Page 5 of Meet Me in a Mile

Five

Lydia

“W hen are you going to let me take you to Athleta so you can get some proper activewear?” Ashley asked.

“Why?” Lydia adjusted the phone against her ear as she made her way to the subway after work. “Are you getting tired of me asking to borrow things?”

“I just think with all the running you could do with filling out your wardrobe a little.”

“All I need is one good sports bra to stop my boobs from smacking me in the face when Luke tries to kill me with burpees.”

“Is training really that bad?”

“No,” she admitted. After some online perusing, she’d worried about things like shin splints and runner’s knee and plantar fasciitis, but shockingly—to her most of all—beyond the expected sore muscles, she was actually feeling okay since she’d started running. “Luke did a good job with my training plan. It’s got a balance of running and rest and cross-training.”

“Who are you? And what have you done with my sister?”

“Right?” Lydia laughed. “Guess that’s what I’m paying him for, but I still appreciate being able to walk into work without hobbling after a run.”

“Maybe you’re just a natural-born runner.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m more of the sit-down-at-a-bench-and-draw type.” A pleasant buzz filled her chest as the memory of her and Jack at the youth center swept through her. She’d relayed the entire interaction to Ashley in explicit detail the moment she’d gotten off work that day.

“You can’t still be blushing over the Jack thing,” Ashley said after a moment of silence, probably sensing what Lydia was thinking about.

“It wasn’t just a thing. We were definitely having a moment.”

“More of a moment than when you crashed into Luke and were so dazzled by his presence that you told him he took your breath away?”

Lydia hurried across the street between traffic. “You need to let that go.”

“I can’t. It’s burned into my memory. The way you were looking at him? I half expected you to scale the man right there in front of me.”

“Oh, please. It wasn’t that bad. Plus, he’s my trainer now,” Lydia said. “And we are both very committed to this professional partnership where I pay him to torture me with exercise multiple times a week. So stop thinking about him like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like he’s some sort of snack I’m going to devour.” Was he attractive? Sure. Was he totally off-limits now that they were working together? Absolutely. Did that stop her from flirting with him...occasionally? No—but it probably should have.

Ashley snorted. “Says the woman overanalyzing a pat on the shoulder.”

“It’s not the same thing at all.” Luke was a delectable distraction that caught her eye during otherwise long and sometimes torturous running sessions. But Jack ... Jack was the kind of person she’d always imagined herself with long term. He was brilliant and focused and kind. As a fellow architect, he was someone who could understand everything she wanted from her career. He probably wanted some of those same things. They could champion each other on their way up their respective ladders, the way Kurt and Ashley had.

“I just don’t want you waiting for something that might never happen. You’re too good to be waiting around for any guy. You know that, right?”

Lydia could tell the human rights lawyer was coming out now and hurried to intercept Ashley. “We don’t have to have a conversation about my self-worth and what I deserve. It’s not like I’m sitting here rejecting every nice guy that walks by. Contrary to your belief, there isn’t actually a lineup of men waiting outside my apartment door with roses.”

“Well, you could try talking to some of the men you meet instead of just sleeping with them.”

“What’s the point when I already know who I want?”

“If you’re so sure, just ask Jack out.”

“Nope,” Lydia said. “It’s too soon.”

“How can it be too soon? This has been going on for years. You’re like a damn soap opera. In every episode, nothing really happens, but there’s just enough of a hook at the end to get me to tune in again.”

“Then call me Days of Our Lives because this is as good as it’s getting right now.”

“Wouldn’t knowing how Jack feels be better than pining?”

“Pining means I get to live in ignorant bliss. If he rejected me I’d have to face that rejection every day for as long as we both work for Poletti’s. I’m not making the first move. Now enough about me. Talk to me about weddings. What’s going on?”

Ashley hummed. “We’ve finally settled on autumn of next year, so I at least have the season.”

“Hey, that’s progress!”

“It was almost summer but I don’t want to be sweaty. Plus, Kurt said we’d be competing with people’s summer plans. Would you want to skip your vacation to attend a wedding?”

“Depends how much I liked the person and if they were springing for an open bar,” Lydia said as she reached the entrance to the subway station. “But hold your next thought. I’m about to get on the train.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later,” Ashley said.

