Page 11 of Branded

“Because running is good for you. It is good for mental health, physical health, and it’ll make your thighs and ass iconic. Don’t you want iconic thighs and ass?”

“I’d rather have non burning lungs.”

“Suck it up, baby. One more lap then we can go have margaritas.”

“Eyes on the margarita prize,” I say, both to myself and to her.

“Atta girl.”

The last lap brings a hot burning in my calves and I honestly think I’m going to collapse, but I press on.

“Home stretch,” Olivia says. “Go hard.”

I look out ahead of me toward our finish line and I can see someone stepping down from the bleachers and onto the track. As we get closer, it becomes more and more apparent who that person is.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here,” Olivia whispers, as we slow to a walk toward the stairs where Isaac Black is standing.

“Okay, it’s just creepy at this point, isn’t it?”

“It’s a small town, Sawyer. It’s not that creepy.”

“I’ve lived here for nearly a year and haven’t seen him one time and now I’ve seen him three times in a week. That’s weird.”

“Or it’s fate.”

Trying to catch my breath from the run, I place my hands on my hips and sigh. “I don’t believe in fate.”

“Better start looking into it,” she whispers, before waving to Isaac. “Well, isn’t this a small world,” she says loudly, as we approach him.

“I thought that was you two,” he says, as he secures his cell phone into the strap on his bicep. He’s wearing black shorts and a white tank top and looks absolutely delicious.

“Stalking us now?” I joke, reaching down for my bottle of water I left by the stairs. I open the bottle and gulp back three large mouthfuls, and it’s not lost on me that he’s staring.

“Couldn’t I ask you the same question?”

“Well, you came to where we are, not the other way around.”

“Maybe I run here all the time.” He crosses his arms and grins.

“No, you don’t. We run every day and I’ve never seen you.” I twist the cap back onto my bottle of water then hold it in the bend of my arm.

“There are other hours in the day, you know? I could run here.”

We stare at each other for a moment then both burst into laughter for no particular reason at all.

“Um, should I just go? Because there seems to be enough flirting here that my services are no longer needed.” Olivia waves her hand.

“No,” I say quickly. “No one was flirting.”

“Are you sure? It felt like flirting to me,” Isaac adds.

“If I was flirting, you’d know it.”

“Well, in that case, I’d like to get the chance to know it. Can I get your number?”

My initial instinct is to say absolutely yes, because he’s kind, charming, and so incredibly cute, but too many factors have wedged themselves into my brain that I just can’t.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I tell him.

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