He steps back. Sorry about that.

I put my hand over my heart and take a deep breath. No worries. You just scared me.

What ya working on? He grins and leans over to my shoulder to see my handiwork.

Just a bike. Im getting ready to sell it.

This is the one you were working on last week, right? Looks good.

Thanks.

He rocks back on his heels. So I kind of have something to show you.

I wipe my greasy hands on my pants and stand. What?

He nods his head for me to follow him and leads me around his truck. Close your eyes.

Really? Okay. He grabs my hand and pulls me forward. I smile as I feel his hand in mine and think of last night. Being so close to him. A few seconds later, he lets go of my hand and moves his to my shoulder. You can open your eyes.

I do as he says and raise my eyebrows at whats sitting in front of me. My mouth drops open and I look over at him. A new wheel set?

He nods. I thought you could use some new ones since you kind of beat your other ones up.

I stare at the wheels. The beautiful, shiny rims. I know for a fact how expensive they are. The brand name says it all. After taking them in and maybe drooling a little, I manage to shake my head. I cant take these.

Its not a big deal, Em. I know how much you want to win that race. I also know how much money you need for new wheels. And since it was my fault you crashed"

Like I said before, not your fault.

He rolls his eyes. Still. I wanted to make it up to you. He takes a step closer and grabs my hand. So take them. Please.

I dont know why I want to cry, and it takes quite the effort to hold the tears back. He shouldnt be so nice to me, especially when Ive done nothing to deserve it. There has to be a catch, doesnt there?

I promise its okay. He smiles and leans forward, kissing me on the cheek. Before I can do anything, or react, he leans back. I raise my hand, touching the spot he kissed, and cant help but grin. Two seconds ago, I was fighting tears and now I cant wipe the smile off my face. What is he doing to me?

He keeps talking, oblivious to my reaction. And if you dont like them, or youd rather have something else, Ill take them back and you can pick your own. I know you have different taste than me.

I cant help it. I take a step forward and hug him. He doesnt even hesitate before wrapping his arms around my waist. I like it here. Its safe. Theyre amazing. I dont really have words. Thank you is the only thing I can think of, and I know its not enough. How in the world did you afford these?

I do some work for my uncle sometimes when he needs an extra hand.

Doing what?

Landscaping.

Oh. I didnt know that.

He chuckles. Well, now you do.

I shouldnt take them. The rational part of me wouldnt. I like working for things, and I dont need anyones charity. But his gesture is so unexpected. So nice. I cant say no. Not when hes looking at me the way he is.

I pull away from him, a shy smile on my face.

Thank you is perfect. He watches as I lean down to pick up the wheels and look them over.

Perfect size and everything. I want to hug him again, but I restrain myself.

See? I pay attention to things. He grins.

That you do.

Shall we put them on and go for a ride?

Id love to.

Great. Lets get to work and try them out.

Its funny how things change. A few weeks ago, I wouldnt have given Cole the time of day. And now as we get our gear on at the beginning of the trail, I realize how bad I misjudged him. Sponsor and all.

So, I say, glancing at his gloves and new helmet. Edge gives you gloves and whatever gear you need to ride? Do you have to wear it to races to show off their logo or what?

Pretty much. He pulls on his gloves and flexes his fingers. Its all about the name. I nod, noting everything hes wearing has Edge on it. The only bad thing, is if I want to try another brand, I cant. At least not at a race. I have to wear their stuff at all times or I could get fined.

Interesting. I dont know if I could ever afford Edge equipment. Its all super expensive. I get by with my knock-off brands. And really? Im okay with it.

They wanted me to go on tour all summer, but I told them I couldnt yet. I had some things I needed to take care of first. He stares at me for a second and then turns his attention to putting on his helmet. I really hope he didnt say no because of me. Id feel horrible. Im leaving in July for a few weeks to bike a few different places around the west coast.

Oh? Im surprised at the sudden drop in my stomach. He is leaving then. Boo.

I leave on the fifteenth.

That sounds fun. I try to hide my sudden disappointment, but Im pretty sure he catches it.

Dont worry. You wont miss me that much.

I glare at him and he chuckles.

You ready?

I nod and swing my leg over my bike. When you are.

He adjusts his CamelBak and pushes a b.u.t.ton on his GPS hooked to his handlebars. Okay. Im teaching you a few tricks, nothing huge, since youre pretty much awesome already, but a few things you may not have known teaching yourself.

He starts riding, and I follow right next to him. When youre going to shift gears to go up a hill, Ive noticed you do it right as the bike starts up the hill. Thats what you dont want to do. You want to shift into a lower gear as you approach the hill. If you shift into a lower or higher gear as you hit the hill, you could snap your chain. Especially if youre in the middle of a race and going really fast.

We approach a hill, and I shift down to one before we start up. My mouth drops open at how much easier it is to climb. How did I not know that?

He shrugs. You taught yourself.

I was captain of the team, though. I should have known something like that. Or someone should have told me.

Well, if you dont have a coach to tell you things, which, when you started your biking club, you didnt, you have to figure it out yourself. I had a coach back in California for years. And dont feel bad. Thats such a little mistake riders make that not a lot of them even think about it until theyre stranded with a snapped chain in the middle of a trail. Or race.

I switch into a lower gear as we approach a hill, and once I start the climb, Im surprised at how smooth the ride is. Its not as jarring, I guess.

See? Nice and easy, he says at the top.

That really was a lot better.

Now. When I trained in Cali, my coach taught me three things you need if you want to be a racer: Patience. Endurance. Drive.

Patience? That ones going to be a problem. Im not a patient person. Never have been.

