I looked at my stopwatch. “Liz might have a chance of beating your personal best. She’s on fire these days.”
Brenda grinned. “Never. If we went head to head now, I’d leave her in my dust.”
“Go for it.” I motioned towards the track. “Show us what you’ve got.”
She shook her head, her ponytail swinging from side to side. “I’ll wait until she’s rested. I’d have an unfair advantage.”
I nudged her playfully. “Scared?”
She scoffed and laughed, the sound setting my hair on end. “As if. Liz just thinks she can run circles around me.”
“Once the meet is over, we’ll organize a sister on sister race.”
“It’s a deal.”
I yawned, one of those never-ending ones that take all the breath from your body.
“Late night?” Brenda asked. Perhaps I’d imagined it, but I would have sworn I heard jealousy in her voice.
“I didn’t sleep much,” I explained.
“I can relate.”
Neither of us said another word. Instead, we both focused on the girls lapping around the track. All night long, I’d tossed and turned. I’d jerked off twice, but it still wasn’t enough to get Brenda out of my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, her face filled my thoughts. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone in my life.
I’d been in love a few times. At thirty-four, I’d had my share of heartbreaks and had also broken a few hearts along the way. But no one had ever made me feel the way Brenda did. One smile from her left me rock hard. I wanted to talk about my hopes and dreams with her, I wanted to hold hands with her, I wanted to go on romantic dates with her, but most of all, I wanted to fuck her.
On Monday, I hadn’t meant to ask her out. Sure, she’d given me the opening by mentioning the movie and then blurting out that we should go together. Her invitation had been platonic. My invitation had been anything but. She hadn’t seemed shocked or disgusted by the thought of going on a date with me. If anything, she seemed excited, and if the evening went the way I hoped, by the end, she would be in my arms and in my bed.
I wouldn’t force her to do something she wasn’t ready for. I would bide my time, but eventually, she would be mine…forever and ever, Amen.
She tilted her head to one side. “Hmmm.”
“Is everything okay?
She pointed towards the girls. “Look at how Liz is running. Her body is out of alignment. One of her hips is higher than the other. She hesitates ever so slightly when she plants her left foot. I think she needs an adjustment.”
I focused on Liz. It took me a few seconds to see what Brenda meant. “We need to fix that.”
“I’ll take her to a chiropractor after school. I used to help one out on weekends. She’ll sort Liz out.”
“I’m impressed you noticed. It looks like you’re learning a lot at college.”
“I am. I love learning about proper body mechanics and physiology. I find all of it fascinating. How we can help our bodies work better through exercise and nutrition. I hope one day I can make a difference like you.”
“I can’t say I make a huge difference.”
She gawped at me like I’d lost my mind. “Are you kidding? You make a difference to each and every student you come into contact with. You instill self-belief because you never give up. You push and encourage your students to work hard for themselves and for you. You teach discipline and never giving up even when you think you can’t take another step.”
My heart swelled with love for the passionate woman in front of me. Her confidence in me filled my chest with pride. If we were alone, I would have kissed her senseless. “Thank you. You have no idea how much you saying those words means to me. Some days, it’s hard to know if I’m getting through to anyone between the eye-rolls and the groans.”
“Believe me, you do. Every one of those girls worships you and not just because you’re cute.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m cute, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. You know you are. You’re not called Coach Cutie for nothing.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes. “Something my colleagues find hysterical.”
The girls came around their last bend with Miranda and one of the other strong runners, Ursula, creeping up on Liz. When Miranda and Ursula were neck and neck, Miranda elbowed Ursula, who went into Liz’s lane. When Liz kicked back, her foot caught Ursula’s thigh.
Liz catapulted forward and fell on her knees. Ursula tripped over Liz and landed on her hands. I blew my whistle to stop the race and jogged over to the girls, followed by Brenda.
“Miranda,” I snapped, “that was out of order. If you do that in an official race, you’ll get disqualified.”