Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4) (13 page)

She turned her attention to the goat cheese salad in front of her and ignored the burn of Adam’s ebony eyes.

H
iring
a new cardio instructor pushed everything off Alexa’s plate. She’d advertised the opening on several job sites and in the local paper.

Of the two dozen candidates who’d contacted her, only two had the basic qualifications and sounded reliable enough to interview in person. One was free to come in that evening to talk in person.

At five thirty, Holly knocked on her door.

“Alexa, this is your five thirty. Trista Halpern.”

“Trista, hi.” The trim, muscled woman gave Alexa a hard-gripped handshake. “Have a seat. Thanks, Holly.”

Trista wore a body conscious pencil skirt and crisp white shirt with heeled sandals in an animal print. She sat erect in her chair and crossed her legs—emphasizing their tone and bulk. Her figure suggested body building—probably competitively.

“Thanks for coming in on short notice.”

“Not a problem. When I read about the opening, I was so excited. I wanted to come in as soon I could.” Her smokey voice vibrated with enthusiasm.

“How long have you been teaching group classes?”

“Seven years. I worked at a couple of national chains up in Dallas and then got my own studio.”

“Oh, you ran your own gym.”

“It was more of a yoga and fitness studio. We had free weights in the studio, but no cardio equipment or anything. A friend and I taught classes and ran the place together. I had to leave when my mother got sick. She lived here—or in Round Rock. I’ve been here the last couple of years, teaching at a chain.”

“Lived” made Alexa redirect the conversation.

“I see that you’re still there? What makes you want to leave one of the big boys?”

“I miss being able to work with customers more individually. I miss recognizing all the clients and knowing them by name.” Trista’s words skipped rapidly as she spoke.

Alexa nodded, hopeful that if she hired the woman, she wouldn’t want to run her own studio again. Two years ago, an instructor quit and took some clients with her. Of course, many of them came back. Teaching classes and running a business are two different things.

Still, Trista’s experience might come in handy. Alexa had visions of turning over some of the course scheduling if she worked out.

They chatted more about Trista’s certifications and her yoga practice before concluding the interview.

Alexa bounded toward her office door. “I have one more candidate to interview, but I’ll be in touch by the end of the week. Call me if you have any questions.”

After walking Trista up to the front, they shared another firm handshake.

“Trista?” Alexa and her interviewee turned sharply. Graham walked over, jaw slackened.

“Oh, my God! Graham!”

Trista flung herself at his taut, sweaty form.

“What are you doing in Austin?” Graham’s pitch rose as he spoke.

“I moved back down here two years ago. My mom had cancer. She passed away a few months ago.”

“Oh, Trista. I’m so sorry to hear that. She was a sharp, funny lady.”

“She was…” Trista’s voice turned wispy for a second. “But, hey, it’s good to see you. Do you work out here?”

“I do. I—” Graham flicked his eyes over to Alexa, who stood stiff, observing. “My real estate company bought the building. That’s how I found the place. I’ve been coming here for a few weeks now.”

“Well, maybe I’ll see you again, but I guess that’s up to Alexa. I’m applying for a position here.”

“Oh, you’ve gotten around to hiring a new instructor.”

It took Alexa a couple of seconds to realize Graham was addressing her.

“Yes. I’ve been putting it off, but I need to cut back my teaching schedule.”

“I—”

“Well—”

“So—”

The trio fumbled over themselves to speak. Alexa broke in again.

“Like I said, Trista. I’ll be in touch this week. It was great meeting you.” Alexa smiled and stared, and Trista gave Graham a sideways glance.

“Great. I’ll see you around, Graham.”

Alexa watched Graham watch the other woman’s toned behind exit the building.

“You know her, huh?”

“Yes. In Dallas. I haven’t seen her in ages. At first, I wasn’t even sure it was her.”

“And here she was.”

“Wow. Trista Halpern. That’s a real surprise.”

He stared at the door and shook his head as if to dislodge a memory. The mix of shock and goggle-eyed pleasure rankled.

Finally, Graham refocused on the woman still standing in front of him.

“And she’s about to start working here?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I have some other candidates to see.”

“I remember going to her studio for yoga. Her clients loved her.”

“Good to know.”

Did he have some kind of fetish for women who work in fitness? Alexa thought back to the joke he’d made about dating women who own their own gym. Maybe that hadn’t been a joke.

“Well, I’m going to grab my things and head home. Have a good workout.”

“Hey, how about we meet up later?”

