Page 4 of His Christmas Gift

“Who did you sell it to?” I asked her. I knew that she wouldn’t sell it to just anyone. They had to have made it a good offer.

“A company called HyperFit,” Aunt Lisa replied.

I screwed my nose up a little.

“That chain of gyms all over the country?” I asked her. I was surprised she sold the gym to a chain instead of a local buyer.

Before Aunt Lisa could answer my question, the front door to the gym swung open behind me. She looked past me and immediately straightened up, smoothing down her blue work polo shirt.

“Here’s the new boss,” she whispered to me.

I turned to see who was going to be running this place now, and my face immediately paled at the sight of Dean Everard and Ethan Gatlin. I hadn’t seen them since high school back in my hometown of St. Francisville, and we were far from friends. They antagonized me and bullied me for years, saying I was weird or stealing my hair ties to ruin my braids or ponytails.

Now, they were standing in front of me in suits that cost more than what I made in a few months. It didn’t impress me, though. I didn’t care for flash, and it looked like they were covered in it. What happened since high school? They looked so… important now.

Ethan glanced over at Dean, looking amused, but Dean’s expression didn’t change even when he looked right at me. Instead, Dean walked over to the desk in front of Aunt Lisa holding his hand out to her.

“Dean Everard. Nice to meet you,” he introduced himself politely, sounding all official and professional.

I turned my head slightly as he stood right next to me. He really had the audacity to come in here and act like he didn’t know me. Plus, he was flat-out ignoring me! It seemed like he hadn’t changed from the bratty kid he used to be.

“Lisa Brower. This is Autumn Miller. She’ll help you with anything you need,” Aunt Lisa introduced me, flashing me a stiff smile.

I could tell it hurt for her to do this, to let go of the business that she worked so hard on. Retirement would be nice for her since she just came into a comfortable amount of money, but she would always think about this place. As much as I wanted to quit and never see Dean or Ethan again, I couldn’t bring myself to just leave and let them ruin all of Aunt Lisa’s hard work.

Dean turned to me with an unwavering look on his face. His eyes did a brief sweep over me, but it was so quick that I hardly even registered it. He held his hand out to me.

“Autumn,” he said.

Hearing my name come out of his mouth made my chest tighten. I couldn’t believe he was standing in front of me after all these years. I was convinced that I’d never see him again. My own eyes threatened to wander, but I forced them to remain on his green eyes. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was extremely handsome. He had always been cute, despite his ugly behavior, but age had done him well.

He was tall and muscular, the sleeves of his suit gripping his biceps. His hair was the same shade of dirty blonde as it used to be, and his shaved jaw was so sharp that it could cut through glass. He was right out of a fantasy, but he used to be my nightmare.

“Dean,” I replied in the same tone as him as I stiffly shook his hand. I looked for any glimmer of recognition in his eyes, but nothing was there. He looked at me blankly like I was someone he just met. It made me more annoyed than I wanted to admit.

Ethan suddenly clasped his hands together, the sound echoing throughout the lobby and making Dean and I break apart.

“How about a tour?” he asked with the same cocky grin he had on his face in high school. It automatically made me want to roll my eyes.

“I have to find some more paperwork for you. Autumn, can you show them around?” Aunt Lisa asked me, giving me a pleading look.

The last thing that I wanted to do was spend more time around Dean and Ethan, especially Dean. He was the worst when it came to antagonizing me in the school hallways and classrooms. If I could choose to not talk to him, I would, but I didn’t want to let Aunt Lisa down.

“Of course. Follow me,” I replied, putting on the best smile that I could muster. I led them away from the front desk and through the main part of the gym where all of the cardio and strength training equipment were separated on two different sides. “This is the main workout area. We have a range of cardio and strength training equipment.”

“When’s the last time these machines have been replaced? Some of them look old,” Dean asked as his eyes swept over the equipment. He looked genuinely thoughtful, but he had that unimpressed tone to his voice that made me tighten my fists.

“We did an overhaul three years ago,” I replied. “But the machines are regularly serviced and repaired as needed.”

“You should have a guy come down and inspect them. Don’t want any accidents under your name,” Ethan told Dean, who nodded in agreement.

I put my back to them as I led them to the yoga studio, rolling my eyes at their comments. It seemed like they were money-hungry, corporate men now. Just who I wanted to deal with.

“This is the yoga studio. There are two other studios for different kinds of classes,” I said as I paused at the entrance of the yoga studio.

Dean walked past me, his arm brushing mine. He walked across the wooden floor before pausing and putting his weight down on a section of it.

“I’m guessing this flooring hasn’t been replaced in a while either,” he murmured.

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