“‘Bye.” Lydia hung up, then made her way across town to the Manhattan Youth Center. It had taken her and Luke a couple weeks to finally nail down a time when they were both available for his promised tour. Between Poletti’s, Luke’s other clients, regular life stuff and training, finding a free day was harder than they’d imagined.

As Lydia approached the familiar building, kids streamed in and out the front doors like the tide on a beach, overtaking the steps and flowing down the sidewalk. The kids were so buoyant, laughing and shouting animatedly after their friends, that Lydia almost didn’t notice Luke waiting for her on the steps amid all the chaos. When she spotted him, she slowed enough to drink him in.

He looked... different .

Not in a bad way—she didn’t think the man was capable of looking bad. But of course she wasn’t looking at him like that . She’d just never really seen him in anything other than fitted athletic wear, so obviously she’d take note of him reclining on the steps in faded blue jeans and a plain gray shirt that strained against his biceps. Oh, for crying out loud , Lydia thought, resisting the urge to rub the sudden heat from her cheeks. This was Ashley’s fault. She’d gotten her thoughts all twisted up.

The way you were looking at him? I half expected you to scale the man right there.

Lydia’s cheeks flushed even hotter and she stopped walking. That had happened before she and Luke were working together. Before they even knew each other. Now they were partners in this training journey. There would be no acting on said attractiveness—they were both professionals. In fact, she’d already noticed much more than just the way he looked. There was an ease and a confidence to the way he chatted with the kids. Some gave him high fives as they passed, hurrying off to meet their parents. Others bumped his fist with their own and cracked jokes. His smile was as comfortable as the rest of him, and it became obvious to Lydia that Luke didn’t just volunteer here. He was at home in the center.

“You made it!” Luke said, shooting to his feet as she approached. He dusted off his jeans.

“I did,” Lydia agreed, hurrying up the steps until she stood just below him. Up close it was harder not to let her gaze drift appreciatively across his broad shoulders. She tried though, settling on his face. Lydia had quickly become familiar with those soft brown eyes leaning over her while she hyperventilated after a run. Out here in the lingering daylight, his irises were flecked with green and hazel, an earthy combination that seemed to suit him. She tilted her head, wondering if his cropped blond curls looked shorter today.

“Did you get a haircut?” she asked.

“I did.” He swept his hand through his hair, disturbing the curls. “The kids were starting to say I needed a fresh cut. That’s the great thing about volunteering here. I never have to wonder how I look, because the kids will call me out in front of the entire gym.”

Lydia chuckled. “Ah, the good old days of saying the first thing that popped into our minds.”

“It’s wonderful. You get over being self-conscious very quickly.”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t be surprised when they call out my under-eye bags?”

“What are you talking about? You look perfectly rested,” Luke said, nodding to the door.

“Very smooth,” Lydia said, following him inside. “I may not look decrepit, but I sure feel it. I think I’ve used muscles these past few weeks that haven’t been activated in the almost thirty years I’ve been alive.”

Luke said something, his mouth moving, but Lydia didn’t hear a single word. Sound crashed into her like a rogue wave. It was loud . Joyously so. Laughter echoed down the halls in fits and starts. Small voices yelled and cheered, demanding attention. Footsteps thundered up and down stairs. Music streamed out of classrooms, and the rubber smack of a basketball thumped out of sync with it. “Wow,” she said.

When Lydia had absorbed the onslaught of noise, she signed her name into the binder and flashed her ID to the volunteer behind the check-in desk. He waved her into the building.

“Where do you want to start the tour?” Luke asked.

“Anywhere,” Lydia said. “You’re the subject matter expert.”

“All right.” Luke rubbed his hands together, setting off down the hall toward the sounds of a basketball game. They’d only gone about four feet before a tiny girl with long braided pigtails stomped her foot in front of Luke and demanded help with her shoelaces.

Luke bent down. “Double knot or single?”

“Double,” the girl decided.

Lydia got the impression that this was a regular occurrence. She bit her lip to hide her amusement.

The little girl glanced up, examining Lydia through squinted eyes. “Mr. Luke, is this your girlfriend?”