Alexa glanced at him sideways as she pretended to be fixated on the class sign-up sheet at the reception desk.

“Can’t tonight. I’m looking forward to getting home, kicking back, and relaxing.”

“I know how to relax.” He dropped his voice to a gravelly whisper.

“You’ll have to find a way to relax yourself tonight.”
Or find someone else. That shouldn’t be hard.
The spike of jealousy made her feel foolish. “Maybe later in the week?”

Alexa let her chest rise as she inhaled and pulled her shoulders back, willing a pleasant expression on her face.

“I’ll call you then.”

“Do that.”

Then, Alexa left Graham and his quizzical brow behind her and marched back to her office to collect her things.

* * *

G
raham’s
urgent Pavlovian response to his ringing phone nearly sent him sprawling naked and wet across the Italian marble of his bathroom. He didn’t recognize the Dallas number popping up, but answered it anyway.

“Hello?”

He snatched a towel off the rack and stepped carefully into the carpeted master bedroom.

“Graham! You still have the same number. I thought I’d take a chance.”

“Trista. God, it was a surprise to see you today.”

“I know. Me too. How are you?”

“Great. Things are good.”

A sick feeling settled over Graham. Why would Trista want to talk to him after all this time?

“I’m glad. I thought I’d call and catch up.”

“Oh, great.”

The last time he’d seen Trista, tears trailed salty streaks down her cheeks, and she called him a bastard who was wasting her time.

After a year of dating, she raised the prospect of moving in together—a thought that had never occurred to Graham. He responded with surprise.

“Why would we want to live together? Things are good as they are.”

He’d barely had time to duck before her glass came flying at his head. The conversation devolved from there, and they broke up. He tried to contact her again and work things out, but she wanted none of it.

In the end, Graham wrote Trista off as another woman wanting to rush into a level of commitment that didn’t match what they felt—just because she had some timeline in her head that matched up with how fast her friends were moving in with their boyfriends and getting married. Not the girl for him.

“So, how are things with you?” he asked.

“Getting back to normal since my mother passed away.”

“That’s right. Trista, I’m sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a parent.”

“Yeah. It was hard. That’s why I moved back.” Graham heard her quick intake of breath whistle over the phone line. “Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could catch up in person sometime.”

Oh, dear.
That wouldn’t do her employment chances any favors. Regardless of whether he and Alexa were exclusive, he couldn’t date one of her employees. “I could go for a drink.”

“Okay, yeah. Want to meet up tomorrow?”

Jonah was driving down to hang out for the weekend. They could make it a trio for Friday happy hour. “Sure, I have a friend coming into town, so I hope you don’t mind a third wheel.”

Another silence met his comment, and he wondered if the line had dropped. “Hello?”

“I’m here. Yes. Okay.”

“Great. You remember Jonah, don’t you?”

“Yeah. It’ll be great. I can catch up with him too then.”

“Perfect. How about Logan’s, six o’clock?”

“See you there. Good seeing you, Graham.”

A friendly hangout might not be what she had in mind, but that’s all he had for Trista. He still had a small scar from the shattered glass of their last encounter. He didn’t need the drama.

T
he next afternoon
, Melissa had less interest in business and more interest in pestering Alexa about meeting “this mysterious Adam.”

“Every time you say that, it sounds like you’re talking about the original, biblical man. Like he’s slithering through the woods and going to offer me an apple.”

Alexa tapped her pen on the edge of her desk, cradling her phone with her shoulder. Melissa took advantage of their call to drop in another plea.

“That would be Satan, not Adam. You really could use a trip to church.” Melissa laughed. “I’m curious.”

“I know you are. How about tonight? We can meet at Logan’s.”

“I think Kyle is working late, but I’ll be there. Can you meet early, like at six o’clock?”

“I can. I have to check with Adam. And I think I’ll see if Toby or Sarah can come. The more the merrier.”

Melissa expelled a single, disbelieving chuckle. “You just want the buffer of a group.”

“Yep.”

* * *

G
etting
to the bar by six meant rushing out the door and hurrying through traffic. Alexa snatched her purse out of the passenger seat and rambled down the sidewalk toward the bar. The happy hour crowds mingled, and it took her a while to locate Adam’s dark head standing by the bar. Then, she saw Melissa in a corner booth.

She maneuvered her way toward Adam and gestured toward the back corner. He headed that direction, and Alexa trailed behind.

She squeezed between two partying strangers, only to be blocked by a group who’d pulled together two tables. Alexa doubled back around a post, wondering if the fire marshal might show up and shut everything down.

