Page 81 of Sweet on You
28
Ronnie
It had been five days since Lex and the Murphys had ironed out a custody agreement. Five exhausting, beautiful, sweet days. Penny and I had only gone home twice to grab some things before heading back to Lex’s apartment.
We were making out like teenagers on the couch each night, or sneaking upstairs to the unfinished loft, whispering and hoping Olivia wouldn’t wake up. That loft needed a door. It needed some soundproofing. All in all, not an expensive renovation, but I can’t imagine tacklinganyrenovation with a fifteen-month-old.
The loud clank of steel weights dropping on the machine pulled my attention back to Kandi, the client I was currently training. “Atta girl, Kandi,” I encouraged. “Give me three more chest presses.”
She grunted, her face twisting with a grimace as she did one more… two more… and on the third, her arms started trembling. I reached over, helping her out with the spot for the final press. She panted, dropping the weights, and snapped her towel off the rack to dab her forehead. “Oh, my God. These were so much easier a few weeks ago. Why are they so hard today?”
I studied her briefly. She did seem more tired than usual. Sweatier. Paler. “Are you feeling okay today?”
She shrugged, her shoulders brushing the edges of her dark hair. “More tired than usual. A little crampy.” She rested her palm to her abdomen.
“That time of the month?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Hmm.” I folded my arms and looked at both our reflections in the mirror. Come to think of it, I was looking paler… sweatier… than usual. And my stomach had been hurting a little all morning. “I’m a little crampy, too,” I said. “I wonder if there’s a GI bug going around?”
Kandi nodded, her eyes going wide. “Ohhh, my niece was sick a few days ago.”
“Have you eaten today?”
She nodded. “Some almonds. And a couple of hard boiled eggs for breakfast.”
My heart lurched into my throat. If there was one thing I tried to teach to my clients, it was the practice of healthy eating… not necessarily dieting, but a sustainable lifestyle of eating well. “It’s one o’clock, Kandi, that’s not really enough.”
She sighed and brushed her palm over her smooth ponytail. “I know. But I’m trying to cut back my calories.”
I winced and immediately tried to correct the grimace on my face. “I understand. Believe me, I understand. But when you’re working out as hard as we’ve been? Your body needs fuel. You may just be run down from not eating enough.”
She gave me a weak smile. “Yeah… maybe.”
“Come on,” I said, waving her over to my counter. “Let’s get a snack.” I handed her one of Lex’s granola bars. “Try this. It’s tasty and healthy. It’s not going to set you back too much calorie-wise.”
Kandi peeled the saran wrap off of it and broke off a piece, popping it into her mouth. “That issogood.” She took another bite. Then another. “Or maybe I’m just really hungry.” She gave me a wry smile and shrugged.
“Good.” I smiled at her. “Have some raspberries, too.” I reached into the mini fridge behind our counter and pulled out a bowl of raspberries I had actually brought for myself. But it was clear Kandi needed them more than I did.
“Thanks, Ronnie.” Her smile fell and she sank into one of the chairs near the front counter. “Working in a candy shop isn’t easy for sticking to a diet, ya know?”
I giggled and sat next to her. “I’m dating a baker… so yeah, Itotallyknow.”
Kandi’s eyes darted to mine. “You and Lex?” she whispered, her grin splitting across her face.
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard by now. It’s been a few weeks… I figured the whole town knew.”
She let out a little squeal. “I thought you two might be together officially… I saw you guys walking with his daughter the other day, and even though you weren’ttouching… I knew something was up. You’re adorable together.”
I laughed and leaned back in my chair. “I thought we were being so sneaky!”
Kandi’s head dropped to her shoulder and she rolled her eyes at me. “You thought that was sneaky? You two have been together nonstop for almost three weeks. Your car hasn’t moved from the spot outside of your gym except for maybe once or twice.”
“Man… I guess there goes my dream of being a secret agent, huh?”
Kandi snorted. “Yeah, but you are one hell of a trainer.”
