Out of Bounds (The Summer Games #2)(47)
I laughed at her question. “Of course I don’t think it’s a good idea! I have no clue what I’m doing. For all I know he’s out with another woman right now. I just…can’t really make myself stay away no matter how much he infuriates me.”
Lexi waggled her eyebrows. “Because you loooooovveeee him.”
I reached out to punch her arm, but she whipped out of the way before I could. I groaned and relaxed back against my side of the hot tub, trying to think of a way to turn the conversation away from Erik and me.
I turned my attention back to Molly. “Did you and Host Boy ever shout at each other like what you heard last night?”
She grinned. “No. Duncan is really easy to get along with. He’s sweet and considerate.”
Lexi held up her hand with a bored expression. “Say no more. Clearly, Molly is into some Full House shit, whereas you and me, Brie, we’re looking for the kind of love they can’t show on daytime television.”
“That’s not true! Sometimes he kisses me when his parents are home,” Molly added.
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Real titillating stuff, Molly. Tell us more.”
She crossed her arms to pout, but I nudged her shoulder playfully.
“It’s not that I enjoy arguing with Erik,” I continued, though it felt like a lie. Is it healthy to want to argue with someone? To get off on it? I sighed and stared up at the sky to avoid their judgmental stares. “I just can’t decide if I like him or if I hate him. One minute he drives me insane, and then the next he’s opening himself up to me. It’s hard to resist his vulnerable side.”
“Well, we have a week until the Olympics,” Lexi said. “I would figure out if you hate him or not before then.”
I scrunched my brows. “Why?”
Her smile unfurled, slow and devilish. “Because once you arrive in that Olympic Village and you see the wealth of athletes Rio has to offer, he might not be worth the trouble anymore.”
Chapter Nineteen
Erik
“How is your team coming along?” my grandfather asked over the phone.
It’d been a few days since I’d last talked to him and I knew he was itching to talk about my father. For now, I was more than happy to discuss my work.
“They’re doing well, but I’m thinking of doing something different before we head to Rio.” I wedged the phone between my shoulder and cheek then leaned over to adjust the stuff sitting on the passenger seat of my truck. All afternoon, I’d run around like a mad man picking up things I needed for Rio. A garment bag blocked the window and I resisted the urge to toss it on the floorboard. My new tailored suit was inside—the one I’d need for formal events during the games—and though it was taking up too much room, I didn’t want to ruin it.
“Oh?” my grandfather asked, bringing my attention back to the call. “What did you have in mind?”
I stared back out to the road. “Just some personalized lessons for them. Cross-training of sorts. See, they’ve come up in this rigid gymnastics crucible that standardizes learning, even though they each have unique deficiencies to address. Like for instance, June moves like a robot on floor no matter how much I tell her to loosen up. I’m thinking of having her take a hip hop dance class.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like a good idea. What will you do for Brie then?”
I gripped the steering wheel, surprised to hear her name from him.
“Brie?”
“Yeah,” he continued. “I was just reading an article about her this morning. The press is going crazy. First time Olympian slotted to win gold on every event? It’s all anyone cares to talk about—well, her and that British swimmer. I think Brie is a bit more interesting though. I love a good underdog story.”
“Right.”
“So what does she need to help her improve? She looks pretty good from what I’ve seen.”
“It’s minor, but…she doesn’t trust her body. Gymnastics is more mental than it is physical, and she’s been psyching herself out over the last few weeks.”
He sighed. “That’s a shame. Most first-time Olympians don’t know how to channel the pressure.”
“Exactly.”
“How are you going to help her?”
I smiled and turned my truck up onto the gravel drive. Even from a distance, I could hear the girls outside in the hot tub. I’d given Brie explicit instructions to be out of the hot tub before I got home, but she sounded fairly content breaking the rules.
I ended the call with my grandfather, promising I’d call him in the morning, and then I killed my engine. I reached to the side and grabbed the handful of groceries I’d picked up after my suit. Though I wanted to get out and shout at Brie to get back inside, I knew that wouldn’t end well. I couldn’t see the girls in the backyard as I unloaded my stuff, but I told myself I’d give them the benefit of the doubt. If they were out by the time I finished unloading, then it’d be no harm, no foul.
I hung my suit in my closet and pounded back down the stairs, annoyed by the high-pitched laughter filtering in from outside. I peeked through the blinds, spotting Brie right away. The other girls were tilted toward the guesthouse, but Brie was facing my porch with her arms outstretched across the top of the hot tub. She was wearing a black bikini top that barely rose above the water. Her tan skin glowed in the hazy moonlight. She’d piled her long hair high on the top of her head, but a few pieces had already fallen out. The strands were wet from the water and stuck to the exposed patch of cleavage between her breasts.