He must see my expression because he chuckles. Yes. Patience. You dont want to burn out too fast when youre racing. Especially at the beginning of the race. I usually stay at the front of the pack, second or third, and make my move as I get closer to the finish line. You know how hard it is to pa.s.s people when youre exhausted. Save your energy and then push yourself at the end and wait for the right opening. Whoevers in the lead will be surprised when you go by and have to work even harder to pa.s.s you again. You know exactly what I mean, right? Youve been near the end of a race before and know how hard it is to catch up, even if youre only a few seconds behind.

Yes. I do that a lot actually, I grumble as I think of Whitneys pink spandex pa.s.sing me like Im tied to a pole.

Okay, so patience. Huge. Now, second thing? Endurance. You ready to ride again?

I nod, and we start out slow, me riding next to him as long as the trail stays wide.

You have to push yourself. Every time you go biking, dont ride up here for fun. I mean, you can sometimes, but if youre really training for a race, push yourself to get a better time. It helps to eat better, drink lots of water to keep hydrated, and push your body to its limit to make it get used to using all your stored-up energy. I especially want you to work on climbing.

I squeeze my handlebars tight. He knows Im not the best climber. As much as I want to argue with him, I dont.

Last thing is drive. Be in it to win it. And I know you want to win it.

The way he says it makes me laugh. I do.

He grins. Right on. Lets try out those new wheels of yours and see how far I can push you today. Thoughts of leisure riding are gone as he puts on the speed and takes off in front of me. He calls over his shoulder. Keep up if you can!

I clench my jaw, squeeze my handlebars even harder, and push after him.

CHAPTER 25.

My body is killing me. No wonder Cole got a sponsor; hes a maniac on wheels.

You doing okay, Em? He stands a few feet away, concern etching his face.

Im fine. I lean over the edge of the trail and rinse out my mouth with some water, spitting it into the bushes below. I wasnt planning on throwing up today, but yeah. That happened.

And when I throw up, its not some dainty sound. Im pretty sure the entire valley below us heard it. I wouldnt be surprised if someone thought a murder was happening up here. And I really wish I was exaggerating. Im not.

I stand up straight on shaky legs and roll my shoulders. I try not to look at Cole, since Im humiliated as it is, so I stand there, hands on my hips, and stare into the trees, hoping h.e.l.l forget about what hes seen and leave me be. The smell of pine fills my senses, and I take deep breaths to calm my sick stomach.

Hey. Coles hand touches my back and he slides his arm around me. Im sorry. I pushed you too hard.

I shake my head and surprise myself when I lean back against him. No. You didnt. Im not used to pushing myself so hard. A wave of dizziness pa.s.ses over me, and I grab onto him for support.

His arms tighten around my waist and his breath tickles my ear. Oh, no you dont. Dont go pa.s.sing out on me. If you need to, sit down and put your head between your legs.

I steady myself a little. Im okay. Just exhausted.

He grabs my arm with his other hand and pulls me against him. I cant help it. I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his chest, listening to his heart beat wildly in my ear. I should pull away because the last thing I want to be doing is hugging someone at the bottom of our biking trail after Ive thrown up in the bushes. But Im too tired to protest.

You okay now? He rests his chin on my head and I nod.

And then I realize how disgusting I am. Sweaty and pukey? Not a good combination. I pull back at little, so I can look at him. His eyes are greenish today, the brown flecks lighter in the sunlight. I force myself back into reality and nod. I think so. I shouldnt have eaten pasta for lunch.

You ate pasta? No wonder youre sick.

I shrug. I wasnt planning on training today.

He takes a step back but keeps his hands on my arms. Next time, Ill call you before we go. Then youll know not to eat a big meal. Im sorry. He slides his hands up and down my arms and raises one to push a loose strand of hair out of my eyes. Your head looks better. He runs a finger just beneath my stupid cut, and my breath catches. His lips are totally calling my name, but then I remember I threw up. Not very romantic. Or hygienic, if we want to get technical.

Okay. I pull away from him, not wanting him to smell my gross breath and really wishing I had a mint or something. My stomach is still a little uneasy as I put my stuff in his truck, but Im feeling a lot better now. Besides wanting to curl into a ball and sleep for days. The good news after all this mess I gesture toward my bike and the spot where I threw up and look back at him. My wheels are amazing.

Just what I wanted to hear. He studies me a second and gives me a smile before putting his gear away. I take off my gloves and stick them in my helmet. As I go to lift my bike in his truck, he grabs it instead. Ill do it. You get in and relax.

He doesnt have to tell me twice. Okay. I climb in his truck, and he gets in a few minutes later. He shoots me a smile, and I give him a shaky one back. I lean my head against the seat and close my eyes, loving the air conditioner blowing right in my face. I really hope I dont smell.

You did awesome out there.

Not really. Did you not just see what happened?

Youre not supposed to push yourself to the point of throwing up, but that being said, you really did amazing. My only suggestion is this: dont be afraid to take more risks on your downhill. Youre pretty fast, but I saw you hesitate a few times. Dont think about it. Just get in position and keep moving. If you think about it too much, youll lose time. Or crash.

I know. Sometimes I see those huge rocks on the trail and freak out a little.

He grabs my hand. I used to, too. He moves his eyes back on the road and keeps my hand in his.

I dont object.

When we pull into my driveway, my legs feel like Jell-O as I jump down from the truck. I almost fall on my face, but grab the door to steady myself.

Cole comes around and pulls my bike out of his truck before folding his arms and leaning against it. His hazel eyes search mine and I have to wonder what hes thinking. How about a truth?

Right now? All I want to do is get in a hot shower and into my pajamas. Maybe have someone ma.s.sage my shoulders. And my feet.

Yep.

I find myself glancing around. Im not really sure why. Its not like anyones even by us. Okay. I uh hmmm I wrack my brain for something. Anything that would be interesting about me. I used to clog.