Her eyes stayed focused on her destination in the back corner, and she ran right into the back of a guy. His beer tipped, spilling half of it.

“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.” Alexa fumbled to find napkins, but a familiar voice caught her attention.

“You’re normally so coordinated.”

Alexa whipped around. Graham dabbed at his wet shirt with a small, square bar napkin.

“God, Graham, I’m so sorry. It’s so crowded, and I lost track of where was going. Let me see if I can go get a towel or something.”

“Don’t worry about it. Most of it ended up on the floor. It’s not that bad. And it’s his drink anyway.” Graham stopped wiping his shirt for a moment and pointed at his friend. “Jonah, this is Alexa.”

The tall, lean, and very blond man whose beer she had ruined extended his hand. “Hi, nice to meet you. If I’d stuck with whiskey instead of ordering a pint of beer, this might not have happened.”

Alexa shook his hand and smiled, chagrined. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Something on Graham’s phone had him temporarily preoccupied, so Jonah had to make small talk.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, and it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Alexa hoped the blood rushing to her face wouldn’t be too obvious. She could only imagine what Jonah had heard. Graham finally looked up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “He drove down from Dallas for some meetings and is staying for the weekend.”

Alexa glanced over to the corner where Melissa craned her neck to see what had gotten her friend’s attention. Alexa held up her hand to signal for her to wait and stepped toward Graham and his friend.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Congratulations, I hear you’re expecting. Or at least that your wife is.” Alexa stumbled over her words. For the first time in a long time, she wished she still lived in New York City where randomly running into people that you know was an oddity.

“Thanks. We’re really excited about it. Are you here with friends? You should join us.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Graham wince.

“Although, I guess you probably already have a table,” Jonah backtracked, glancing at the reaction on his friend’s face.

“My friend, Melissa, got us a table.”

Alexa turned away, but then, Adam planted himself beside her.

“I’d wondered what waylaid you. Hi, I’m Adam.”

As soon as the British man spoke, a light of recognition turned on in Graham’s eyes.

“You’re her visitor from England. How are you finding Austin?”

“It’s been lovely.”

The cocky amusement in Graham’s laugh only wound the tension in her gut tighter. Alexa racked her brain for something to say to get Adam back over to the table with Melissa. Instead, to her chagrin, Melissa dodged bar patrons and walked their way.

The inevitability of all of them socializing hit her, and Alexa relented.

“Adam, this is Graham. His development company owns the building where I have my gym.”

“Ah, you’re her new overlord.”

“Landlord,” Graham snapped, smiling. “Things are quite congenial between us.”

Jonah coughed and developed an inordinate interest in whatever sporting event flashed on the television above the bar. Melissa’s eyes rounded.

“Our table is still available, Alexa.” She gestured over her shoulder with her thumb.

“I don’t want to crash your guys’ night,” Alexa proclaimed.

God bless Melissa for trying to break up the clusterfuck that was this encounter. It didn’t work.

Jonah tilted a grin at Alexa and her compatriots. “Not a problem. Aren’t we waiting on a friend of yours anyway, Graham? We have a big table right here. The more, the merrier. Are you expecting anyone else?”

“No. Toby and Sarah aren’t going to be able to make it,” Alexa responded.

“We’ve got six seats right here.” Jonah pointed at the table.

Graham pulled out the stiff-backed stool at the bar-height table and slid into it. Resigned, Alexa went to the other side of the table and sat opposite him. Adam and Melissa took seats on either side of her, Melissa on her right. Jonah cast a dubious look at the crew and then sat next to Graham across from Melissa.

“Who are you expecting?” Melissa asked.

“Trista.”

“The woman I just hired for my open instructor position?”

“I didn’t know you’d hired her.”

“I called her this morning and offered her the job. She starts on Monday.”

Alexa darted a fierce look in his direction.

“Good for her. And for you. She’ll be great. Anyway, she wanted to meet out and catch up. Since I was coming out with Jonah anyway, I thought she could join us.”

The verbal backbend Graham did to explain why he was meeting up with Trista gave Alexa a small thrill. Then, she felt sick. The evening couldn’t get more awkward— especially once Graham turned his attention to Alexa’s overseas visitor.

“Adam, Alexa tells me that you work in technology. You’re here for South by Southwest?”

A deep frown formed on Adam’s face that he tried to sweep away with a forced smile. Alexa wiped her damp palms on her pants.

“I’m working with a software company that’s opening an office here, so I’m actually going to be here for a few months.”

