Page 67 of Own the Eights
“I never realized how really dirty little miss cherry pie sounds,” she said through a bout of giggles.
“Georgie, that’s awful, but at the same time, so freaking awesome.”
“Shut up,” she said with mock incredulity, then punched him in the arm.
Jesus! It stung. She was stronger than she looked.
Laughing, he fell back onto the bed, and she joined him. They stared up at the ceiling as the giggles subsided and a peaceful quiet set in as they stared up at the plastic replica of the big dipper.
“Jordan?”
“Yeah?” he answered, savoring the calming sound of her voice.
She rolled onto her side and propped up onto her elbow. “What would you do with the prize money if you won?”
He watched her closely. “I want to start my own gym.”
Her brows knit together. “You’re not happy at Deacon CrossFit?”
Was he happy?
“Deacon has been really good to me, almost like a second father. I met him when I was just starting college, and he took me under his wing. He not only helped me transform my body but my mind. I’ll always owe him. I’ll always be grateful to him.”
She cocked her head to the side. “I feel abutcoming on.”
He chuckled. “But, I want to open a gym, my own business, that encompasses more than just pumping iron. I’d like to develop a nutrition program and keep putting out guided workouts people can do at home.”
She smiled down at him, and he gasped as an idea sparked.
“What is it?” she asked.
“And I want to help kids who are bullied about their bodies. I could offer classes to children, teens, and young adults to not only help them get in shape but to also help them build self-esteem and confidence.”
“Wow,” she replied with a sweet smile as the dim lamp in the corner of the room cast her face in a warm glow, highlighting those captivating blue-green eyes.
“What about you? What would you do with the money if you won,” he asked.
“You meanwhenI win,” she corrected with a teasing smirk.
He rolled his eyes, and she laughed, but after a moment, her expression grew thoughtful.
“I’d sink most of the winnings into the bookshop. I’ve fallen…” She paused, and her throat constricted as she swallowed. “I mean, I’d like to expand the shop and add a children’s area.”
He reached up and wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. “You can run storytimes for little kids and demystify Jane Austen and Shakespeare for the teenagers and I can teach them how to exercise and follow a healthy diet.”
A dreamy expression lit her features. “It would be great if we both could win.”
He stared up at the plastic stars and nodded. The strange thing was, he felt as if he already had.
A slice of comfortable silence stretched between them. She felt it, too. She had to. Whatever it was between them, it was real.
He turned to her. “Did you make an Own the Eights soul mate list?”
Her little smirk was back. “You’ve been poking around my blog.”
“Maybe just a little, but I’m curious. You’ve helped thousands of people meet their eight. I figured it had to be more than just finding a guy in a Save the Whales T-shirt.”
A sweet blush graced her cheeks. “Don’t remind me. I haven’t looked at a cucumber the same ever since that day.”
