by Tamie Dearen
Later that night, Cole’s enthusiastic report about his lunch had Finn clenching his fists behind his back. Part of him wished he’d told Cole to stay at a hotel instead of offering one of several guest suites in his penthouse apartment. But another part of him longed to hear all about the conversation that had passed between Cole and Laurie, hoping Cole hadn’t thrown him under the bus when she criticized their interview technique.
What he hadn’t been prepared to hear was that the two never discussed anything related to the interview or work, but instead had chatted about her childhood growing up in Miami. Cole had discovered more personal details about her in a single lunch than Finn had learned in the year since they first met. She’d even revealed some secret so intimate Cole had sworn to keep it to himself. Finn seriously considered whether Cole might break under certain interrogation techniques… perhaps electric shock would do the trick.
All this had led to his sleepless night, which left him in a foul mood as he began his morning cystic fibrosis routine—a process that took ninety minutes and included a large number of drugs, oral and inhaled.
His phone vibrated with an incoming message. Only Branson would be awake at this hour.
Branson: Want to meet up this morning?
The two often met at the gym before work, as it also gave them a chance to discuss their ongoing business dealings. It was one of Finn’s favorite perks since Branson moved to the city with his family, only spending summers at his estate near Chicago.
Finn: Sure. 6:15?
Branson: Yep.
For Bran, this would be the second workout of the day, as he exercised every morning, before dawn, for at least an hour. He claimed the discipline of exercise made him feel he was in control of his life. For Finn, a systematic cardio workout added days to his life. It kept him healthier and better able to function with his decreased lung capacity. Plus, it made him feel like a normal person.
His phone vibrated again.
Branson: Bring Cole with you. I’ll make Jarrett come.
A smile slid onto Finn’s face… the first one of the day. Though Cole might be able to outlift him in a weight challenge, Finn was almost invincible on an endurance run. Beating Cole would be a satisfying way to start the day.
As he fastened his vibrating vest, designed to loosen the mucous caused by CF, images of Laurie edged into his brain. He wondered what might’ve happened between the two of them if he’d been an ordinary, healthy guy. Nothing! We can’t even be in the same room without fighting.
Of course, provoking Laurie was part of the plan to ward off all women. For thirty-three years he’d lived a happy life, content with the idea that he would never get married or even fall in love. How did Laurie push her way around that barrier and invade his thoughts?
Whatever the cause, he needed to shove her out. He could do it. All he needed was a bit of self-control. An intense workout, especially in competition with his buddies, would soothe his nerves and get him on firm footing. By the time his work day started, he’d be back to normal.
Laurie slung the strap of her gym bag over her shoulder and stepped off the elevator. Inside the ladies’ locker room, she stowed her bag with her work clothes and checked the time. She only had forty minutes to exercise before heading to the showers. She didn’t want to be late for her first day on the job.
Jarrett usually worked from the Denver office, but always came to New York at this time of year to help with the stockholder report and coordinate on the Los Angeles fundraiser. Laurie planned to absorb as much as possible from him now so she wouldn’t need as much help when the time came to work on the New York fundraiser with Finn.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, just thinking of him. But it wasn’t an attraction. It was more of an annoyance, like a low-level electrical charge that intensified the closer he came.
He simply rubbed her the wrong way every time they were together, and she was fairly certain he did it on purpose. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to make him dislike her so much, but she wasn’t going to let him ruin this job opportunity. Once Cole explained the reasoning behind the deceitful interview tactic, her anger had abated. She had to admit, it was a clever way to discern a candidate’s motivation. Now that the job was hers, she had to prove herself worthy.
The whir of exercise equipment and the clang of weights reached her ears before she pushed her way through the heavy doors. The air was cool and well-circulated in the expansive gym, such that she could barely detect the smell of sweat as she marched toward the treadmills and ellipticals. In her experience with gyms, the most fit people worked out front and center, to be admired by all, so she chose an empty machine as far to the right as possible. She’d forgotten her earbuds today, but about twenty television screens hung above the mirrored wall facing the exercise machines. At least she would have something to watch, even if she couldn’t hear the show.
