Page 18 of Vital Blindside

Before she stopped.

“Fallbacks happen. You’ll get there again.”

In under a minute, she finishes the ten reps and drops her arm like it weighs a thousand pounds.

“I want to do another exercise before the rink opens. We’ll leave everything else for tomorrow morning,” I tell her.

“Tomorrow morning?”

My smile starts small, slowly growing into a full-fledged grin. “Yes, tomorrow morning. And the morning after that. I want you here working on that shoulder every morning before work. Unless that’s a problem with you?”

She wears an uneasy expression but reluctantly agrees. “No, it’s not a problem.”

“You’ll meet Willow tomorrow as well. She’s coming in at 10:00 a.m.”

“I’m assuming you have an outline for me to follow?”

“I do. We’ll go over it this afternoon.”

Usually, it would be the trainer’s responsibility to draw out a training program for their client, fit specifically to what they need or have requested, but the circumstances here are a bit different. So for now, she’ll use my plan. Besides, I have a strong inkling that Scarlett will want to create one herself after her first session with Willow.

I take a step back and click my tongue. “Let’s move on before we get distracted again. You can drop the band on the bench. We won’t be using it again today.”

She does but not without cutting me a curious glance that I try to ignore. I’m confident that she’ll have done all of the stretches and exercises I had planned for today, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be easy. Nothing about restrengthening a muscle that’s been sitting near-dormant for months is easy.

Tapping my fingers on my thighs, I move toward the far corner of the room. There are three yoga mats spread along the wall beside a collection of dumbbells, yoga balls, and balance boards. I point to the mats while grabbing a balance board and gently moving a yoga ball over with my foot.

“Do you care which mat you use?” I ask.

She shakes her head and moves to the one closest one to her, the one on the end. I place the balance board on the front end of the mat, watching it wobble on its small circular base before setting the yoga ball off to the side for the time being.

“Okay, you’re going to get down on the floor, place your hands shoulder width apart on the base, and try to keep the board stable. If you need to support yourself on your knees for now, then do that. There’s no rush here. I want you to feel comfortable,” I assure her.

She releases a slow breath, and some of the previous tension in her shoulders disappears. I find myself doing the same. I’m tenser than usual, and I can’t deny that’s because I feel a heavy pressure not to mess anything up when it comes to this woman.

The only noise in the room is the shuffle of her sneakers on the cold tile floor before she’s lowering to her knees on the mat and inching toward the board. Her vibrant red curls fall in her face, regardless of it being tied back, and my fingers itch to pull one to see if they’re as springy and soft as they look. I give my head a rough shake, dispelling that thought before it has a chance to sink in.

Scarlett places her hands on the board exactly how I instructed, but after about a minute she swiftly pushes off her knees, holding her body up in a shaky, full plank position instead. I chuckle, completely unsurprised by the confidence she has in her body.

A bolt of excitement shoots through me when she glances up and holds my gaze with a silent dare. One I don’t turn down.

“Move the board in circular motions,” I order, and I swear her lips twitch.

Muscles rippling with the effort, she shifts her weight around, forcing the board to tilt in a clockwise motion before dropping back to her knees and starting again. The neck of her tank top hangs open, exposing the navy blue sports bra beneath it, and I dart my eyes to her natural, unpainted fingernails.

“Anything else, boss? Or have I passed inspection?” she asks, tone dripping with attitude. Attitude that entertains me far more than annoys me at this point.

“Are you in any pain?”

She looks at me like I’ve just asked the most ridiculous question. “I’ve been holding a plank on a balance board for at least a minute now.”

I roll my eyes. “It was longer than a minute. And I meant your shoulder.”

“A bit. It feels more wobbly than painful, though.”

Nodding, I say, “Let’s call it for today. We can pick back up tomorrow morning.”

Scarlett drops her knees to the mat before leaning back on her heels. Her forehead is slightly damp, and her cheeks are a pale pink, but other than that, she looks cool, calm, and collected.

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