Page 39 of Broken Hearts
“Squat on the mat.”
Reluctantly, he moves onto the mat and does as I requested.
“Little lower.”
His lips twist into a smirk, but he does it.
“Now put your hands onto the mat in front of you under your shoulders and spread out your fingers.” I walk around him, checking out his form. “Your knees should rest on your arms. Good.”
I crouch down beside him. “Come up onto your toes and shift your weight.”
His forearms and biceps flex. “Now what?”
“If you can, shift your weight forward until your feet come off the floor. Don’t jump or hop. It’ll throw you off balance.” I move in front of him and place my hands on his upper shoulders in case he falls forward.
He gets up and holds it for a second. He lets out a whoop of excitement and then loses his balance and drops back into a squat.
“That was good for your first try. Give it another shot.”
“I think I better keep my day job.” He rests on the mat. “Speaking of jobs, how’d your interview go?”
I sit in front of him and cross my legs. “Good. Really good, actually. They sent an offer over this morning.”
“No way.” His mouth pulls into a wide smile. “Congratulations. I missed so much in a day. Tell me everything.”
I chuckle. “Umm well, it’s the same company my dad works for in Appleton. It’s a software company in the healthcare sector.”
“Nice.”
“I would be writing and editing sales materials, I think. The interview was kind of a blur. It’s a good company, though.”
“That’s really awesome. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I haven’t decided if I’m going to accept it. I probably will. I don’t know. I haven’t lined up any more interviews so I most likely should.”
“You don’t sound very excited. Is there something else you’d rather do?”
“No, that’s kind of my problem. I keep waiting for something to come along that makes me as excited as I thought I would be when I was interviewing for jobs. They’re all fine and I think I’ll be happy wherever I end up, but I don’t feel that glee that everyone else seems to when they talk about their jobs after college. Are you excited about working for your parents?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs and leans back on his hands. “I’ve worked there every summer since I was sixteen though.”
We’re quiet for a beat and I realize I haven’t congratulated him on the game in person.
“Oh my gosh, I’m the worst Valley fan ever. Congrats on the win and your assist.” I move forward to hug him. He’s warm and smells like laundry soap and my pulse quickens being so close.
“Thanks.” He smiles. “I still can’t believe it. Totally surreal.”
“Campus was nuts last night. Everyone is so excited that the championship game is here.”
“Us too. Adam and I stayed up half the night talking about it. We’re so freaking pumped.”
“Did you guys get to go out somewhere last night to celebrate?”
“Coach took us out to dinner and I think a few of the guys might have went down to the hotel bar when we got back, but most of us were too amped up thinking about the next game.”
“I had this mental picture of you in some bar, shirtless, slopping beer around on unsuspecting women who then pulled you into the bathroom.”
He lifts a brow and then slowly sits forward until his face is inches from mine. “You’re the only girl I want to slop beer on,” he replies playfully and winks.
