He looked at her outfit—a pink striped sundress with a pair of brown sandals. He could see her pink toenails. Was it strange that even her feet charmed him? “But you can’t wear that. Go change.”

“Where are we going?”

“Training.”

“For what?”

“For the race,” he said. “I don’t know if you remember, but I’m a pretty competitive person. You might not have meant to bid on me, but you did—and I have no intention of losing.”

Her face fell. “Cody, I don’t think I can—”

“Louisa. Enough excuses. You can let this thing control you or you can take control of it. This is a mental battle.”

“Well, I’m losing,” she said.

“And I’m here to help. Go change.”

Finally she relented. She left him standing in her office feeling out of place. This room used to be a cozy little family room where he and his parents and sister, along with Louisa and her parents, would spend their evenings playing board games or, if he was really lucky, video games. Their television had been hooked up to a DVD player and a gaming system but only got local channels with an antenna.

Maybe that’s why he still preferred books to TV and quiet to noise. His parents had loved their simple life, so he supposed it made sense that he, too, would grow to love a simple life.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took it out to reveal a text from his mom.

Call me when you have a minute.

He didn’t talk to his mom often, but he knew without asking that she wouldn’t love that he was spending time with Louisa. Why did he feel like he was betraying her simply by being here?

He shoved the phone into his pocket without responding and looked up in time to see Louisa walk back into the room.

She wore a pair of shorts and a tank top over her swimsuit, and she carried a towel. “Is this appropriate attire for whatever you have in mind?”

He forced himself not to smile at her, though he really, really wanted to. He wanted to pull the elastic out of her hair and let those long red waves fall down around her shoulders and then bury his face in them. Instead, he just nodded and pushed open the door, thankful for the fresh air that served as a dose of reality.

She jogged to catch up to him. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“What if I refuse to get into your Jeep until I know where you’re taking me?” She stopped and planted her feet. She really could be maddening when she wanted to be.