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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. ButJack... 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 meDays of Our Livesbecause 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 likethat. 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.
