Page 56 of Meet Cute or Your Money Back

The man’s grin grows wider and in turn, Allie’s smile widens too while she rolls along with a grace that makes my palms itch. “And who’s this little guy?” he asks.

I note how Allie slows her pace down so that the man doesn’t have to sprint to keep up with her. “This is Biscuit. I’m trying to convince him that chasing squirrels isn’t exactly a sport.”

“Ah, a fellow athlete, are you, Mr. Biscuit.” The guy laughs, and even from this distance, I can tell he’s laying it on thick.

“He might be a little guy, but he can keep up with thebest of us,” she says. “Biscuit might be the only fifteen-pound dog who loves hiking.”

“I thought you didn’t like runners?” I ask into her earpiece. But of course, she doesn’t answer me. Or rather,can’tanswer me is more like it.

“You know, I love hiking, too,” he says. “Maybe I’ll meet you on one of the trails sometime.”

“Maybe.” She smiles, and it’s got that mischievous glint I’ve become all too familiar with. “You know, I usually steer clear of runners. It seems so monotonous…but maybe I’ll make an exception for a runner who also likes to hike.”

My protective streak flares up, mingling with something else—a twinge of...jealousy? No way. I’m just doing my due diligence, ensuring she doesn’t end up with some gym rat who doesn’t know Nietzsche from nachos.

Even from way back here, I can see the way his chest puffs with confidence. “I would happily trade in my running shoes for hiking boots…foryou.”

I ease off on the skating, giving them space, even as my gut tells me to close the distance. She deserves someone good, someone who’ll make her laugh and think and keep up with her relentless curiosity. Someone who knows how deeply she cares about the smallest things, like the way she spends hours perusing a menu to order the perfect meal or how she frets over the well-being of a kid wholiterallytried to rob her.

“Maybe I’ll see you on a trail this Saturday morning at say…eight a.m.?” the guy continues, oblivious to the fact that I’m glaring at them from only twenty feet away.

“Not very observant, is he? I could be a potential threat and he doesn’t even notice me skating behind you all.”

Allie clears her throat and throws me a quick, scathinglook over her shoulder. “I could be talked into Saturday. There’s a cute little coffee shop at the base of Cades Peak.”

Fuck my life. Now I’m going to have to go hiking with her this weekend? I swallow my groan. It’s not that I don’t like hiking. I love hiking. I just don’t want to follow this accident-prone girl up a mountain if I can help it.

But the sooner I find Allie’s soulmate, the sooner she’s out of my life and I can go back to how things were. Even if her soulmate comes in the form of a jogging enthusiast with too much hair gel.

“I know the one,” he says. “I’m Jason.”

“I’m Allie.”

“Well, Allie. How about I meet you there? I’ll be the one with two coffees—” His words get clipped off by a squirrel suddenly running across their path and Biscuit’s ears perk up like satellite dishes zeroing in on an alien frequency.

“Uh-oh,” I mutter under my breath, the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention.

Before I can even process a plan, Biscuit lunges, yanking Allie into an impromptu game of urban sled-dog racing, chasing the squirrel. Her arms flail as she hurtles forward, her usually graceful glide replaced by a panicked scramble to stay upright.

“Whoa, Biscuit—no!” she cries out, voice pitching with every bump and swerve. But Biscuit is a terrier on a mission, tail a blurred propeller of determination.

“Dammit.” I dig my wheels into the pavement, pivoting sharply to give chase. My heart thumps against my rib cage, adrenaline fueling each push. Up ahead, Allie’s silhouette bobs between strollers and joggers, a streak of desperation against the park’s lazy afternoon backdrop.

“Come on,” I grunt, urging myself faster.

I’m gaining ground when I see Allie’s knees buckle.She’s losing the tug-of-war with Biscuit—and gravity. I stretch out my arm, calculating the intercept course. Just a few more strides...

“Watch out!” someone shouts, but it’s too late for warnings.

With a grunt, I collide with Allie—more linebacker than knight in shining armor. We’re a tangle of limbs and wheels, spinning out of control like a cartoon dust cloud. And then comes the splash—a frigid shock of pond water that swallows us whole.

I emerge, sputtering and gasping, wiping algae from my eyes. “Allie, you okay?”

It’s not very deep. I can sit on the bottom of the pond and still have my head out of water.

“Biscuit!” she cries out, panicking and splashing around looking for him.

From the edge of the pond, there’s a yip where Biscuit sits, dry as ever, staring at us with his head cocked.

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