Graham blinked rapidly as he took in the news that British Adam wasn’t going home anytime soon. Alexa swept her gaze between the two men and took a settling breath.

Why should she be nervous? No doubt, Graham kept checking his phone to see when Trista would arrive. They both had impromptu meet-ups with an ex. Plus, she and Graham had a clear understanding.

Socializing with all of them at the same time was a circus act, but they were all adults.

“If you need someone to show you around, I’d be happy to. I know Alexa’s been quite busy with work,” Graham suggested.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve been getting around just fine.”

“Alexa said that you were consultant, so what are you doing at the tech conference?” Melissa drew Adam’s attention away from Graham.

“I connected my client with an expert on the future of artificial intelligence in gaming. He’s presenting on a panel, and we’re meeting with him. I’m hoping to bring him into the project. His participation could help my customer garner extra money in their next call for investment.”

Jonah broke in, excited. “What is it exactly that they do? I run a private equity firm that invests in tech companies. We always have our eye out for new opportunities.”

Adam moved around the table to have a deeper discussion with Jonah about his projects, leaving Alexa and Melissa to chat with Graham. However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, Graham’s phone rang and he stepped away from the table.

Melissa dipped her head toward Alexa’s ear. “This isn’t awkward at all.”

A moment later, he stepped back to the table.

“Something came up, and Trista’s not going to be able to make it.”

“Oh, really? That’s too bad,” Alexa replied, infusing her voice with as much sincerity as she could muster.

“It is. She knows Jonah from when we all lived in Dallas. It would have been nice for us all to catch up.”

“How long have you known Trista?”

“Oh, man. Eight or nine years? She still had her yoga studio.”

“Is that how you met?”

“Yes. I had an ex-girlfriend who is really into yoga, and she used to drag me to class. We broke up, but I kept going to yoga. Then, Trista and I got to be friends.”

Graham might not want to admit it, but obviously, “friends” didn’t capture the full essence of their relationship. Trista had looked at Graham the way a starving junkyard dog looks at a bowl of kibble.

Each of his relationships sure followed quickly on the heels of the last—one practically leading to the other. She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake hiring Trista, then decided it probably wouldn’t matter. Alexa figured he had better sense than to sleep with the boss and the employee.

“She does seem friendly.”

“She is. It’s part of what made her really good at her job. You’ll be glad you hired her.”

“I hope so.”

Adam broke away from his conversation with Jonah after exchanging business cards. “Sorry to spend so much time talking business. I feel like I’ve been neglecting you.”

A knot formed between Alexa’s shoulder blades when Adam draped an arm on the back of her chair. She scooted forward. “We were talking about Trista, my new fitness instructor. She and Graham were friends in Dallas. And I guess you knew her too, Jonah.”

“I did. I haven’t seen her since she and Graham broke up.”

Graham grimaced, and Jonah snickered, seemingly delighted to bust his friend.

“It was years ago. I’ll have to tell you the story some time.” His eyes bored into Alexa and then flicked to Adam.

Jonah grinned broadly. “You and Trista can tell us together when she gets here.”

“She can’t make it. We’re going to meet up tomorrow.”

Alexa’s left eye twitched. She reminded herself that she didn’t own Graham. He could do whatever he wanted.

“How about a game of pool?” Graham asked.

Adam shook his head. “I’m not one for billiards. Do they have darts? Every proper pub in England has darts.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. No darts. Alexa owes me a chance to redeem myself. I went easy on you last time, darlin’. I didn’t know I was dealing with a pool shark.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself in order to feel better about my whooping your butt, then bless your heart, darlin’. What about you, Melissa? You up for a game?”

“No. Kyle’s going to stop in for a little bit before his night shift. He’ll be here in a few minutes, and I don’t want to miss him.”

Graham slid off his chair and headed toward the pool tables, stopping shoulder to shoulder with Alexa. His eyes slanted with mischief. “I guess it’s just you and me.”

“I’ll join you,” Adam piped in before Alexa could respond to Graham’s unspoken challenge.

* * *

G
raham hadn’t taken
it easy on Alexa during their first turn at pool, but he knew he could play better. Something about having Alexa’s puppy dog, Adam, sniffing around sharpened his vision and his shots.

“You’ve been practicing since the last time we played.”

Alexa plucked the cube of blue chalk off the edge of the table and circled it around the tip of her pool cue. The slow and deliberate movements put alternate visions of her hands at work in Graham’s mind. He focused on her eyes to eliminate the distraction. Tonight, he would not get shamed at the table.