She wasn’t in great shape right now. To be honest, she’d never been in great shape. She’d started an exercise program at least a dozen times, but had never been able to stick to it. The longest one had lasted about a month, and that was only because a personal trainer had shamed her into showing up each day. The first week, she’d barely been able to move. Even lifting her coffee cup had been painful. But the second week, her muscles weren’t as horribly sore, and she didn’t dread the exercise quite as much. By the end of the fourth week, she began to see a difference when she looked in the mirror, and she thought she’d started a new lifestyle.
But then her month of free personal training stopped, and with it, her motivation. Like every other time, she couldn’t find enough reason to work out on a regular basis, and she fell back into her old sedentary routine.
She hoped this time would be different—a new job, a new purpose, a new start on life. This time, she would be disciplined… crack the proverbial whip and get in shape. She yawned, wishing she’d had a few more hours of sleep. Nervous insomnia gave her a restless night, and she’d slammed her hand on the alarm clock when it blared rudely at an obnoxiously early time that morning.
Fixated on following the set-up instructions for her treadmill, it wasn’t until after she’d started her timer and began a thirty-five-minute run that she glanced at the mirror. With her dark curls pulled into a messy ponytail and her makeup-free face, she looked like she’d just rolled out of bed. Luckily, her creamy bronze complexion camouflaged the dark circles under her eyes.
On her right, a blonde woman trotted effortlessly, not a hair out of place, no perspiration marring her perfectly applied makeup.
Good grief, this girl looks like she’s ready for a photo shoot. I need to teach her to relax a little. She’s making me look bad.
The machine to her left was occupied by a woman who sweated and jiggled with each heavy stride.
That’s more like it. This girl and I are going to be best friends. I’d introduce myself, but I’m already out of breath.
Laurie pushed the arrow to slow the machine a bit. She was already counting down the time… three minutes down, thirty-two to go. Desperate for distraction, she scanned the row of televisions, searching for something she could understand without the audio. A game show provided sixty seconds of diversion before it switched to a commercial.
As her gaze wandered to the mirrored reflections of the treadmills on the far end, she felt the stab of a pair of piercing blue eyes. Jumping Jehoshaphat! It’s Finn! She stumbled, hanging on to the handles for dear life until she regained her balance.
When she glanced his way again, she saw exactly what she expected. Peeking out of his scruffy beard, Finn’s dimples danced as he laughed at her, humor twinkling in his deadly eyes. He should be required to have a license, walking around with eyes like those.
She jutted her chin forward and sent back a challenging glare. But her jaw went slack when her gaze dropped to his shirtless torso, sweat glistening over rippling muscles, not an ounce of fat.
Why is it so much easier for men to keep the weight off? It
’s not fair.
Then she noticed what most observers would think was a wide blue sweatband on Finn’s arm. Laurie recognized it for what it was—a PICC line cover. The stretchy fabric band hid a peripherally inserted central catheter, inserted into a vein, for direct delivery of antibiotics. The cover served as a solemn reminder of his cystic fibrosis, which had somehow slipped her mind. She felt about an inch tall for begrudging him his lack of fat. He must’ve worked incredibly hard to gain that muscle mass, since CF prevents a person from absorbing a lot of the nutrients from food.
It wasn’t until Finn turned his head to his left and spoke to someone that she noticed he wasn’t alone. Cole, Jarrett, and Branson were running on adjacent treadmills, the sweat dripping from them an indication they had been exercising for a while. How had she missed them when she walked in? She must’ve still been half asleep. A quick glance around the gym told her she wasn’t the only woman currently enjoying the view of the well-muscled men. Their obvious levels of fitness spoke to their grit and determination, despite the handicaps each faced.
