how to put into words what’s bothering me, but I don’t need to. Dee sees right through my facade.

“Come on, we both know you love your job. I’ve seen you when work is stressing you out and this isn’t that. Let me guess…guy trouble? Did you swipe right and now you’re fielding unsolicited dick pics from some asshole? Give me his name, I’ll give him hell. Oh, or did you run into that pro-ball hottie and take off your shirt again? Please say yes,” Dee says as she helps me rack the equipment, and we head to the leg press machine.

“God no, don’t remind me.” I adjust the weight settings and start my reps. “But I did run into him again. Fully clothed this time, hallelujah. He joined one of my training classes this week with his adorable lab puppy.”

“Stop it.” Dee laughs and holds the side of the machine while she throws her head back. “Oh my god, he’s in your class ? That’s amazing. You should totally ask him out. Teacher-student romance? Yes, Ms. Miller. Tell me, is there still lingering chemistry?” she asks with a little shimmy and a gleam in her eye. Fucking ridiculous. I love her.

“What? No. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not interested in me like that.” I finish my set and Dee sets up for hers. She might be short, but damn, Dee can push a lot of weight around.

She eyes me skeptically before asking, “How do you know? Did you ask him out?”

Dee’s the only one who knows how Aiden and I met, and I swore her to secrecy years ago. I still feel bad for not telling Ellie, Carissa, and Dom, too, since Aiden is one of his best friends, but I didn’t want to pull any focus away from the wedding festivities at the time and now it just seems stupid to bring up since it really wasn’t a big deal.

“Not a chance, come on, Dee. He’s a professional baseball player and I’m a dog trainer. In what world does that ever work? Don’t get me wrong, he’s unfairly attractive, but we agreed to be friends. It’s better this way. I’m not trying to be a random hookup for someone who could date anyone he wants. Besides, I’ll have to see him at all of Ellie and Dom’s big moments. I don’t want it to be any weirder than it already is.”

“Hey.” Dee stops, giving me her full attention. “Who the fuck are you and what have you done with Bec? Because my Bec doesn’t self-deprecate. Don’t say you’re a dog trainer, like that’s not fucking awesome. You’re a badass professional who helps countless dogs and families. Plus, you’ve got an ass so tight, you can play quarters off it. You really need to put that on your dating profile.”

Okay, I let Dee drunkenly play quarters off my butt once in college and she’ll never let me live it down. Her aim was surprisingly accurate, I’ll give her that.

“ Anyone , professional athlete or not, would be fucking lucky if you looked their way,” she continues. “You’re a ten, Bec. Inside and out. Now, be nice to my friend…or I’ll kick your ass.” She continues her set, glaring at me.

I don’t know what I did to deserve my friends, but I’m grateful for them more than they could ever know. “Thanks. I think I needed to hear that. I’m not sure why I feel so insecure lately. I think Aiden got in my head.” Wouldn’t be the first time.

“We both know why you’re feeling that way, babe. Your relationship with Josh might have been fucked, but you can’t project that onto Aiden, or anyone else you might be interested in.”

“I don’t know. I just feel like I’m not the same person I was when I first met him. I don’t even know how to be that person anymore.”

“Who says you need to go backward? You live, you learn, you grow. The best of Bec is yet to come,” Dee says as she pushes through another set. Jesus, she’s as strong as her personality.

“The best of Bec lately is just me embarrassing myself in front of Mister Fine. And despite how horrified and humiliated I felt seeing him at Ellie’s, he was really nice about the whole thing, which almost makes it worse. If he wanted to try something more, I would consider it, but we talked about it last weekend, and he just wants to be friends. Clean slate. It’s better this way, though. You know me, relationships aren’t really my thing anymore. Besides, I’ve got a few new matches online that look promising enough to keep me busy without tying me down. That’s what I want right now, I swear. Nothing more.”

A pang of longing steals my breath when I picture that night for a moment. Meeting Aiden, his hands on my hips, my hands in his hair, and his lips on mine. I know I’m lying to myself. I don’t want to be friends, but distance between me and Aiden Price is the safer option.

“Bec, anyone who could meet you and think you weren’t worth a shot is an idiot. If he’s too stuck up to realize you’re a damn catch, then he’s not worth another thought. Fuck that hotshot and his giant man muscles.”

I appreciate the sentiment, but with the way Aiden somehow keeps sneaking into my thoughts, it’s easier said than done. I sigh. “Enough of my drama, why don’t we skip the stairs and hit up next door for some mimosas instead? You could help me look through my matches? I could use a date.”

Dee practically leaps out of the machine. “Yes, fuck, yes. Let’s get out of this hellhole. ”

The thought of going on a date makes my stomach clench with hesitation and nerves, but I need to do something to get over these borderline obsessive thoughts centering around Aiden and one meaningless weekend. There are plenty of other great guys in this city, anyway.