“This is Lydia,” he answered without missing a beat. “She’s definitely my friend.”

The girl smiled conspiratorially, like she’d just been given secret information. Then she raced off down the hall.

“Sorry,” Luke said, getting to his feet. “Remember that zero filter thing we talked about?”

Lydia snorted. “Reminds me a bit of annoying the hell out of my sister with awkward questions when we were kids.”

“You just have the one sister?”

She nodded. “Ashley. She’s a couple years older. You?”

“An older brother and an older sister.”

“Guess we’re both the babies of the family.”

“As they like to remind me,” Luke agreed. They continued down the hall.

The doors to the gymnasium were wide open and Lydia saw a flash of tiny bodies as a game of basketball tore furiously across the court.

“Watch out for stray passes,” Luke said as they entered. “Sometimes I have no idea what they’re aiming for. Might just be my head.”

Lydia chuckled, keeping her eye on the court, but there was really no need. Luke walked beside her, keeping his body between the game and her like a shield. Warmth pooled in her chest at the thought, though she chuckled to herself—she might not be athlete of the year, but she could catch a basketball if the occasion called for it.

“As you can see,” Luke said—raising his voice above the din of squeaky sneakers and kids shouting ball, ball, ball! —“the gym is well loved by everyone. I’d say it gets the most activity of anywhere in the center. The biggest obstacle right now is that the space is limited. If a group of kids want to play a full-court basketball game, no one else can use the gym. We’ve gotten good at assigning time slots, but it still means a lot of kids are hanging out on the sidelines, waiting for their turn to use the space.” He gestured to the bleachers, where kids sat with skipping ropes and other toys.

“What about the court outside?” Lydia asked. “Does it ever get used?”

“We had a couple injuries out there last year,” Luke said, “because the asphalt is all twisted up. Since then the kids haven’t really been too keen to use it.”

That was similar to what Miranda had told her, and Lydia filed away the information.

“Hey, Luke!” a kid called from the other side of the court. He’d just missed a rebound and the basketball game progressed back across the gym without him. “Is that your girl friend?”

“Gosh,” Lydia laughed. “They got right on that rumor, didn’t they?”

“And what’s up with your hair, man?” the kid yelled, grinning a gap-toothed smile. He was scrawny and moved like he wasn’t quite used to his growing limbs yet.

Luke reached up, sweeping his hand through his curls. “This is a fresh cut, Marcus. Why are you hating on it?”

“Oh, I’m Luke, look at my hair,” the kid jeered.

“You’re just afraid me and my fresh cut will embarrass you on the court.”

Marcus grinned, holding his arms out in challenge. “Yeah, right.”

“One second,” Luke whispered to her. He darted onto the court with unexpected speed, and with a delighted laugh, Marcus chased after him. Luke broke into the game and stole the ball, dribbling backwards. The teams dissolved and it became everyone versus Luke as he surged between the kids, dodging and twisting, putting on an impressive display. He waited for Marcus to deke after the ball. The moment the kid’s sneakers twitched, Luke ducked past him and went straight to the basket for a layup.

“Nothing but net,” Luke crowed as he sank the ball. He turned around, facing Marcus and the others. The kids laughed as he did a little victory dance. Marcus waved him off the court. Luke returned to her side a moment later. “Sorry,” he said, huffing. “I had to defend my reputation as the greatest ball player this gym has ever seen.”

“I’m not sure Marcus would agree with that assessment.”

Luke led her up the bleachers to an empty row where they could watch the rest of the game. “I missed one free throw one time and now Marcus will never let me live it down.”

“Was this supposed to be a game-winning free throw?” Lydia asked.

“Yes. Our team lost,” Luke said.

“Did you miss the shot on purpose?”

Luke eyed her, his cheek twitching. “Maybe.”

A cheer drew her attention. Lydia’s eyes found Marcus again. He was quick, zipping up and down the court, with a pretty wicked three-pointer for a preteen.

Every time he scored, he found Luke in the crowd, grinning impossibly wide.

“The kids really seem to gravitate toward you,” Lydia said.

“I’ve volunteered here for a long, long time. For some of them, I’ve been around as long as they’ve been coming to the center. I used to come here as a kid with my siblings too, so I suppose in a way, I never really left.”

