But when Michael squatted down to tighten his shoelaces, Preslee gawked at him. She hadn’t noticed before—probably because he’d been sitting in the back seat—but Michael sported a white pair of Bally Aston sneakers on his feet. If she was correct, those shoes were genuine calf leather and cost somewhere around six hundred dollars. “Um, you’re going to run through mud in those?”

He gazed up at her. “Sure, why not? They’re just shoes. I can always get a new pair.”

Jeez. She knew he was a doctor, but how much money did this guy make that he could just throw away six-hundred-dollar shoes on a whim? She thought it might be rude of her to ask, so she didn’t.

As she waited for her turn at the registration desk, she glanced around. A fine mist rose from the ground, cooling the slight breeze wafting over her skin. It was still early, but the blue morning light was already fading and the dew-covered grass sparkled with the first bright rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before the blinding sun would be blazing down on them with the sizzling summer heat that South Texas had always been known for.

Michael glanced over at Adam, who was almost finished registering, and lowered his voice. “So, you and Adam are an item, huh?”

Preslee nearly choked on her own saliva. So much for not asking a question because it might be considered rude. “Um, no. Of course not,” she said, quieting her voice as well. “Your brother is my trainer. We’re just friends.”

“But you like him, right?”

“Sure,” she said with a nod before glancing back down. “Apparently more than you like those expensive shoes you’re about to ruin.”

He chuckled but didn’t say anything else, since Adam had finished at the registration table and rejoined them. Thank goodness. It was her turn, so she hurried over to the table and got started. Once she was officially registered, she returned to them and they headed toward the starting line in silence. When they got there, Adam led them in some stretches as a warm-up while they waited for the race to begin.

Preslee did a quick internal check of her energy level and found that she felt strong and capable. Empowered even. Almost like someone who believed in her abilities. She could totally do this. Of course, that was probably just the exhilaration of the race humming in the air around her. But she hadn’t really experienced the discomfort and anxiety that she’d expected to feel this morning.