Mouth dry, he was fighting to find the words to dig himself out of this uncomfortable hole when she said, “That’s enough running for today. Let’s cool down; then we’re going to my apartment to talk.”

Oh no, the dreaded Talk.

But since he’d been the one to screw things up, he didn’t argue, and they got on with it. Though they also had to pause several times for Catie’s admirers to come and gush over her. Grinning despite the fact his guts were in knots, Danny watched on.

A young Pasifika woman who was just barely showing her pregnancy, one hand absently stroking her bump, came to stand next to him while her husband went over to chat with Catie. “I follow her on her socials,” she said to Danny, “but more for her work with children than the running.”

“She’s done amazing things in that area.”

The woman nodded, the glossy black of her bobbed hair obsidian in the sunshine. “My brother lost an arm a couple of years ago, and you know, he’s a teen. I don’t know how he would’ve handled it if she hadn’t been so visible at the time, being amazing with two artificial limbs.” Sibling love was a song in her voice.

“Then Catie’s foundation helped fund a bionic-looking skin for his prosthesis,” the stranger added. “It’s cosmetic, so it wouldn’t have been funded otherwise. But it’s so essential for a teenager. He felt a hundred times cooler, and these days if the kid’s got a problem, it’s that he’s turning into a player.”

Laughter in her eyes, she added, “It doesn’t help that he joined the track team and immediately showed an aptitude for speed.”

Danny’s chest puffed out, but he kept the topic of discussion to the teenager. “Sounds like he’s following her path in more than just confidence.”

“He idolizes her.” A beaming smile. “But I didn’t come here to brag about Joey. I wanted to say that when I first saw pics of you two, I thought you were pranking everyone. But now that I’ve seen how you look at her…” Her gaze softened. “I’m so happy for her. Even though she doesn’t know me, I feel like I know her. More than that, I respect and am deeply grateful to her—it gives me such joy to know that she’s deeply loved.”

Danny swallowed. Hard. The L word was even more terrifying than the idea of the upcoming Talk. Especially when he had no idea what was going on inside him when it came to Catie—much less how to label it. He blew out a quiet breath when the woman’s husband jogged over at that moment, his face awash in smiles.