“I’m trying to take my fitness to the next level,” he continued. “Look, why don’t you let me buy you that post-workout smoothie? I can go into more detail about what I’m looking for in a fitness and nutrition coach, and you can decide if I’m someone you want to work with.” His smile, framed by his neatly trimmed goatee, hit Taylor in a way she was not expecting.

She gave him a slow and deliberate head-to-toe perusal, making sure he knew that she was sizing him up. How could she be sure he wasn’t a Craighole?

So what if he was? Did that mean she would turn down a free smoothie?

“I’ll meet you at the food truck park on Barton Springs Road,” she said.

His broad shoulders practically wilted with relief. He made a sweeping motion with his hand, indicating she should go ahead of him. “I’ll follow you there.”

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Jamar Dixon divided his attention between his phone and the ancient Nissan Sentra parked across the street. He stood just to the right of an A-frame chalkboard that listed today’s smoothie selections, watching as Taylor Powell sat behind the wheel of her car and stared intently at her phone. Or maybe she was just pretending to be enthralled by the phone while debating whether to start her engine and take off.

Her initial skepticism had caught him off guard, but he could also see why she was suspicious of his motives. He tried not to buy into the notion that all professional athletes were superstitious, but when the Facebook post about that pop-up fitness class had appeared on his timeline this morning, he received it as a sign from the universe. Taylor’s no-nonsense training style, along with the right combination of cardio, calisthenics, and a targeted weight-lifting regimen, would get his body back into top physical shape. And if he had any hope of securing one of the coveted spots on an NFL roster next season, he would have to be in the best shape of his life.

Taylor Powell was the answer to his prayers. Now he just had to get her on his team.

Some of the tension in his shoulders receded when Taylor’s car door opened and she slipped from behind the wheel. Jamar tried not to stare as she waited on the other side of the street for two cars to pass, but damn! How could he not stare? After all, it wasn’t her exercise moves that had first drawn him to her.

A couple of months ago, one of his former teammates had forwarded a video of this guy being handed his ass by three women in a local downtown sushi restaurant. The first time he watched it, he’d zeroed in on Taylor.