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“So I’ve heard.”

Elle smiled. “What do you say we have some fun with these people?”

Gia looked perplexed, but really pretty at the same time. Elletook a moment to take in how long her lashes were and how perfectly theyaccentuated her big brown eyes. That now familiar shiver moved through her.

“And how exactly would we do that?”

“Fodder. Let’s give it to them. They’re looking for competitivebanter, or flirtation, or all-out tension filling the room. If they’re gonnamake money off us, the least we can do is enjoy ourselves and bolster theTrainers campaign a little.”

Gia smiled. “Could liven up a boring day.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“All right, then. Let’s do it.” A pause as a twinkle crept intoGia’s eyes. “Have any more dreams about me?”

Elle swallowed hard as she led them in the direction of theJefferson Room. “No. Can’t say that I have. I’m really sorry about that, by theway. What an embarrassing thing to confess to someone.” She was speaking waytoo fast. Gia made her nervous, as did the topic. She still didn’t have herhands around it.

“You were drunk and feeling it.”

Elle paused them in the hallway and waited for a couple of otherathletes to pass. “I was. I would just hate for you to get the wrong idea. Ithink you’re, well, a lot less awful than I did just weeks ago.”

Gia inclined her head from side to side as if weighing thestatement. “I’m happy with less awful.”

“That sounds bad. Let me try again. I genuinely like you. But interms of any kind of attraction…”

Gia scoffed dejectedly. “Fine, Elle. We’ll just befriends.”

“Ha. Okay. I see. You’re joking about it now, which is great. Itshould be something that we can joke about easily. I’m glad to see that. Itmeans we’ve moved past it.” She paused, and shifted her tone to earnest, feelingthe need to continue explaining herself. When would that compulsion end? “Iwant to make sure you’re really okay about it and that I didn’t ruin what tinybud of mutual respect we had going.”

Gia held up a hand. “The tiny bud is intact. Honestly, it’s cool.I’m a grown-up and not weirded out.”

“Great. That’s a relief,” Elle said, not quite sure if shebelieved Gia. “You know what? Why don’t we get dinner sometime? In fact, wereally should. It would be good for us. Do you have plans after this?”

“You’re asking me out already? That was quick.”

Elle felt the color hit her face and burn her skin at the conceptof an honest-to-goodness date with Gia. “No. I just meant a friendly—to chat isall. You know. Restaurants are fun.” She’d said stupider sentences, but notmany.

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

Gia grinned. “Yes, restaurants are fun.”

She was still teasing Elle and enjoying it. Elle kind of enjoyedit, too. It felt…risky, somehow, the playful interaction with someone she’dfantasized about unconsciously (and a little consciously, too). Especiallysince she never fantasized, ever. This was all so new and unexplored.

“So, dinner after?”

Gia stared at her for what felt like forever. It seemed she wasweighing the offer. “Sure. We can have dinner together. At a fun restaurant.”

“Great,” Elle said, her confidence on an upswing as she roundedthe corner into the Jefferson Room. Having dinner was a great idea. They’d havea chance to get to know each other better, and that just meant more timescoping out her competition. Which would only help her stay one step ahead inthe long run. This was actually a really brilliant plan.

And she wasn’t terrified at all.

Nope. Not one little bit. A dinner alone with Gia, just her andGia staring at each other across a table, was just what she needed to movebeyond her current…preoccupation.

* * *

Elle looked gorgeous today. She’d done something fancy with herhair, assembled it in a complicated braid that Gia could never begin tounderstand. Some sort of intricate pattern. Hair had always been something shepushed out of her face, but Elle took her hairstyles very seriously and reallyput in the time. It had paid off.