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“Oh, come on. It was pretty funny.”

She began tucking into the pancakes, taking minute bites at first.

“Good?” I asked.

“So good, thank you.” She cleared the plate, and I offered her a small nod.

“You going to be okay if I head out?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for brunch.”

I nodded again, heading for the door, but her voice stopped me dead.

“Austin?”

“Yeah?” I glanced back.

“You deserve to be happy, you know.”

Her words cut deep, but I ignored the sting and strolled out of there as if nothing happened.

* * *

Hitching my bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my water bottle and headed out of the gym.

It had been unsurprisingly quiet; most of its regular clientele was home for winter break. So I’d enjoyed having the free weights to myself.

My cell phone vibrated, and I dug it out of my pocket, smirking when I saw Madison’s name.

Madison: How’s your day?

Austin: Just finished at the gym. Do you like to work out?

Madison: I don’t go to the gym and train or anything, but I try to eat healthily and get my steps in.

Austin: It shows.

Madison: Austin Hart… was that a compliment?

Running a hand through my damp hair, I chuckled to myself as I flagged down the approaching bus. I boarded and found a seat, finding another text from Madison.

Madison: So I’ve been thinking... Maybe soon we can get together.

Austin: Yeah, maybe.

Madison: What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Austin: Just on my way to meet a teammate for a drink.

Madison: In that case, I’ll leave you to it. Chat soon hopefully.

Austin: Definitely.

I hopped off the bus and hit the sidewalk, following Ward’s directions to the bar.

“Watch it, Misters,” a stern little voice said as I turned the corner and almost tripped over a child.

I looked down to find a little girl glowering up at me. “My bad.”