On the far end, Branson ran with the fingers of one hand resting on the treadmill, presumably to keep him oriented without the benefit of sight. He didn’t even appear winded as he laughed and chatted with Jarrett, who ran beside him. Wearing an artificial leg that looked like a weird piece of bent metal, Jarrett’s running stride was smooth, without the slight limp he customarily displayed when walking. Jarrett’s face, however, showed strain from what must have been an extended run.
Similarly, Cole’s red face and ragged breathing testified to his fatigue, though it didn’t stop him from sending a weak, fleeting smile to Laurie. Though all four were fit and attractive, Laurie preferred Finn’s lean physique—muscular, without looking like he spent hours lifting weights. She had no doubt he could pick her up with those powerful arms. He probably wouldn’t even strain himself, despite the fact she wasn’t exactly scrawny. He would simply hold her against the hard planes of his chest, then flash a devastating smile and make some teasing remark in that charming English accent of his.
Not that she was wishing he would sweep her off her feet. She was simply using her weight as a measure of his strength. Yet imagining herself in his arms wasn’t unpleasant.
What am I doing, looking him over like a piece of meat? I’d be furious if he was doing that to me.
A rush of heat had her pressing the fan button on her treadmill. But what woman wouldn’t feel hot when she was racing twenty miles an hour on a treadmill?
Okay, I admit I’m only jogging five miles an hour, but it feels like twenty.
She forced her eyes away from Finn’s delicious form, trying to read the treadmill stats, blurred from the sweat that dripped into her eyes. When she dared another glance at Finn, his gaze was focused on one of the televisions.
Thank goodness.
Gasping for oxygen in air that felt as thin as a mountaintop, she gripped the arms of the treadmill to keep her feet from stumbling.
She had to be professional about encountering Finn—not fall apart just because he was in the gym. She would simply ignore him for the rest of her run and hope he didn’t cross her path during the work day. But if he did, she wouldn’t let herself remember how he looked without a shirt on. He would probably make the task easy by saying something to make her blood boil. She didn’t know if his antagonizing tendencies were limited to her or extended to all women. But either way, his sharp tongue ensured she could never be attracted to him beyond his physical appeal, though she had to admire him for his determination.
As her lungs burned with effort, Laurie turned her attention to the numbers indicating her heart rate. She’d read about working out in the green and yellow zones, with five-minute bursts into orange. But she’d popped straight into the red zone. She stabbed at the down button, slowing to a fast walk.
Why did she let herself get so out of shape? She was still fairly young… only twenty-eight. It had only been four years or so since she dropped her gym membership—right after she changed her name. Being a nanny to Ellie and taking online classes for her MBA didn’t allow spare time for working out.
But she felt guilty for being so lazy when she’d been blessed with good health. If Finn Anderson could be in amazing physical condition while handicapped with cystic fibrosis, Laurie had no excuse. She swore to exercise every day until she beat her flabby heart into shape.
“I’m guessing it’s been a while since you worked out.”
Startled, Laurie looked up into Cole’s laughing eyes. He leaned his elbow on the front of her treadmill, swiping a towel across his forehead.
“We all have to start somewhere.” She chuckled, between panting breaths. Even walking kept her winded. “At least I’m trying.”
He held up his palms—to be accurate, one was a mechanical palm. “I’m in no place to criticize. Finn brought me here to humiliate me with his ridiculous endurance. I had to stop before I passed out.” He waved at Finn, still loping along at a breakneck pace. “He’s the one who sent me over here.”
“He told you to come make fun of me?”
“I believe he used the words, ‘give her a little encouragement.’” Cole winked and added, “But we both know what Finn’s version of encouragement entails.”
Growling, she furrowed her brows and sent Finn a glower that should’ve made him cower with fear. Instead, his lips stretched in a smile that showed his sparkling white teeth.
