Page 73 of The Second Kiss
“I wouldn’t want you to.” She shakes three hearts out into my hand.
I read them one by one. “My guy,” “first kiss,” and "second chance." I close my eyes, put them in my mouth and wish the candies had the magic power I thought they did when I was a little girl.
thirty-five
Head Spinning
Two days later I walk into my spin class to find Jacob, Bryan, the guy who played paintball with us, and another guy I don’t recognize, sitting on the front row of bikes.
I smile at them. “Can I help you adjust your bikes?”
"I think I can figure it out. I mean if I can fix a car, I should be able to figure out a couple of knobs,” Jacob says.
"You'd think," Bryan looks confused. "I'll definitely need help, Jess."
The other soldier stands up. He’s tall with red-brown hair and bright green eyes. He has a little sprinkle of freckles across hisnose. His smile is warm and immediately likable. "Me too. I've done a lot of biking, but not on something like this."
"Of course," I reach for the knob. "Stand next to the bike. The most important thing is seat height." I make a big deal about setting up the bikes for them and showing them how to work the resistance knobs. I ignore Jacob, who is figuring things out on his own. While I’m adjusting Bryan's bike, one of my regulars comes in. Apparently, he knows Jacob.
“Captain Crawley,” Jacob says. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you, Ricks,” he answers. He smiles at me. “Are you ready to whip these boys into shape?”
“Yes, sir,” I reply.
I turn on my microphone and climb on my bike. “For those of you who are new to my class, spin is a low impact but intense exercise class. My job is to work you hard and provide you with motivation. Your job is to push yourself and to listen to your bodies. If you’ve reached your limit, it’s okay to slow down, lower your resistance, or take a break. If you feel any excess pain or light-headedness, please stop. I’m trained in CPR, but I’d rather not have to use it.”
Everyone laughs. The guy sitting behind Jacob says something like, “Mouth to mouth sounds like motivation to me.” I can’t see the look Jacob gives him when he turns around.
“Okay, let’s get started. Resistance on moderate, we’ll start things out slow and then build up our speed.” I look directly at Jacob. “Try to keep up.”
“Bring it,” he mouths.
Ten minutes into the class, there are large drops of sweat collecting under Jacob’s bike. I should have told him to bring a sweat towel. He’s sweating like crazy, but still smiling.
The red-haired soldier wears a look of fierce determination. I can tell by the way he moves with the bike that he wasn't lying about having a lot of experience riding one. Every time I makeeye contact with him, it throws me off. I've never seen eyes quite that color of green before.
Bryan is struggling and glancing at the clock by the time the class is half over. Jacob is trying not to look winded, but I know he is. This might be the best class I've ever taught.
“Dude, cheat,” Bryan hisses. “She doesn’t know how high the resistance is set on your bike.”
I don’t think he meant for me to hear that. I catch his eye. “If the resistance on your bike isn’t set as high as it could be, you’re only cheating yourself. This is your time, your workout.However, if you have reached your limit,” I look at Jacob again. “It’s okay to back off and give yourself a break. How’s everyone doing?”
“Great,” Jacob yells above the rest of the class. He cranks his resistance and speeds up. From the back, Captain Crawley winks at me.
My legs are burning. I know I’m pushing the class harder than I usually do. I'm sweating in places I didn't know you could sweat. I'm glad for the towel I have draped over my handlebars. It hits me how embarrassed I was when Jacob saw me like this a few months ago. It doesn’t bother me so much anymore.
Jacob makes it to the end without stopping, but even I’m relieved when the class is over. I take my headset off and wipe down my bike. “How did you like it?”
“Okay, you win,” Jacob kneels down and wipes up the puddle under his bike with a paper towel. “It’s a tough class.”
Captain Crawley slaps Bryan on the back. “Excellent class, Jess, I think you almost got three men from the United States Army to surrender. You should come do that for PT sometime.”
The redheaded soldier comes up beside us. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”
I look up, getting caught in his eyes again. "I don't think I got your name before."
“Sorry." His freckles have blended in with the red on his face. "Lieutenant Michael Stevens. I’d shake your hand, but mine are pretty gross. You kicked our butts.”
