Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
B rielle’s stomach was in knots, and it only partly had to do with the fact that it was race day. She and the team had trained and worked hard to be ready for this, and though they had a newer team member, it was still bound to be an amazing but difficult couple of days.
As long as I can continue to avoid him.
Brielle had tried to shift the running sprints so she never saw Ryan in the race, but the rest of the team had elected to keep the same order as before, leaving them one connection she couldn’t get out of.
“It’s fine,” she whispered to herself, kicking her legs out to get the blood flowing. “He’ll come in, I’ll go out. Easy, peasy. No words have to be exchanged.” The last week had been one of the worst of her life. Sparky was gone, leaving a crater the size of the Grand Canyon in Brielle’s life, and to top it all off…Ryan was MIA as well.
And who’s fault is that?
She knew it was her fault, she’d been the one to push him away again, and Brielle didn’t blame him one bit for finally staying away. She didn’t know if there was any chance that they could save things between them, but Brielle’s harried mind hadn’t been able to focus on it this week. She needed this race over, her grieving to be under control, and she needed time to sit and work through the whole scenario in her mind.
Ryan said one thing, but Aurora was saying another. Who was telling the truth? And was Brielle brave enough to find out? There didn’t seem to be a good reason for Aurora to lie, but Ryan seemed so sincere…
A heavy breeze whipped a few strands of hair around her face, and Brielle frowned, glancing up. “Ah, crud.” She quickly grabbed for her phone and scrolled through her weather app. “Shoot.”
A storm was coming and looked like it would hit later in the day. Being on the coast often made the weather unpredictable, and Brielle was set to run through the night. That was going to be miserable. As if others had just noticed at the same time, her phone buzzed with texts from the group.
Anyone see the forecast?
Do we know if they’re going to keep the race going?
Grab your rain gear, everyone. It’s gonna get wet out here today.
Brielle groaned. She didn’t mind rain, but on the trails it wasn’t just little puddles. It made the path muddy, and the rain dripped from the trees in certain areas. There was a stretch of her run that was along a highway and that wouldn’t be so bad, but in the forested parts it was cold and icky.
Her phone buzzed again.
Just wanted to wish you good luck.
Brielle’s breath caught. Ryan. He’d been quiet all week. Was this a sign that all might not be lost between them? How did she know who to trust though?
I tried to help you. Can I help it if that moment wasn’t enough?
In other words, Brielle knew her sister was really saying, Can I help it if you weren’t enough?
A low rumble of thunder came from the distance, and Brielle’s mind was brought out of her rapidly derailing thoughts. “No time,” she murmured, jumping in her car. She needed to get to the meet up so she could be at the starting point and get in the transfer vehicle in order to arrive at their spots.
The gathering clouds were ominous by the time they arrived at the beginning of the race, and Brielle was starting to grow concerned. If the rain was as heavy as it looked, it would make for a dangerous race.
“They going through with it?” she asked Elyse after weaving through the starting crowd.
Elyse shrugged and swung her arms, stretching one across her chest. “No one’s called it off yet.” Her brown eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the sky. “I hope everyone has their gear. This is gonna be a wet one.”
“I’m concerned about the thunder,” Brielle muttered. “Lightning and trail runs aren’t good mixes.”
“True.” Elyse huffed. “But we’ve trained for this for a long time, and if the people in charge say it’s fine, then I’m sure it’s fine. They’ve got a lot of people to look after. I’m sure they won’t take any unnecessary risks.”
Brielle nodded. “Right.” She bent over, working on loosening up her hamstrings. Her nerves were jumping, and she bounced on her toes for a few minutes. Race day was always fun, but today, Brielle needed the stress relief more than she wanted to win anything with her team.
“Woot! Everyone ready?” Stu bounced up, his eyes flashing and eager. His shoulder nudged Brielle. “Those fast feet ready to go? Ready to carry us to victory?”
