Nettie crossed paths with Courtney and Grace, and she didn’t spare them a look. It was as if they were complete strangers.

Taylor shook her head. “That’s sad.”

“Yeah.” I agreed.

Courtney’s jaw seemed clenched, and Grace looked over her shoulder at Nettie, who talked excitedly to Faith. Her hands were all over in the air, yet Faith seemed to be mostly ignoring her, only glancing up every now and then

“Raelynn’s coming back next summer,” Grace said. “What does Nettie think is going to happen then?”

We stopped walking and found a spot on the grass to stretch. Grace pulled one leg over the other and leaned toward it

“I have a hard time imagining Faith won’t want her best buddy back,” she added.

“Unless she’s not as fast as Nettie,” Courtney said.

Taylor started laughing. “Sorry. I was remembering the first night we met you guys.”

Courtney grinned. “True. Nettie’s fast in that way too.”

“Hit the weights this afternoon, ladies,” Coach Langdon barked before he headed back to his office.

We wouldn’t see him again until tomorrow morning when we had an easier run scheduled, then our first meet of the year this weekend. I’d run races in high school, but I knew college was more. The mileage was double what it had been in high school, and everyone was more intense. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought I’d be okay. I just had to beat Faith. That was my main goal.

“The football team is in there today,” Courtney mumbled.

“What?” I looked over at her as she frowned off into the distance.

As if everyone heard her, the rest of the team looked over in time to see the football team walking down the sidewalk toward the doors that led to the weight room. Coach said we might run with them, but it looked like we’d be lifting weights instead.

Some of the girls wore eager grins, some groaned.

“Great,” Courtney grumbled. She reached to grab the bottom of her feet. “Now we either have to use the shitty weight room, or we have to wait in line for the machines. Coach should reserve the weight room for us.”

“You’d think, right? That’d be the smart thing to do.” Grace switched into a different stretch, and for the next few moments everyone was quiet until we finished. Then we began walking across the lawn toward those doors. Courtney and Grace fell in step behind Taylor and me. This was the first time we were going, and as we went inside, I heard all the noise from the weight room and wondered if it might be worth it to get a gym membership somewhere else.

I stopped just outside the door.

Massively built guys were everywhere.

I recognized a few, but this was different territory. We used the room too, but there was something primal about the way these guys were claiming the weights as theirs.

“This can’t be as terrifying for you guys as it is for us,” Courtney said from behind me.

I looked back at her. “Yeah, you’d think, right?”

Taylor clapped her hands together, beaming. “Follow me, ladies. I’ll show you how to throw your weight around.” She started forward. Courtney and Grace followed, and I brought up the rear.

My plan was to find Mason. I knew he’d be nice, regardless of how the rest of these guys were. As I was looking, Taylor stopped at one of the leg machines.

“Do you know who my dad is?” she asked.

The guy grumbled, but he got up and walked away.

Taylor laughed as she climbed on.

And that was how we lifted weights. Taylor would approach and ask her question. By the third machine, the guys saw her coming. They always got off, and the rest of us would use it after she did. We were half done with our regimen when an arm snaked around my waist.

Mason nuzzled my ear. “What are you doing?”

Gasping from the instant tingles, I laughed and pointed at Taylor. The only problem was the guy using the machine we wanted this time was Matteo.

“It’s entertaining to watch all the guys want to refuse Taylor, then realize who she is and slink away with their tail between their legs,” I told Mason.

His hand slid down to grasp my hip. He kept me anchored in front of him. “Nah. The tail between the legs is because they want to hit on her, then remember she’s Broozer’s daughter and Logan’s girlfriend.” He looked down at me. “I didn’t know you’d be in here at this time. I was going over some new plays with Coach. If I’d known, I could’ve done that later.”

I tipped my head up, resting against his chest. “I didn’t know myself until we finished an hour ago.”

His eyes were warm as he looked down at me. “If you do weights during your season, we could do them together.”

“Matteo!” Taylor yelled. “Let us use the machine.”

He snorted, adjusting the weight and sitting back down. “You don’t scare me, Bruce. I know all the same people you do, and you and your line of ducklings can wait for me to finish my rep. That’s the right way to work these machines. You get in line and wait your turn.” He leaned down and began pumping his legs.

Taylor’s hands found her hips, and she glared down at him. “You take twice as long as we do with this machine. We’re runners. We don’t have to bulk up. We’re just toning.”

“Not my problem. I refuse to give in to favoritism.” He motioned behind him with his head. “Get in line, Broozer Jr.”

I started laughing as Mason tugged me to a different machine. “Have you used this one already?”

I hadn’t, and after that, I followed Mason around for the rest of my weights.

Taylor came over at one point, her eyes blazing in frustration. “I’m going to do something to Matteo. I don’t know what, but I am.”

“Can you really blame him?” I asked. “We were cutting in line.”

She wrinkled her nose, crossing her arms over her chest as Courtney and Grace came over. They all watched Mason finish his last rep before it was my turn. Though their eyes widened like they normally did around him, Taylor barely paid him attention.

She turned to me. “I know, but now all the others took notes from him. Only a few will get off the machines for us. He ruined our fast time in this room. Plus, he’s in here with his team. He doesn’t understand. Girls don’t like doing weights with all this testosterone. The smell alone is uncomfortable enough.”

Mason finished his last pump, then stood and adjusted the weight for me. “Why don’t you have Logan lift weights with you?” he said as I climbed on.

“You think that’d work?” She gazed around the room. “You have to admit, there’s a lot more of you guys than us. I think half the girls are too scared to come in here.”

“Just call Logan. He does weights, though he talks shit more than he lifts, but he’d do it. And he’d love to give Matteo crap too.”

“We’re almost done today, but I’ll be doing that next time. I didn’t realize Logan lifted weights that much.”

Mason grinned, moving to another machine as I was finishing up. “I think it’d be more about talking shit.” He nodded to Taylor. “And showing off to his girl too.”

She laughed. “Maybe I should give him a call today after all?”

As I got off my machine, Taylor moved for it. Matteo showed up, appearing from around a different machine, but he jumped back as Taylor got on it first.

She held up her middle finger. “Aha! You were totally trying to cut there.”

“Oh, come on.” He reached for her finger, but she pulled it away. He grinned, casting a sideways glance to Courtney and Grace. “Can’t hurt a guy to try, right?” He asked the last question with his focus on Grace, whose eyes suddenly looked like they were going to bulge out.

“Wha—what?” she stammered out.

“You can’t blame me for trying. Right? Now I gotta wait for all three of you ladies.” His head perked up, and his grin deepened. “Though, now that I think about it, maybe I’ve been doing this wrong all along.”

Taylor finished and got off.

Courtney and Grace waited, but Matteo waved them on. “After you, ladies. I just realized the benefits of being a gentlemen.” He winked at Grace, who waited as Courtney got on the machine. “I get to spend more time with you.”