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Eve whistled. “No, indeed, he’s not.”

“But he’s still Brody, you know? The guy who patched up my knees when I scraped them climbing trees. The guy who teased me when I got braces.”

“Ro, you’re only human.” Her lips curved. “And being in the face of such human perfection, even Mother Theresa would be tempted. It’s okay to have a crush on him. A temporary infatuation. He’ll be gone soon and you can go back to normal. But If you need anyone to hold your hand and talk through this traumatic experience, I’m here for you any time. And do you mind if I bring a pen and paper? Hearing about your close encounters with Brody is the nearest I’ll ever get to touching him myself.”

I sighed, smoothing down the patchwork quilt where I’d gripped it. Eve was right. Brody was just a temptation. A temporary distraction from my small-town life. But try as I might, he kept creeping into my thoughts regularly. Creeping and settling in. Nudging out the idea that I shouldn’t be lusting after him. It looked like it wasn't just my body that needed strengthening. It was my resolve.

12

RO

Iloitered outside the entrance to the school gym, shifting from foot to foot, psyching myself up to meet Brody. He’d left a note pinned to the fridge that morning asking me to meet him at seven for some skating practice. I’d been like a cat on hot tiles all day.

The warm breeze whipped around me, blowing tendrils of hair across my face. I’d only seen him fleetingly over the last two days. Once, he’d passed me at the front door, coming in as I’d been going out. We’d only exchanged a look and an awkward smile. The other time, he and Coop had been deep in conversation at the dining table and I’d hung around in the kitchen trying to look busy, desperate to hear what they were talking about.

While making a completely unwanted batch of butter cookies, I’d learned he’d met with his friend, Alex, and had visited an old contact in Robin Springs. Brody used to play for the Robin Springs Rockets junior hockey team back in the day.

I’d clanked baking trays and beat the cookie batter with abandon, but Brody didn’t give me more than a perfunctory glance. He obviously hadn’t resorted to stalk-baking, like me.Hadn’t dwelled on thoughts of our bodies pressed together in the gym. Nope. He probably had a million and one other things on his mind, like his leg, the doctor’s verdict, and most likely, a woman or three.

I checked my watch. Ten past seven. Officially fashionably late. Eve always said appearing too keen for a man wasn’t a good idea. Not that this was a date or anything. Still, she’d say an air of mystery did no harm. Sucking in a breath, I strode around the corner of the building and through the open gym doors.

The overhead lights made a dazzling contrast to the darkness outside. As I entered, at least a hundred bugs followed me, lured in by the artificial brightness. The minute I stepped inside, Brody looked up. He stood in the middle of the gym, straightening a small orange cone with his foot. At least another dozen marked out a circuit. His eyes matched the light blue of his T-shirt, and, teamed with his beaten-up jeans and his tan, he looked magazine-cover ready. Deep breath, Ro. It was only Brody.

“You got my note.” An easy grin grew on his lips, threatening to weaken my thighs and melt my calves to jello. “I wasn’t sure if you’d had a better offer. Stood me up.”

Impossible. “Well, I had a couple of things on, but I know how you went to the trouble getting access to the gym, so I declined.” It was a barefaced lie. More like a long evening of crocheting in front of the TV with Gran lay ahead of me. My owls were finally behaving - ish. But in the circumstances, I’d chosen a night with my girlhood crush over a night of hooking stitches and wondering what he was doing.

I walked toward the stand, finding Brody’s jacket on the lowest bench. With his eyes on me, I sat down, slipped off my Cons, and put on my trusty neon pink knee pads, wrist guards, and new skates. I’d spent a lot of time in the park wearing my new wheels in. Getting a feel for them.

Brody watched me as I pulled them onto my feet, and damn if my fumbling fingers hadn’t forgotten how to tie shoelaces. Resorting to bunny ears, it took me three goes before I could stand and meet his eyes. He stepped toward me, and a rush of heat ran through my body. With a forced grin, I took off for the other side of the hall.

“Got to warm up,” I yelled over my shoulder, my voice echoing off the plain brick walls. Only the school banners broke up the monotonous masonry. I circled back, getting any skittish wobbles out of my knees. Brody was back in the middle of the hall, and I pulled up alongside him.

“Looking good, Ro.” He ran his eyes up and down my legs like he did the other night, and my cheeks warmed. Why the hell had I worn such tiny shorts? But of course, he’d be talking about the skates, not me.

Brody sent me off for another warm-up lap around his makeshift circuit, and I concentrated on keeping my feet going in the right direction under his scrutiny. Halfway around, he beckoned me back. “Okay, tonight we’re going to focus on speed and agility. Two essential things on the derby track.”

I tilted my head to the side. I had speed and agility. Didn’t I?

“To get a spot in the team, you need to skate twenty-seven laps of the track in under five minutes.”

“That’s very specific, but it doesn’t sound too hard.”

Brody lifted his eyebrows, then his phone. “Let’s see, shall we? Let’s start with a few practice laps.”

He counted me down, and I set off around his track. I started off just fine, pulling some tight corners and keeping to a reasonable speed. The slick floor of the gym made it easier. Brody counted down the laps with a shout when I rolled past him, and each time I pushed harder. At lap eight, he waved for me to stop, which I did, pulling in hard breaths.

Brody looked at his phone, a furrow forming between his brows. “You need to go faster. Stay low, get your shoulders back, and push your crossovers really hard. Don’t hug the inside line. Skate an ellipse. You’ll use less energy that way.”

Nowmybrow creased. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?”

One corner of his mouth ticked up. “Rowena, when I want something, I go after it. I do nothing by halves.”

I bet he didn’t. Despite any natural talent, nobody got to his level in professional sports without mammoth effort. Why he’d made me his current project, I wasn’t sure. He was probably bored kicking his heels in Tuft Swallow. Life in his hometown must be quite a comedown compared to the opportunities he’d have in Denver.

“Ok, here’s what we’re gonna do.” He rested one hand on his hip. “We’ll go for the full five minutes. If you don’t make the required number of laps, you make me breakfast in bed. For a week.”

In bed? My jaw practically hit the floor. I had no problem throwing together some eggs or a bowl of cereal for him every day. But bedside delivery? I couldn’t imagine he’d make it easy for me. There had to be a catch.