The Fundamental Theory of Us by Alyse Raines Read Free Book Online Page B

conversation with their eyes, the kind of deep connection he thought he’d had with Miranda. When he woke up in Germany, with one leg missing below the knee and an email from her saying “I can’t do this,” he knew what they shared wasn’t love—not real, honest to goodness, can’t-be-without-her love. She broke his heart, but at the same time, she set him free. He drained the bad blood and moved on. Thoughts of Miranda didn’t make his chest ache any longer. She just … annoyed him.
    “Um, so I’m Taylor,” the blonde said. “And this is Logan.”
    Andrew smiled, introduced himself. Waited. There was more, he sensed.
    She twirled her blonde ponytail around a finger. “Have you ever heard of Tough Mudder?”
    “Yeah.” He had done the marathon twice. That was before.
    “Well, we signed up for a smaller version of it. Kind of like a practice run, you know? We’re training, but outside of trying on the courses that are already built in crowded places, we can’t really find anything we can use to practice. Plus, we’re really new to this.”
    “Okay,” Andrew said.
    “Then we saw you and I thought ‘he’s awesome! Maybe he can teach us something.’ Don’t feel obligated or anything,” she added in a rush.
    Logan put his arm around Taylor’s shoulders. Not possessive or marking his territory. Comfortable, like being too far apart didn’t feel right. “Yeah, it’s just like, if you have the time or whatever.”
    “And we’d pay you,” Taylor said. “Like any trainer.”
    Normally he’d politely decline, but Jennifer had told him to make friends. They didn’t have to be the deep connections he’d had with the guys he worked with—guys he’d lost. He understood what she meant. Walking in a shadow wasn’t conducive to recovery. Andrew held the tissue to his knuckles and looked back over his course. He’d have to make a few minor adjustments, add a few more obstacles and a couple miles. Simple enough.
    “Sure.” He smiled at the couple’s enthusiasm. “I’m busy during the week. My weekends are mostly open.”
    Taylor jumped up and down, letting out an excited squeak. “Awesome!”
    They exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up later at a restaurant in town to hammer out the details and a schedule. Rosie finished lapping up her water and sauntered over, waiting by Andrew’s side for permission to approach the couple. The little rat didn’t wait when it came to Sawyer, though.
    Taylor knelt and held out a hand. “Aw, who’s this?”
    “Rosie,” Andrew said. Rosie’s ears perked at her name. He nodded and she bounded over to the blonde.
    Logan watched her with interest. “She’s well trained.”
    Andrew agreed. “Rosie’s my service dog.”
    Taylor glanced up. Her hands didn’t still their long swipes on Rosie’s back. “Service dog? Do you train them?”
    Andrew lifted his pant leg, revealing his prosthesis. “IED.”
    “Shit.” Logan winced. “Sorry, man. But you’d never know, seriously.”
    “Thanks.” Pride welled in Andrew’s gut.
    A few more minutes of small talk, then the couple took off down the trail. Andrew had a couple hours to kill before meeting them later for dinner to discuss training. The course had him wiped and Rosie seemed content, so he packed up the speed bags and ladders, and headed for his truck. His thoughts swerved to Sawyer on the drive, all the way to his building. Her car was in the lot. Warmth bubbled in his chest at the thought of seeing her. Maybe she’d join him for dinner tonight. Only one way to find out.
    He didn’t have to knock on her door. Sawyer had just come back from a grocery run and rested the bags on the floor while she searched her messenger bag—for her keys, probably. When she heard Rosie, Sawyer paused, looked up, and smiled. An instant reaction. Andrew smiled in response, loving the way her face went red.
    “Hey,” he said. He wanted to say so much more.
    “Hi.”
    He glanced at her groceries. “Big night