Page 8 of The Jock
“We let anyone use the walking track, free of charge, no membership required.”
“Not to be an idiot, but why? Seems like a bad way to make money.”
Colby laughed. “You’re not an idiot. And it doesn’t make us money, but so long as we don’t exceed a certain number of guests at any one time, our insurance is fine with it. It’s not safe for everyone to walk outside, to do trail hikes or walk around town.”
“That’s thoughtful of you.”
Colby shrugged. “It’s one of our most loved features. Some of the people who use the track end up joining, so it’s not a completely selfless program.”
“It’s still a great service. What else do you guys offer here? Since I’m new and all, I’d hate to miss out on something cool.”
“There are weekend yoga classes here. There’s beginner Tai Chi on Wednesday nights. It’s a drop-in event. We try to cater to all kinds of fitness levels and abilities.” Colby yanked his hat off and turned it around to face backward. “Sorry, I tend to go into gym manager mode.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s clear that you’re passionate about your job. How’d you get started?”
Colby shrugged. “I was a jock in high school. I took a few courses in college while I worked here, you know, fitness and nutrition type stuff to help me help clients. I like the people and I’m okay at what I do.”
“Don’t let him be all humble.” Nash appeared out of nowhere and slung an arm around Colby, putting him between the two of them. “Took a few courses, that’s Colby for ‘I took all the sports and fitness courses I could afford, then I saved up and took some more.’ He could run this place with his eyes closed. The owner is lucky to have him.”
Milo didn’t know what to make of Nash at first, but even after a short time, it was clear that Nash was a harmless, happy-puppy kind of a guy. A little overeager, perhaps, but Milo didn’t mind his energy.
“I’m glad I decided to switch gyms,” Milo admitted to the pair of them.
Nash beamed at him, but Colby’s smile was softer. Nash was happy about it, obviously, but it meant something more to Colby that Milo liked the place enough to stick around.
“Me too,” Colby said.
Nash clapped Colby on the shoulder. “Don’t forget, you owe me lunch today and I want one of Taylor’s famous bacon double cheeseburgers.”
Colby laughed. “Go shower then, you heathen. I can’t take you anywhere with sweat stains down to your belly button.”
“Then don’t work me as hard next time.”
“Not a chance.”
“You love to torture me,” Nash said as he made his way to the showers.
Colby turned to Milo. “How do you feel? Any better?”
Milo took silent stock of his body. Everything was going to hurt later, but right now he was okay. “I’m going to need a long, hot soak in the bath later.”
Colby grinned at him. “So that means you’ll be back, right?”
“I think I will.” Milo wasn’t above telling people what they wanted to hear, but when he said he’d be back, he found that he meant it.
“You said your friend was performing this weekend? Could I get the times and stuff?”
“You were serious about taking your brother, then?”
“Of course. I think it would be fun. Plus, I sort of fucked up recently and I think it would be a nice way to apologize to him.”
“Well, the show is starts at eight. If I give you my number, you can text me if your brother agrees to come with you and I can reserve good seats for you.” Milo wasn’t sure where the offer had come from, but the sparkle it put in Colby’s eyes was worth being impulsive.
Colby had his phone tucked away in one of those arm bands. It was probably safer than having it in the pocket of his shortswhile he worked out. He unlocked it and handed it to Milo. “Put your number in. I can also text you a link to the gym schedule if you want to check out some of the other programs.”
Milo popped off a text message to his phone and didn’t let himself think about the last time he’d exchanged numbers with another guy for any reason. As he finished, he noticed that the background image on the screen was a group photo.
“Which one is your brother? No, wait—they both are.” Milo handed the phone back to Colby. “So which one is mad at you?”
