how much I hate exercising. I’d so much rather lie on the sofa eating doughnuts and watching movies, but Dan made it fun. He made me want to get fitter. Those sessions turned into the best part of my day. We talked about everything.” She reached for his hand. “Do you remember that night we did a late-night session and we talked for so long that the entire gym had emptied and the place was dark?”
Dan smiled. “I remember.”
Katie licked her fingers. The pair of them couldn’t stop touching. How did they ever get anything done? “And how did you get home after your late-night session?”
Rosie looked puzzled. “Dan took me home.”
“Oh. Okay.” So at least he’d seen her sister home safely. She couldn’t find fault with that. “And what first attracted you to Rosie, Dan?”
Rosie choked on her food. “What sort of a question is that?”
“An intrusive one,” Jordan said.
For a guy who supposedly lived a chill, outdoor life, he seemed extraordinarily tense.
He’d seemed pretty relaxed in the car. Maybe it was her. Maybe she brought out the worst in him. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had that effect on a man.
Dan ignored him. “First time I saw Rosie she was doing battle with a treadmill.”
“It was a complicated machine,” Rosie said. “All I wanted to do was run.”
Dan leaned forward. “Running is good, of course, but fitness is about more than cardio. I knew that if I could get Rosie working with weights, it would help her. Remember that first day?” He smiled at Rosie. “You had your hair pulled back in a ponytail, and half of it had escaped. I spent my whole time surrounded by these super groomed, super confident women who are all CEOs or lawyers, and then you showed up—and you were so different. So gentle, and kind.”
Oh yeah, Katie thought. That was Rosie.
Rosie wasn’t looking at her. She was looking at Dan. “And you had muscles like I’d never seen before. I felt intimidated.”
Katie frowned. “Intimidated?”
“Intimidated by his fitness levels.”
“Okay, so you fell for his luscious body and his promises to turn you into a fitness goddess.”
“Not only that. He was so easy to talk to.”
Dan leaned forward and kissed her. “It took me about ten minutes to figure out that Rosie was as smart as she is beautiful.”
Katie took another slice of pizza. Had anyone ever looked at her the way Dan was looking at her sister? No, they hadn’t, and if they had she would have sent them for testing. “So looks are important to you?”
“Not particularly, but if you’re asking if I find your sister beautiful, then yes, I do.”
Katie chewed. “You’ve worked in the same place for a long time?”
“Five years. Before that I coached rowing, before that I rowed myself, when I was in college.”
“Do you own your own place?”
“I have a small apartment in the same quiet neighborhood where I grew up.”
“How long have you lived in your apartment?”
Jordan swore under his breath.
“Four years. Would you like references?” Dan sounded amused but Rosie was glaring at her.
“Stop it! What is wrong with you, Katie?”
“She’s checking whether I’m on Santa’s naughty or nice list.” Dan winked at Katie and she found herself smiling. At least he seemed even-tempered.
“I’m getting to know Dan, that’s all. In less than a week we will be related by marriage. I like to know a little about the people I call family.”
“Well, it’s coming across as interrogation.” Seemingly mortified, Rosie took a slug of wine and Dan covered her hand with his.
“It’s fine. Relax. Our relationship moved pretty fast. It’s natural that your family would have questions.”
“Mum and Dad asked you virtually no questions.”
Katie sipped her drink. Why not? Still, at least he seemed kind to her sister, she’d say that for him.
“Sorry if it came across as interrogation. That wasn’t my intention.”
Jordan made a noise that sounded like a growl, but when she looked at him his expression was blank.
She smiled sweetly at him.
She still hadn’t made up her mind about Dan, but Jordan was definitely on the naughty list.
Rosie
Rosie was awake early after a sleepless night.
She rolled over in bed, hoping for a cuddle and then remembered she wasn’t in bed with Dan. She was in the tree house with her sister. It was supposed to have been a cozy night catching up on gossip like the old days, but it hadn’t turned into that.
Instead of hot chocolate and pajamas, there had been a tense atmosphere and Rosie had