Page 157 of Unforgettable

There was a chorus of groans around us while Amanda shook with laughter next to me.

“On that note, this calls for celebration and a toast!” James proclaimed. He raised his glass, and we all followed suit. “To the best fucking throuple.”

“Do you know any other throuples?” Devon asked while we all clinked glasses and sipped our drinks.

“No, but I feel pretty confident that those three beat out anyone else.”

I couldn’t argue with him, no matter how unfounded the logic.

FIFTY-ONE

Reed

Sweat drippeddown my client’s face, but it was the smile I noticed the most.

“Reed, I’m telling you, this place is fucking phenomenal. I’ve told all of my work colleagues about you and RG Fitness. Expect a large influx of new membership applications here in a week or two.”

I shook his hand and hoped he was right. We were doing well even without a large influx of new members, but more wouldn’t hurt.

“I really appreciate that, man. Word of mouth is the best type of marketing, especially since it doesn’t cost me a damn thing.”

He laughed and waved as he trotted out of the gym, stopping at the smoothie truck parked outside.

Rodney was my fourth and final training session of the day, and it was almost two. The rest of my day, I’d left clear, so I could catch up on paperwork that had been piling up over the week. I’d been more focused on helping Amanda than working on the gym’s taxes.

The training part of my job, and hell, even the hiring, organizing, and actually running part of the business, was more enjoyable than the paperwork.

For the first time in over an hour, I glanced down at my phone that I’d left charging in my office. I had a few unread texts from Josh and Amanda—the usual nonsense that occurred in our group text. There was also one missed call from Amanda and three from Sam.

All three calls were within a few minutes of each other, the most recent only two minutes earlier. I couldn’t remember the last time Samantha actually called me. The only reason I had her number was when I RSVP’d for one of Zach’s birthday parties.

Three calls seemed excessive, and I planned to send her a text after I called Amanda back, only for her to call a fourth time a second later.

I answered with a hesitant, “Hello?”

“Oh, thank God you answered! No one answers their damn phones anymore.” Two seconds into the call, and I was already irritated.

“Sure. Why are you calling me?”

Her sigh was dramatic, and there were several muffled voices in the background. “I need a favor.”

I tried not to, but my laugh had a mind of its own. Leaning back in my desk chair, I kicked my feet up between two stacks of papers, each nearly half a foot in height.

“Yeah,” I said with a chuckle. “Me doing you a favor is as likely as pigs flying or world peace or getting struck by a meteorite.”

I was going to keep going, already contemplating what other insanely unlikely things I could come up with when she continued. “It’s Zach.”

That stopped me immediately. I straightened in my chair, my hand tensing around my phone. “What about Zach?”

She sighed again, and suddenly I was frustrated with her constant exhalations every time I asked a question. “What about Zach?” I asked again through gritted teeth.

“He’s sick, and I’m over an hour and a half away at a work meeting. Travis is traveling, and I called Josh, but he’s not answering either. My friends aren’t able to get him, so I was hoping you’d be able to pick him up from school and take him back to your apartment until I can get there.”

She sounded like the last thing in the world she wanted to do was ask for my help, and the last thing I wanted to do was help her. But it was Zach. That kid was the exception.

“Yeah, of course,” I said with the sudden realization that I didn’t know the first thing about actually taking care of a kid. “Is me picking him up going to be a problem?”

“No, just send me a picture of your driver’s license, and I’m going to email a letter to the registrar saying they can let you in to pick him up. When can you get there?”

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