For the Win - Raine Thomas Page 0,29

as he pulled into the Giuseppe’s parking lot with Katie.

He still wasn’t convinced he had made the right decision in approaching Jasmine. Despite her statement that she thought this teaching experience would be interesting, he sensed her reservations about working with Katie. He wasn’t sure if that was because of how he had treated her when they first met or something else entirely.

She was frustratingly hard to read. Except the one time she laughed during their conversation at Steamy Beans, she’d shown very little emotion.

It made him wonder for the thirtieth time why Katie had connected with her. He and Katie had met a number of nice, patient instructors in the various dance studios they visited, yet Katie hadn’t lit up over any of them like she did when Will told her he’d found Jasmine and she agreed to work with her.

He could only assume the version of Jasmine his daughter met was different from the one he had now talked to twice. If he’d been a kid, he couldn’t see himself responding to someone as cool and standoffish as Jasmine seemed.

But the bottom line was Katie had responded to her. That was the only reason he hadn’t backed out of this arrangement after giving it serious thought while on his recent road trip. He reminded himself that this was a trial lesson. If any of them was unhappy with how it went, they’d all go on their merry way and he’d just be out a hundred bucks.

No harm, no foul.

He spotted an older model red Jeep Cherokee parked near the door as he pulled into the lot. When he spotted Jasmine behind the wheel, he couldn’t deny his relief. Because he had his own doubts, he’d been worried she would decide this wasn’t worth her while either.

He pulled into the spot beside the Jeep and turned off the truck’s ignition. “You ready?” he asked Katie in the rearview mirror.

She smiled and nodded. The smile alone reassured him that this was the right move.

He got out of the truck and helped Katie down. They walked hand-in-hand around the truck’s hood and waited for Jasmine to get out of the Jeep. Once she did, she smiled and looked from Will to Katie.

“Good morning,” she greeted them.

His stress eased another notch seeing that smile. She still gave off a severe vibe in her black sweatshirt, black workout pants, and coordinating ankle boots, her dark hair secured in a prim bun. But at least she didn’t seem miserable to be there.

Katie waved to Jasmine, another good sign.

“Morning,” Will said. “Glad you found the place okay. You need help with that barre you mentioned?”

“Sure.”

Releasing Katie’s hand, he said, “Stay up on the sidewalk, okay?”

Once he got her nod, he walked around to the back of the Jeep as Jasmine opened it. He reached in and pulled out a bunch of poles of varying lengths. They were bound together with Velcro strips. Jasmine reached in after him and pulled out a bag full of black plastic pieces.

“Some assembly required,” she explained.

“No problem,” he said. Putting things together was one of his specialties.

He carried the poles to the building’s entrance and propped them against the wall so he could unlock the door. After opening the door and giving the entryway a quick scan, he confirmed the space was clear of debris or anything else that could harm any of them before letting Jasmine and Katie inside.

“What is this place?” Jasmine asked.

He watched her look around the expansive open area that had once been the main dining room and bar as he carried the poles closer to the mirrored wall to their left. He wondered if she was intrigued by the potential of the unfinished space like he was or put off by the state of disrepair.

“It’s one of the projects I’m working on with my dad,” he explained, laying the poles on the ground and removing the Velcro. “We have a property investment company. This is one of the buildings we’re working on refurbishing and selling at the moment.”

When he held out a hand, she gave him the bag of plastic pieces. “I wouldn’t have guessed you have time to do things like this,” she said. “Isn’t baseball pretty demanding?”

He nodded as he started assembling the poles. “Sure, but we have an off-season. And let’s face it, I won’t be playing baseball forever. Campbell Investments is my future. I’m lucky to have my dad managing it right now while I’m playing ball.”

It took him no time

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