As he watched with surreptitious glances while Laurie kept a fast-walking pace on the treadmill, despite her obvious fatigue, Finn couldn’t help admiring her resolve. If there was one thing he could relate to, it was pushing through the pain to improve your cardiovascular fitness. He even considered giving her some pointers, though he suspected she wouldn’t want his advice. Spending more time with her would be disastrous. In fact, if he cared the least bit for Laurie, he needed to stop thinking about her, altogether. And what better opportunity than now to push her into Cole’s arms where she’d be truly out of reach?
When he suggested Cole cut his run off early in order to give Laurie some encouragement, Cole hadn’t needed any prodding. He’d slapped the off button and jolted to a stop, his gaping mouth sucking in air as he bent over with his hands on his knees.
“I’m on it.” His winded speech came in short spurts. “But this… doesn’t mean… you won the contest… I’m doing… you a favor.”
“I already know you could out-lift me in a heartbeat,” Finn had responded. “You can say you won. Whatever. Just go talk to her.”
But now, as Finn watched their easy exchange, a lump formed in his throat. Cole’s grin. Her unaffected laugh. In contrast, the look she sent Finn’s direction could’ve sliced him open. Knowing it was more of a challenge than anger, he almost stuck out his tongue, but thought better of it. Cole must’ve said he thought she needed encouragement, and she probably took that as an insult.
Hoping to put her at ease, Finn mustered up a benign smile. Her brows knitted deeper, but perhaps she was simply in pain from exercising. Cole said something else, coaxing a reluctant grin from her lips. Then he stretched his arms over his head, one of his signature moves, designed to show off his muscles. Yet her eyes didn’t bug out the way most women did in response to Cole’s deliberate display.
Finn hoped she wasn’t immune to Cole’s charms. If the two were to hit it off, Cole would treat her like a treasure, despite the fact he currently changed women as often as he changed his socks. Cole wasn’t a bad guy. It wasn’t his fault he’d been betrayed by the one woman who most mattered. It was high time Cole learned to trust a woman, and he couldn’t do better than Laurie.
Her eyes continued to shoot daggers at Finn. No doubt, she assumed he would tease her after her workout, and had this happened yesterday, that’s exactly what he would’ve done. But not now. From this moment on, he would make every effort to avoid her and let nature take its course with Cole.
But if Cole doesn’t cooperate, I’m willing to give
Mother Nature a little help.
Chapter 3
After the workout, Finn settled at his desk, ready to face a daunting number of unanswered emails. After reading the same line three times with zero comprehension, he gave up and closed his laptop. His mind drifted to his conversation with Cole a few months ago. Though Finn had pushed them together, he found himself worrying whether Cole and Laurie would be a good match, after all. Cole had never had a long-term relationship. He’d once joked in his Texas drawl, “Some cowboys have too much tumbleweed in their blood to settle down.”
Finn had criticized him. “Cole, you’re not even a real cowboy. You live in a mansion in Houston.”
“Shhh!” Cole had put a finger to lips that curved upwards. “Don’t tell anybody. The women don’t know I’ve never ridden a horse.”
Finn had the idea that Laurie would help Cole settle down, but what if he broke her heart, instead? Was Cole the type who’d lead a woman on and then dump her if things turned serious? Finn didn’t want to be responsible for Laurie getting hurt.
His office door opened, startling him out of his musing. He relaxed when Jarrett’s face appeared. That is, until he saw his friend’s grave expression.
“Jarrett?” Finn was on his feet, moving toward him. “What is it? Did something happen to Laurie?”
“Don’t come close.” Jarrett waved him off, pacing in front of the row of windows that looked out over the city. “I have a cough… sort of.”
“Are you sick?” Finn leaned against his desk, a respectful distance away, worried the cough meant he had a respiratory infection.
Shaking his head, Jarrett grimaced. “I don’t think so. I’ve had a little cough for about a week with no other symptoms. But today, on the treadmill, my chest started hurting, and it hasn’t stopped. And the coughing has picked up.”