Brielle rolled her eyes and stepped away from him. Stu was a little too much for her sometimes, and today her mood was restless and edgy. She couldn’t handle his antics right now.
Stu just chuckled and continued stretching.
“Morning!” Levi called out.
Brielle turned to offer a greeting in return, but paused when she saw Ryan with him. Her hand fell back to her side, and she snapped her head to the ground, focusing on stretching. Her cheeks heated, and the warmth carried all the way down her neck. The breeze suddenly wasn’t so bad now that she was overheated, but geez, why did she have to feel this way?
Just get through the race, then you can address everything else. One thing at a time, Brielle. One thing at a time.
“You ready for this?”
Her whole body stiffened when Ryan’s running shoes came into her line of vision. Knowing it would be worse to stay bent over rather than get herself in a position to get away, Brielle stood, blinking rapidly when the world spun.
“You okay?” Ryan’s voice had gone from friendly to concerned, ever the doctor when someone was hurt.
Brielle jerked when his hand landed on her elbow. “Fine. Yes. Fine.” She backed away, waving her arms as an excuse to get some much needed distance. “Just stood up too fast. Head rush.”
Ryan watched her, his jaw tightening, but eventually nodded. “If you say so.”
Brielle tried to moisturize her dry throat, but it was hard when it felt like she’d swallowed a cotton ball. “I do,” she choked out. She tried to walk away, but she was having a hard time getting her feet to move.
The sting in her eyes made Brielle turn away before she could break down like a weak sissy. “Good luck to you too,” she tossed over her shoulder. “Looks like they’re getting ready to get things going.”
The team was chattering excitedly as they followed her to the front.
“I better get up there,” Elyse said. She went down the line, giving double high-fives. “See you soon! Break a leg!”
Brielle couldn’t help but smile as Elyse jogged up to the starting point. Runners were starting to gather there, and someone with a blow horn was shouting instructions. It wouldn’t be long now before they blew the horn, and the race began .
A couple of splashes hit her cheek, and Brielle eyed the sky once more. One of her legs was bound to be in the middle of the night, and it was going to be miserable. “Nothing for it,” she muttered to herself, rubbing her arms as the breeze cooled her too much. “No pain, no gain.”
“As soon as she’s off, we’ll hop in the transport,” Henry said clearly. “Did everyone remember their rain gear?” A murmur went through the group, and Henry nodded. “Okay then. Starting shot, then we’re off. Stay hydrated and don’t leave anything behind.”
Brielle bounced on her toes and kept an eye out for Ryan in her periphery. Her time with him was almost over. Today they’d run a race, then spend the time necessary figuring out if they ever had a future. If it’s not too late anyway .
There was a chance Ryan wasn’t willing to try again, but Brielle needed time…and space. There were simply too many missing pieces and she hadn’t figured them out yet. Once this was over, she’d do that, and then if Ryan came out on top, like she hoped he would…she’d chase him down and never let him go.
Ryan watched Brielle bounce on her toes. She looked angry and focused. He wasn’t sure if this was a normal game face for her, or if she was still upset from last week. He hadn’t texted or talked to her until this morning and it was only to offer general encouragement.
She’d run out on him , and Ryan wasn’t ready to put himself through another grueling humiliation scheme. If Brielle didn’t want to be caught, fine.
It hurt, he would admit that. He’d been falling for her since seeing her again in the office, but he’d never force a woman to spend time with him and if she didn’t feel the same, then the chemistry between them was a moot point.
“On your marks! ”
Ryan’s head jerked toward the guy holding a megaphone to his mouth.
“Get set!”
The air stilled and thickened as if the entire crowd was holding their breath.
“Go!” The man blasted an air horn and the runners hit the trail. Ryan hooted and clapped as they took off, Elyse toward the front. There were a lot of miles to go, so he knew that the fighting crowd would eventually break up enough for them to stop throwing elbows and jockeying for position, but the start of a race was always a little rough.
At least he wasn’t the first leg.
“Let’s go,” Henry shouted over the crowd.
