Chapter 8

Giving in to her body's demands, Mattie slowed her pace to a walk. A few more twists in the path and she'd be back where she'd started at the entrance to the park, just a few blocks from Jessica's house. She rounded the next bend and saw Brad heading straight towards her.

Mattie stopped. Propping her hands on the top of her thighs, she bent over, struggling to pull air into her lungs. She blinked her eyes into focus, staring at the toes of her white Reebok cross-trainers. She tried to slow her breathing by inhaling through her nose, and the astringent aroma of the cedar mulch hit her nostril.

Slowly she straightened, until she stood upright, propping her hands low on her back. She twisted to one then the other to loosen her muscles.

Jeez, this was just her luck.

At least yesterday under the towel, she'd been clean. Today she was just sweaty. And she harbored no illusions whatsoever that she merely "glowed." Unless he had some weird sweaty-female fetish, she'd have to put off her b