Settling the Score (The Summer Games #1) - R.S. Grey Page 0,29

in the hospital.

The realizations about Henry’s sudden death came in waves. First, came grief: I had lost my oldest friend, my nearest idol, and the shield that held the weight of familial responsibility at bay. But it wasn’t until I stood at the wake, shaking hands with stuffy old friends of my father that I fully understood: my father’s legacy and my brother’s dream were now my reality. The mantle, meant to be worn and passed proudly, had become my own funeral shroud.

My mother, grieving both a husband and son in the span of a few years, couldn’t be refused. For all I had lost, she had lost more. This gave her immunity to any protests as she strove to preserve normalcy for our family. I wanted nothing to do with that old world, but I couldn’t step aside and let things go to ruin. My mum wanted so much from me and I wanted nothing but freedom. I became a duke, but I wouldn’t move home, nor quit swimming. I would not soon become the caretaker for the estate, and I wouldn’t take over my father’s business. That was when she’d countered with Caroline. After everything I’d already turned down, she slid Caroline onto the table as if a betrothal was a compromise. In her words, it was ‘my contribution to the institution to which I owed everything.’

I DROPPED MY weights onto the rack near the back mirrors and glanced up just in time to watch Andie step onto the mat behind me. I pulled my earbuds out and smiled. “I figured you wouldn’t come.”

She and I had agreed on a time to meet up at the gym after her practice, but that’d been an hour earlier. I’d started my workout, lost myself in thoughts of Henry and my family, and slotted Andie as a no-show. Yet, there she was, dropping her water bottle beside mine and twisting her hair up into a messy ponytail.

She shrugged. “Truthfully, I thought it’d be a better idea if I came after you were already finished, but I guess you’re more persistent than I thought you’d be.”

I didn’t ask why she wanted to come after I was done; we both knew the answer.

“I’d like to work out with you. It’s more fun with a partner,” I said.

She propped her hands up on her hips and tilted her head. “Don’t you usually work out with Thom?”

I nodded. “Sometimes.”

“But not today?” she asked, her eyes scanning the gym around me.

I smiled. “No. Sometimes you need someone with real muscle spotting you.”

She shook her head and walked past me toward the weight rack, doing a poor job of concealing her smile in the mirror. She reached for a set of weights and took up residence on the mat a few feet away—far enough that I knew she wanted some space. It was no use though. The moment she’d arrived, other athletes scooted closer, pulled their weights to the edge of the mats, and lingered nearby her until she’d glance up and flash a smile or a nod. She had a gravitational pull about her and it was hard to keep my distance, especially since these fleeting moments were all we had.

I was in the middle of a set of dead lifts, breathing heavy and trying to focus on my posture, when I caught sight of her out of the corner of my eye. She was at the corner of the mat watching me, and when I dropped the weights and took a deep breath, she stepped closer.

“Impressive,” she said with one arched brow.

The fact that she looked that sexy while sweating through her workout clothes was actually impressive.

“Thanks.”

“I just finished my first round and my legs feel like Jell-O.” She laughed, wiggling them out for emphasis.

I glanced over at them, glad to have an excuse. They were long, toned, heartbreaker legs. “They look good to me.”

She paused and cleared her throat. “Yeah, well I have soccer to thank for that.”

“Football,” I corrected with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Listen, I need your help with free weights. I never do them without a spot.”

I nodded. “All right, let me just finish up one last set.”

She nodded and pulled up a bright blue medicine ball to bounce on while she waited. Her blonde ponytail swished from side to side and her smile was wider than it’d been all day.

“Just going to watch?” I asked with a laugh.

She smiled and bounced. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down.