Spinning on his heel, Ryan turned, and they all walked back to the parking lot. Shifting his pace, he tried to make sure he wasn’t sitting next to Brielle, but after everyone sat down, the last seat was in the middle, with Brielle on one side.
Stu snickered and watched Ryan without even trying to hide his amusement.
Brielle was stiff as a board, and Ryan tried not to take it personally. Maybe sitting next to each other would give him a chance to break the ice between them. “Are you ready for today? Did your knees heal over alright?”
Brielle’s eye jumped to his then down to her knees. “Uh, yeah. They’re fine, thanks.”
“Did you wrap them for today?”
“Dude,” Matthew whisper-shouted. “If I were you, I’d wait until you didn’t have an audience. I mean…don’t get me wrong. I’m enjoying the show but…” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t want everyone else to see me get put in my place again. ”
Ryan rolled his eyes, pretending that didn’t bother him. Of course it did. No one liked to be shut down, especially in public. But no one in this group had any idea what was going on between him and Brielle. Heck, Ryan didn’t even understand what was going on between them.
Stu leaned around Ryan, looking at Brielle. “Hey, Bri. You want me to take care of this guy? I mean, you barely know him.”
“Actually, we went to high school together,” Ryan corrected, slightly irritated that Stu was getting into his business.
Matthew’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah? How come no one said so? Bri?”
Ryan grit his teeth. This guy was asking for a fat lip.
“We did,” Brielle snapped. She straightened and turned out the window. “But my knees are fine, and yes I’m ready to run. No you don’t need to do anything, Stu. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you.”
Stu leaned back and put his hands in the air. “No one’s doubting your ability, Bri. Just wanted to be gentlemanly.”
Ryan snorted. The guy flirted with every female he saw, and he wanted to be a gentleman? Yeah, right.
Brielle elbowed Ryan. “Stop it,” she hissed.
The devil sitting on his shoulder couldn’t seem to help but respond. “Stop what?”
“You know what,” Brielle said, keeping her voice low. She had turned from the window to glare at him.
Ryan frowned. “No. I really don’t. I was checking on you, my friend , and you’re being mean.” He probably shouldn’t be arguing with her, but his hurt was pricking his temper.
Brielle’s stare faltered before she brought it back. “Friend? I think we both know that’s not really the truth. I don’t know how you thought I’d never find out, but you don’t have to keep up the pretense any more.”
“What pretense?” Ryan jerked back, feeling as if she’d slapped him. “Are we talking about Sparky? What? Was my staying up with you all night not enough?
Brielle’s eyes widened. “This has nothing to do with Sparky.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Then what is it? Why did you get mad at me? Something happened when I wasn’t even there. At my apartment you were fine. Then the next run, you were out for blood.”
“Not cool, Brielle,” Stu threw out from his side of the bench.
“Shut up, Stu,” Levi said wryly. “This isn’t your fight.”
“If they’re having it in the van, then it’s everybody’s fight,” Stu argued back.
“Maybe this can wait?” Henry called from the front of the van. He turned on the windshield wipes. “The storm is here, and it’s gonna be a rough couple of days. Save the lovers spat for afterwards, huh?”
Brielle’s face blanched at Henry’s words, but she turned her head out the window. “I don’t have anything I need to say anyway.”
“Well, I do,” Ryan responded, ignoring Matthew’s groan. “I’m willing to wait, but we will talk about this, Brielle. I don’t know what idea you’ve got in your head, but you owe it to me to give me a chance to explain whatever it is.”
She stiffened even more, miraculously, but didn’t respond, and Ryan slouched, resting his body while they drove to the trade-off. Folding his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes to try and settle his emotions before the run. Someway, somehow, he was going to get to the bottom of this.
Brielle could squawk all she wanted, but this time Ryan wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t going to chase and force her to go out with him, but he was so tired of being clueless. She would answer his questions and then he’d walk away, no matter what his heart was screaming for instead.