Page 47 of Hiding for the Holidays
“You know Grant likes her, too?”
“I know.”
“Who would have thought we’d ever meet someone who we’d all fall for?” I ask, shaking my head.
“She’s special.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “She is.”
“Welcome to Iron Oaks,” Clara says, happily greeting two younger guys from our new reception desk.
“Wow, this place looks completely different,” guy number one comments.
“We’re trying something new, do you like it?” she asks hopefully.
“Yeah, especially with a pretty girl like you greeting us. Where’d they find you anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around town before.”
I clench my teeth in annoyance at their flirting.Is she blushing?It’s hard to tell from where I’m lingering nearby, wiping down the weight machines.
“I’m new to town. So, can I interest you in a free day pass, or would you like to sign up for a month with our introductory new client offer?”
“That depends,” guy number two says as he leans his elbows on the counter. “Are you the trainer?”
“Trust me, you don’t want me training you,” she says, shaking her head, but it just makes them grin wider.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I bet a woman like you could show us a move or two.” I see his eyes trail down her chest.
“I can’t fucking take this any longer,” I grumble to myself as I quickly move to join her behind the counter, wrapping my arm around her back and placing a claiming hand on her shoulder, practically pulling her into my side.
Clara glances up at me with relief. Placing my best customer service smile on, I turn to the two guys and ask, “Did I hear someone ask about training?”
They both immediately stand up straight and stop leaning on the counter as they take me in and clear protection of her.
“Oh, ah, yeah,” Guy number two says, taking in my size. “I’m actually interested in bulking up, but I’m not sure how to do it.”
I nod and grab the tablet that Clara trained us on. “Yeah, we can definitely help with that. We’ll start with giving you a one-on-one session with Grant?—”
“Who?”
“See that big guy over there,” Clara says, pointing to where Grant is currently doing a one armed pull up. I roll my eyes. He must have known Clara was going to seek him out to help with these new clients, so he’s showing off for her.
“That’s Grant?” he asks with raised eyebrows. “Where do I sign?” he turns back and I turn the tablet to him, explaining how to fill it out.
Once he’s occupied with that task, I turn to his friend. “What about you? Do you have any goals, or are you just looking for a good place to work out?”
“I had a pretty good workout in high school, but I’ve let it slide, so I was thinking about signing up at a gym to get back into the routine.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Clara says as she grabs one of the flyers she made and slides in across the counter to him. “Also,you guys should check out our holiday open house on the 22nd. We’ll have Christmas treats, prizes, and games going on all day.”
He picks up the flyer and glances over it . “That looks pretty cool, I might even bring my brother. Is that okay?”
“Of course, the more, the merrier! It’s sort of our way of showing off our newly renovated space,” Clara says happily.
We help get both signed up with our introductory offer that Clara had suggested, then I give one guy a tour while Clara introduces the other guy to Grant.
When she’s back behind the desk, without those guys lurking at her, I feel more settled.
The rest of the day goes fast. Now that we’re actually getting clients in the door, we find ourselves busy throughout most of the day. I kind of miss the days of fucking around and doing nothing, but I knew it wasn’t sustainable; we weren’t making any money.
