“I don’t know what I want.”
“I don’t believe that.”
He shoots me an odd look but doesn’t answer.
“Why can’t you major in physical education?”
“If I go pro, and I’m successful, I can’t go back and teach kids P.E.”
“Why not?”
“Can you imagine David Beckham teaching high school students?”
“Did you seriously just equate yourself to David Beckham?”
Tucker bursts out laughing. “Where the hell have you been hiding?”
“Living in Shelbyville, Tennessee.”
His eyes widen in surprise at my revelation. I figure if I insulted him, the least I can do is give him something from my past.
“It seems to me that you’re pinning a lot on a dream that isn’t even yours.”
He shrugs.
We walk in silence, but it’s not uncomfortable, despite how our conversation ended. When we’re about to reach our starting point, Tucker points to it. “We’re about to start jogging. We’ll go halfway around, then walk, then jog halfway, then walk. Then we’ll see how you’re doing.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to be watching you and checking your form so you can correct any bad habits before they start.”
We start to jog and Tucker keeps his attention on me. “Eyes ahead, Scarlett. Don’t look down. Your shoulders are too tense. Let them relax.”
“That’s a lot to think about while I’m running.”
“I thought you like to think.”
“Not while I’m running.” I puff out.
He laughs. “We’re just getting warmed up.”
We run several strides.
“Your arms are good, but don’t clench your fists.”
We reach the halfway mark, and Tucker slows to a fast walk.
“Am I this bossy when I tutor you?” I wheeze.
“No. I’m just naturally bossy, and you’re naturally nice. We’re a good balance.”
“Lucky for you,” I grumble.
He laughs. “I totally got the better end of the deal.”
We go around the track three more times, the last round, he has me run at quarter lengths. Tucker has watched my pace, slowing down to make sure I’m not too winded, then picking it up when I caught my breath. I’m tired, but I don’t feel like I’m about to pass out on the side of the track. We slow to a walk that’s not as brisk.
“This is your cool down. Some people skip it, but it’s important to let your body slow down.”
I nod, catching my breath.
We walk around once, then Tucker picks up our water bottles and hands me one. “Now we need to stretch.”
We move to the side of the track and Tucker takes me through a series of leg stretches. I’m surprised how good they feel. We sit on the floor, just finishing butterfly stretches. Tucker grins at me. “Well?”
“Well what?” I tease.
“What did you think?”
“While I’m not a huge diehard fan of running at the moment, I can see the benefits. I feel more relaxed.” Although if I’m truthful, I’m not sure if the run has relaxed me or if it’s Tucker. “But I do know that you are an excellent tutor. Thank you.”
“Do you want to do this again? I have to work out four or five days a week. It gets pretty boring, and I’ve been anything but bored tonight.”
“I don’t see how you got a workout if you’re slowing down to my level.”
He shakes his head. “It’s the offseason, Scarlett. As long as I’m working out somehow, I’m good.” Tucker gets to his feet then reaches down to help me up. His hand feels right in mine, which catches me by surprise. But he lets go and picks up his bag, and we head to the exit.
Tucker went out of his way to do something nice for me. The least I can do is help him. “You said you were nervous about your test on Thursday. If it makes you more comfortable, we can get together tomorrow or Thursday before your algebra class.”
He opens the door to the lobby and looks down at me. “I don’t want to inconvenience you, Scarlett.”
“Tucker, if you need more tutoring sessions, we can set something up. I want you to feel comfortable when you go in to take your test.”
We go over our schedules and determine that we’re both free tomorrow from eleven until our noon classes.
“We’ll need to meet on campus.” He sounds anxious, which catches me by surprise. “But we can’t meet in the library.”
“Why not?”
He shakes his head. “I just can’t.”
I’d suspect he’d goofed around in the library and gotten banned, but he seems genuinely anxious. “Okay. No library. Where?”
“We could meet at the coffee shop.”
I hesitate. Our first meeting was there, and that was disastrous. And I’m getting coffee with Daniel at the same place tomorrow. But why should that matter? It just means I’ll already be there. “How about I meet you at the coffee shop, and if it’s too noisy, we can go somewhere else.”
“Thanks.” He releases a heavy breath of relief.
“No, thank you. There might be something to this exercise thing.”
He opens the outer doors, following me outside. “Where are you parked?”
I tell him, and we walk in silence, but it’s not awkward. I’m amazed how comfortable I am with him.