Page 29 of Be Very Quiet

Paige jumped back. Apparently, Liliana’s tone had been a tad harsh. “Oh, sure.”

They set the room up as it started to fill. Luca had chosen a trampoline in the back row, so Liliana snagged the one beside him. Almost every spot out of twenty was taken when Paige punched a button to send music blasting through the speakers and started the session with a light warmup.

Once everyone’s muscles were loose, Paige began the high-intensity portion, kicking heart rates up for a minute before bringing them back down, only to start over again. They cycled between tuck jumps, running man plyos, jumping jacks, and abdominal twists. It was a thorough session, and Liliana was wiped when they reached the cooldown portion. She glanced at Luca to find him looking as if he could go another round. He’d never done the workout before, but he’d easily kept up with Paige. He wasn’t even breathing heavily. How was that possible?

Paige came hurrying back and stopped in front of Luca. “Wow. For a novice, you were with me the entire time.”

“It was a challenging workout, for sure. I enjoyed it.”

Before Paige could continue flirting with Liliana’s man . . . er, Luca, she said, “Thanks for a great class.” She grabbed Luca’s arm and led him from the room.

“I’m thinking of adding that to my repertoire,” Luca mused.

Well, he should. He was good at it. Liliana had a feeling there wasn’t much he didn’t excel at in any way, shape, or form.

“Liliana.”

She turned to see Rex jogging her way and stifled a groan. His associate, Theo, was with him. Rex wore a sweat-stained T-shirt and shorts. She thought she’d seen them coming from Room Three, which would’ve been spinning. Theo looked ready to collapse. Wet hair was plastered to his head, and he gulped greedily from a bottle of water.

“Hey Rex, Theo.”

“I’m enjoying your newest hire, Denny Habba,” Rex informed her. “He knows his stuff, and he’s relentless.”

“He is,” Theo agreed. “If he said ‘push harder’ one more time, I would’ve been tempted to chuck my water bottle at him. I thought I’d pass out a time or two.”

Liliana smiled. She’d had the same reaction to Denny. He was a beast.

Rex’s gaze strayed to Luca. Liliana grabbed his arm and introduced him to the two real estate professionals.

“How long are you in town?” Rex’s tone was suspicious.

Luca tossed an arm over her shoulders, tugging her close. His body heat warmed her. “Undetermined. Liliana and I are reconnecting.”

Rex turned to Liliana. “What does that mean?”

Rex was such a nice guy, and she felt horrible deceiving him, but she supplied, “We’ve known each other for years. We’ve recently reconnected.”

Rex glanced between the two. “I see. Well, nice to meet you, Luca. If you’re looking for somewhere to live, give me a call. I can show you the best places in town.”

Liliana smiled. Always the salesman.

“Will do.”

Rex and Theo left, and they continued to her office. Liliana took a quick shower to rinse off the sweat and then let Luca do the same. She tried hard to keep her mind off him naked a few feet away.

A knock sounded on her door.

“Come in.”

Kasey stuck her head inside. “Liliana, two people are here asking for you, saying you’re expecting them.” Kasey raised her brows twice, letting Liliana know she liked what she saw. It had to be Luca’s coworkers. Liliana would explain their appearance by saying they were married friends of Luca’s and were looking to open their own studio. She would tell everyone they would be around for a few days while she assisted them in drafting a business plan. It would explain why they were in her office so much without raising questions. She didn’t want anyone to know about The Mortician. “Send them back. Thanks, Kasey.”

Kasey opened the door wide, and a woman entered, followed by a tall man. The beautiful woman had long black hair fastened into a high ponytail and light blue eyes. Goodness, the man was gorgeous, with sandy blond hair and the prettiest aquamarine eyes she’d ever seen. Not quite blue, not exactly green. Whereas he was quick to flash a grin, showcasing straight, white teeth, the woman was all business.

Luca came out of the bathroom and broke into a smile as he strode forward to greet the newcomers. “Hey, glad you two are here. Liliana, these are my coworkers, Christian Zamora and Audria Giroux. Audria is a former federal agent, and Christian was a marine and DEA agent.”

Liliana shook their hands. “Nice to meet you.” Her cell phone buzzed. “Excuse me. I need to take this.”

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