Page 33 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

“I’m here for the gym, yes,” Vincent tells Marius. “I’ve decided to make some positive changes in my life, and my old gym wasn’t cutting it anymore. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything on the fitness side of things, as you can see,” he laughs lightly, pointing two thumbs at himself.

“What made you decide to come here?” Marius asks calmly. Thankfully, he picked up on my tone and my unspoken desire to remain civil in this uncomfortable situation.

“I lost a good woman a while back,” Vincent says. “And if I’m to ever get her back, I need to start working on myself. I figured going to the gym and taking care of my body would be a good first step.”

Marius gives me a long look, and I know he’s waiting for my approval.

My stomach churns. Part of me wants to throw Vincent out the door and maybe torch his car, too. But the truth is… we need more customers. Even lying, narcissistic pieces of shit like Vincent.

12

Shay

Igive Marius the nod he needs to move this uncomfortable moment along. I hate having to do this, but the company, the gym comes first above everything else. We’ve worked hard to raise it from the ground up, and we’re so damn close to success despite the hiccups. If it means I have to tolerate Vincent, of all people, then so be it.

“I think I definitely need a personal trainer,” Vincent says. “It’s been a while since I’ve set foot in a gym, and I’m behind on the technique. Besides, like I said, I’m determined to get the most out of my workouts.”

“Okay, well, I can definitely recommend a trainer,” Marius replies.

Alice, bless her nimble brain, perks up, eyes glowing for both of them. “Why don’t you take him on, Marius? You did say you could use a couple more clients.”

“I’d like to work with you, yeah,” Vincent chimes in.

I could puke. Right now, in this moment, I could turn my stomach inside out and puke. Of course, Alice doesn’t know my history with Vincent and she certainly hasn’t got a single clue about me and Marius. And Jax. And Richard. She’d blow a fuse if she ever got wind of it.

Marius lifts an eyebrow at me. All I can do is offer a subtle smile of reassurance as I take a seat at one of the lounge tables in the corner. Next to me is the glass door leading into the martial arts room, where Jax is busy with a client. I catch glimpses of him showing the guy how to maintain his guard during a fight.

“Alright, well, I’ve got an open hour in the evening at six. Would that work for you?” Marius asks Vincent, who keeps stealing glances at me. I try hard to pretend he’s not there, but the mere sound of his voice is enough to push me closer to an uncomfortable edge. I guess Cassandra was right. Some traumas never fully heal, but we learn how to live with them. We must also learn how to prevent them from affecting our present and our decisions for the future. “Three times a week would be a good frequency for you during the first few months," Marius adds. “Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

“What about the weekends?”

“I don’t work on the weekends.”

“That’s cool. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at six, then,” Vincent says. “I’ll make the payments now.”

“Alice will help you with that,” Marius says.

I take a long sip from my coffee, watching Marius as he gets behind the reception desk to grab some of his things from one of the cabinets. Alice handles Vincent’s payment with a bright smile and plenty of giggles. It’s enough to make me roll my eyes.

Focusing on Jax for another second or two, I barely register Vincent approaching. As soon as I see him standing closer, a soft smile streaking across his face, my nerves tighten, my resolve trembling before him. He still makes an impact, as much as I hate to admit it. I only need to figure out if it’s just a ghost from the past or some form of lingering emotion his absence failed to reveal.

“How’ve you been, Shay?” Vincent asks.

I look up and raise an eyebrow. “Do you even care or are you just making conversation? There’s no need for the latter.”

“Shay, I was an idiot. I know that now, I see it,” he says. “I’m just trying to apologize.”

“It’s a little too late for that, Vincent. How about you go on with your stuff, and I go on with mine, huh? Wouldn’t it be better?”

“Better? No. I can’t live like this. It’s been torture without you.”

I laugh out loud. “Could’ve fooled me. Please, just stop. I’m not interested in anything you have to say. You said everything that needed to be said the day you ghosted me.”

“I’m deeply sorry for the way I left, Shay. I got scared.”

“And my tolerance for bullshit is at an all-time low.”

“I’ll earn your forgiveness,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve come a long way in the last six months. I’ve had time to reflect, to deal with myself, to understand why I pulled back when you needed me the most.”

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