Page 28 of Love to Stay

“I love Pedro. I’m going to name my firstborn Pedro.”

“Our firstborn, but let’s not go overboard.” I don’t tell Josie that Pedro has already written me off. I don’t want to add this toher burden right now. I tuck my arm around her waist. “Let’s go home.”

On our way back to the apartment, she asks, “Do you wanna stop off at the gym and thank Pedro?”

“I’ll give him a call.”

“This isn’t something you should handle over the phone. You need to give him a gift or bake a cake.”

“If I baked him a cake, he’d think I was trying to poison him.”

“That was just an example, silly. But you do need to thank him in person. This isn’t the kind of thing you just gloss over.”

“I will.” If he lets me in the door.

“Right away.”

“I’ll call him tonight and bring a cake over tomorrow.” I park the car.

“I thought you were against cake because he’d think you wanted to kill him,” she teases as we walk up the stairs to our apartment.

“That’s if I made it myself.”

At our door, we both pause, double-checking our surroundings. I make her stand behind me as I open the front door, but it’s safe enough. “Why don’t you order some food? Make it anything and I’ll be fine with it. I’m going to call Pedro.”

She starts checking the app while I step into the bedroom. Pedro answers on the first ring.

“You’re welcome,” he growls.

“Thank you. I appreciate it. What can I do to make it up to you?”

“Get your ass back into the gym.”

I’m not prepared for shock number two of the day, so I’m glad that I’m close enough to the bed to have something to break my fall. “I’ll be in tomorrow. First thing.”

“Run five miles before you get here.”

“Absolutely.”

“And stop stuffing your face with carbs.”

“Are you my Uber driver or what?”

“I’ve coached a lot of kids like you. First thing they do when they think their training is over is stuff their faces with bread. You might as well tie rocks to your feet.”

The phone is dead after that, but the abrupt termination of our call can’t dim my jubilation. I toss the phone aside and throw open the door. “Cancel the order. I gotta thaw out a chicken breast.”

Josie looks up from her phone. “What happened?”

I pick her up and twirl her around. “Going to the gym tomorrow morning. Have to be light on my feet.” I put her down and dance to the left and right, ducking and jabbing.

She laughs but is clearly confused. “Aren’t you always going to the gym?”

“Actually no. Pedro fired me this morning. Kicked me out and locked the door. Wouldn’t let me back in.”

“What the hell?” Her jaw drops.

“I knew he’d thaw out eventually.” I wink at her.

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