Page 63 of All Twerk, No Play

Victoria silently assessed their faces and said flatly, “I’m a groomswoman, not a bridesmaid. Nick called this morning to discuss our plans.”

When Kate and Mallory both stiffened, I lowered my arm so Jurisprudence could drop to the floor and inched backwards.

Victoria’s head faced Mallory, but her eyes traveled to me. I hitched my thumb towards the door, a silent request to leave. I saw a flutter of panic and a nearly indiscernible head shake, covered up quickly. I stilled.

Kate noticed and turned, silently pleading for my intercession.

“Well, I vote for sexy dresses, no matter your title,” I said, lifting my hands nonchalantly. “What’s in the bag, Kate?”

Kate unzipped an A-line halter dress. “When Bec and I found it in Rome, we named it lo vestito incantato, the magic dress. Everybody looks amazing in it. I was hoping we could look for this shape, but wanted your input since you tend to go for a more tailored style.”

Victoria’s calculating eyes examined the dress, top to bottom.

“I’ll make more breakfast,” I said in a friendly tone. “I bet Kate would love to check your shoe closet for something to go with that dress.”

War waged behind those silver eyes.

When I nudged Kate’s foot, she said, “I’ve always admired your shoes, but can never find anything in size 11.” She threw an annoyed glance at Mallory. “And that bitch is no help, she could wear Barbie shoes.”

Victoria’s lip quirked. “I special order them.” She turned on a dime and walked back into her bedroom, leaving the door open behind her.

Kate grinned gratefully, mouthed ‘Oh my god’ to Mallory and followed Victoria into the closet.

A moment later I heard her amazed voice, “Is this Heaven?”

Mallory sauntered over to join me in the kitchen … and I knew I was in for it. I gestured with my spatula. “You don’t want to join the closet tour?”

Mallory sat cross-legged on the countertop. “So you and Victoria, huh?”

“I told you, it’s not like that,” I said, shifting a tortilla around the pan. “She hired me for a VIP training package. We were planning our workout schedule when you got here.”

That was true … even if I wouldn't take her money.

Mallory nodded skeptically. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that the night you met her is the last night we saw you out.”

“I was only out that night for Pike’s going away party. You’re welcome for his enthusiasm, by the way.”

“Just doing my patriotic duty,” she smirked.

“Thank you for your service.” I gave a sarcastic salute, transferring the tortillas to a baking sheet and sliding them into the oven before slicing another tomato. “And since then I’ve been working on my business.”

Mallory arched her brow but decided to give me the out, untying her top knot then finger combing her hair. “What’d they tell you to do?”

I thought back on my conversation with Victoria and Alex after they observed my class, accompanied by 20 pages of detailed, prioritized recommendations. “The full list?”

“Nah, I’ve got dinner plans,” she teased, and I wondered how long her document was. “Give me the top two.”

“YouTube, to build my brand.”

“I got that one too,” she said, and we fist bumped. “They said to upload yoga classes and record guided meditations, but not give away trade secrets. Apparently we’re building a whole recording set-up into the hot yoga studio for live streaming. You can use it to record yours.”

“Thanks,” I said, appreciative of the unexpected offer.

“How would that work for you, if you want people to come to your boot camp instead of just watching online for free?”

I’d wondered the same. “They want me to do self-defense videos, like a public service. They said it shows my teaching style without the boot camp experience.”

I didn’t mention to Mallory how Victoria avoided eye contact during that discussion, and the tips of her ears turned pink while Alex and I debated topics. And her shifting in her chair when I suggested a series on hair pulling.

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