Page 66 of Until We're More
Then I’d be exactly like her family, selfishly asking her to give up everything of hers so I could have what I wanted. That was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the issues we’d have trying to pull off a relationship. Like how I was far too rough for someone as sweet as she was, and so was my lifestyle. And how even if she did stay, I’d end up neglecting her for the gym, not because she was less important but because it was my family’s livelihood and legacy, and in order to keep it and my career afloat, I had to give my all to it. Anything less would mean tapping out, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that.
Brooklyn plopped down on the couch across from the desk and crossed one leg over the other. “I can’t help but notice you look happier than usual, even with that giant pile of paperwork in front of you.” She leaned forward, elbows braced on her knees, chin on her fists. “Did something happen over the weekend? Maybe you worked out some of that pent-up tension you had brewing for, oh, at least a decade or so?”
The desk chair squeaked as I reclined it as far as it would go. “I hit the punching bag this morning. Felt good.”
She tilted her head, packing a whole heap of disappointment and incredulity into the gesture. Obviously she didn’t buy it, but toying with her was too much fun for me to come clean quite yet.
“So, about the report… How about you give me a quick overview and save me some time?” I stretched the paper toward her, and she whipped it out of my hand, nearly giving me a paper cut. She lifted it closer and squinted at the figures.
“Everything’s paid, but our trash service raised their rate, so I did some price comparisons and found out we could save about thirty bucks a month if we switched. I know it’s not a huge deal, but—”
“Every penny counts. I’ll make a note to call them tomorrow.”
“Well, when you didn’t reply, I figured you were busy and called them myself. The guy over the phone originally insisted he couldn’t cancel it without talking to you, but I reminded him of your size and temperament, reiterated how busy you were, and then asked if he really wanted to get on your bad side. And he decided to go ahead and cancel the trash service.” She added a smug grin.
My sister had her hands plenty full with her art and work at the gallery, but the odds and ends she took care of here always made a huge difference. She knew all the right strings to pull—even with me, clearly. “Have I mentioned how much I appreciate your help?”
“Not in a while, but you might want to save your thanks till you hear what else I want to talk to you about.”
Right as I was about to come clean and tell her that her evil plan had worked and Chelsea and I had humped like bunnies all weekend, she said, “I think we could add an early class on Monday and Wednesday—I sent out a survey, and several of our members said they’d like to fit in a session before work. The gym’s always pretty empty at that time, anyway, and since Adam’s our resident early bird, he said he’d be willing to teach it. Shane agreed to cover it when Adam’s in training camp, but in case there was crossover, I wanted to check with you before pulling the trigger. It might mean you have to cover a few early classes here and there.”
“Sure, set it up.”
“Perhaps I should’ve added ‘cover a few classes and not terrify the attendees with your early morning charm.’”
I gritted out a smile.
Like with Chelsea, my attempts at intimidation never worked very well on Brooklyn. “We’ll, um, work on the smile. I’ll set it up, though.”
“Thank you. And I’m not taking back what I said about appreciating everything you do here. I know you’ve got a lot going on, and that in theory you don’t work here anymore.” Another thing to feel guilty about, and another reason to pull in more income so she wouldn’t have to continue juggling both.
She waved it off. “It’s not that big of a deal, and I enjoy the free-training perks that come along with it. Plus, I get more one-on-on time to ask my brother how his weekend went”—she widened her eyes, as if an opening would be all I needed to spill my guts—“and maybe that same brother will take a day off once he realizes the gym could actually run a couple days without him.”
I made a noncommittal noise. The theory of taking a day off was nice. I’d taken off a few right when Chelsea first arrived, but I couldn’t afford many more than that.
My phone chimed, and I pulled it out of my pocket.
Chelsea:I’m outside the gym, but the door’s locked. Want to let me in?
Somewhere between the last time I checked out the gym floor and now, the final kickboxing class of the day must’ve ended.
“Ooh, a non-scary smile,” Brooklyn said. “That must be a certain redheaded bookworm. Or should I say ring girl?”
I leveled my best glare at my sister. Then, since she’d find out anyway, said, “She’s at the door. Apparently it’s locked.”
Brooklyn shot off the couch. “I’ll get it.”
I stood and rounded the desk, cutting her off at the door and barring the way with my body. “No, I’ll get it.”
“Need to get your stories straight before the rest of us see her?”
I rolled my eyes. “Why bother? I know she’s going to tell you everything anyway.”
A canary-eating grin spread across Brooklyn’s face. “That means there’s something to tell. I’m not a squee-er, but I swear, I’m about to squee. Perhaps shouthallelujah.”
“How about just be cool?”
She scrunched up her forehead and shook her head. “Nope. Don’t see that happening. But I’ll let you two have your reunion first.You’re welcome.”
