Page 17 of Sweet on You
7
Ronnie
At three-thirty sharp, Lex showed up at my gym looking as delicious as one of those scones he serves at his bakery. He wore what looked like water-wicking pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and he had a backpack on. He was carrying a tray of something wrapped with cellophane.
I walked up to him, cautiously eyeing the tray of baked goods. “Did you seriously bring sweets into my gym?” I asked, folding my arms and quirking a brow at him. That was ballsy. Even for Lex.
He set them down on the counter, unwrapping the cover. On the tray, there were dozens of what looked like individually wrapped granola bars, each sealed with a printed ingredients list sticker with his logo.
“What’s this about?” I tipped my head toward the tray.
“Well,” Lex said, “I was thinking about your windshield and how terrible I felt. You shouldn’t have to pay for something that was my mistake—”
“I told you insurance would cover it.” That was sort of a lie. My car insurance would cover it, but not my gym insurance. I guess I wasn’t supposed to allow my clients to throw kettlebells around on public city property. I was only covered for what happenedinsidemy building.
“Yes, and as I said, that will make your premium go up unnecessarily. So, I thought this could be a compromise. These are energy bars I whipped up this morning. They contain nuts, honey, dates, and some berries. They’re quite good, if I do say so.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, you’re going to make me energy bars and feed me for a year to pay for the window?”
His grin widened. “Not exactly.” He set ten of the bars on the counter in front of where Callie stood, checking people in. Then, he pulled out a framed sign that said: Energy Bars $3.
“I will make you as many batches of these as it takes to pay back that window. You just keep track and let me know. Fair?”
It wasn’t a terrible idea. My gym members were always asking if I was planning to make a smoothie bar any time soon. And I should. The cost wouldn’t be too much to add it, but I resisted for the same reason I’ve resisted opening a second location. I’m a creature of habit. And both of those things require change and I’ve been so busy with work as it is, it’s scary to think of adding more to my plate. “That almost sounds fair. Except I need you to add in the cost of ingredients and materials. It’s not fair for you to take a loss on that.”
“The cost of ingredients is factored into the price,” he tapped the sign.
A long, disgruntledMeowcame from somewhere behind Lex and I froze. “Did yourbackpackjust meow?”
“Oh, yes!” He spun around and his backpack had some sort of weird astronaut globe with holes in it. A furry head stared at me from within the dome and meowed again. “This is Frost. I told you she’d be joining us on the hike, right?”
“Ummm, yeah. I just didn’t expect her to be on your back. Here in my gym.”
“Oh, don’t worry. When we get to the trail, I have a leash and harness for her. But truthfully, most of the time, she prefers to be on my shoulders or in the backpack. So, if Penny doesn’t care for her, she’ll be safe in here.” He patted the straps of his backpack. “I also baked you a paleo coconut cream pie, but sadly, someone got into last night while I was out. Serves me right for leaving something cream based on the counter for this dairy junkie to get into.”
Callie came rushing over and put her nose to the globe. “Oh my gosh, look at her!! Aren’t you the prettiest cat ever?” She looked up at Lex. “A shorthair?”
He nodded. “British shorthair to be exact.”
My gaze jerked to my baby sister. “How in the hell do you know what kind of cat that is?”
She snickered. “All that volunteering with Yvonne, I guess.”
Ummm, okay. I had no idea my sister knew anything about cats, let alone the different breeds… but whatever.
“Speaking of, where’s Penny?”
Callie’s brows tilted to the center of face. “Who’s Penny.”
I pursed my lips and gave her my best death glare eyes. “You know… my new dog,Penny.”
“Oh, right.Penny. That Penny. She’s so new, I almost forgot about her.” I had to give it to my sister, she caught onto that pretty quickly, all things considered.
Lex’s gaze shifted between Callie and me and I gritted my teeth so hard, my jaw hurt. “You meanhim,” Lex said. “He’s a boy named Penny.”
Callie winced, sending me an apologetic glance. “Right. Right. Like A Boy Named Sue.”
I pointed at her and laughed. Hot damn, I loved that sister of mine sometimes. “Exactly! See? She gets it.”