“This place must mean a lot to you,” Lydia said, nudging him gently with her shoulder. For a second, she didn’t pull away. Not until he looked at her. When he did, it wasn’t Trainer Luke staring back at her. It was someone else. Someone she was just getting to know. Someone that knew nothing about her mile time or all the ways she liked to get out of doing burpees. Her heartbeat quickened as she realized how much she wanted to get to know this Luke.

“It does,” he agreed softly. “A lot of these kids come from complicated homes. Single parents. Low-income households. They don’t always have the support they need to succeed for one reason or another. The center gives them a safe space to hang out. To play. To learn. When I was a kid here, they sometimes gave us dinner. Handed out winter clothes when we were short on hats or gloves or scarves. Although they mostly helped with homework.” He gestured to Marcus on the court. “And encouraged talents.”

“Do you help with homework?” Lydia said, intrigued.

“Not usually,” Luke chuckled. “Though I can rock some science.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “Throw me some biology. Some chemistry. Let me tell you about mitochondria. A little sprinkle of the Krebs cycle.”

“You’re just a regular old Bill Nye.”

“Guess you were the math girl, huh? I can imagine little Lydia out there measuring angles with her protractor. Making sure her lines were straight.”

“You’re totally making fun of me! The nerds are supposed to stick together. I can’t believe you.”

Luke smirked. “But see, I became the sports guy. I took the science and made it cool.”

“Are you saying I’m not cool?” She hopped to her feet.

“Where are you going?”

“To tell the kids you’re bullying me.”

Luke grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back down to the bench. They were closer now than they were before, their thighs pressed together tightly.

“I’m kidding,” Luke said. “You design buildings for a living. That is very cool.”

“You better believe it,” Lydia said. Knowing they were both teasing didn’t stop her heart from skipping wildly against her ribs. What the hell was wrong with her? This was Luke. Just regular old Trainer Luke who made her do burpees.

“So what do you think so far?” he asked.

Lydia had to turn away, staring out at the court to stop herself from thinking ridiculous things like how soft his lips looked. There were so many warring thoughts tumbling through her head—thoughts about Luke, thoughts about the kids—but the one thing she was certain about was how truly important this redesign competition was to the center. The city was giving them an opportunity to create something to support the children who called this place their second home. And she was starting to understand what they truly needed to grow. First of all, she would incorporate a double gymnasium. Maybe she could use the space better by including a running track around the upper level, looking down over the courts. Excitement bubbled up in her and she was suddenly itching for a drawing pencil.

“Show me more?” she asked Luke, eager to absorb as much as she could while she was here with him. He nodded and took her hand for a brief moment, helping her down the bleachers. They set off on a tour of the rest of the center, each of the spaces transformed now that they were filled with children and activities. Lydia spoke with kids in the art room, letting them drag her around from painting to painting as they told her all about their favorite things to do at the center. Then they moved on to the kitchen where the kids showed her the cookies that were baking in the ovens. Everywhere they went, Luke was hounded with conversation or handed crafts for his approval. He gushed over them, and the kids beamed. After watching him with the kids and the other staff, it was easy to see why he was so popular. Luke was a cheerleader, and she realized how lucky she was to have someone like him in her corner, helping her chase down the miles toward her marathon goal.

When they finally left the center, Lydia stepped out into the cool evening, her mind buzzing.

“Glad you came back?” Luke asked.

“Absolutely.” He’d been right. She’d needed to see the youth center in use, at its busiest, to truly understand what would benefit it in a redesign. Spending the evening with the kids had invigorated her. “I feel like I’m bursting with ideas.”

He chuckled, following her down the stairs. “I’m happy I could help.”

Part of Lydia wanted to rush home, sit down at her desk with a pencil and some graph paper, and let the ideas run wild. But all the inspiration had left her limbs thrumming with energy, and she wasn’t quite ready to end the night yet. She turned back to Luke. “Do you want to grab a drink?”

For a second, he looked surprised at the invitation, but the uncertainty melted away so quickly Lydia thought she might have imagined it. “Sure,” he said. “Where do you want to go?”

“It’s your neighborhood.” She shrugged. “Surprise me.”