Page 40 of Screwed (Dad Bod Contracting 4)
Finally, after two consecutive double shifts, I have three days off in a row, which I’m equal parts excited about and dreading. Years of waking up at five a.m. every day have made it impossible for me to sleep in, even if I wanted to, so, since I’m awake by six on my first day off, I figure I might as well hit the gym for a nice hard workout.
Only, when I get there, my gym is, inexplicably, closed. I go to a small, locally owned place—the owner is the only employee, and he lives above it, so he’s always open. Even if he’s not there, he leaves it open for his select clients, like me. But the gym is closed, locked, and the lights are off, which means something has happened. But without any way of contacting the owner, Richard, I don’t have any way of knowing if and when he’ll open again. Which leaves me without a gym.
I sit in my truck, trying to think of solutions.
I call Audra, and she doesn’t answer, but calls me back within a minute. “What’s up, Nova?” she asks, out of breath. “I’m in the middle of something though, so make it quick, babe.”
“My gym is closed for some reason, and I need a workout.”
She tsks. “Unfortunately, we’re closed for a private CrossFit event, so I can’t really slide you in like I normally would.” She muffles into the phone and says something, and then addresses me again. “You know, Franco said he, Jesse, and Ryder were all going to James’s place this morning. Apparently he has a pretty sweet setup. You might try him.”
I laugh. “Are you trolling me right now?”
“I wish.”
“I’m not asking for a training session, just access to a power rack and some free weights.”
“I know, babe, and you know I’d never deny you if I had a choice, but this one is out of my hands. Sorry.”
I groan. “Fine. Be that way.”
“Nova, this is a qualifier event for the international CrossFit Games. I can’t just—”
“I’m kidding,” I interrupt her. “Mostly. Thanks anyway.”
“Any other day, I’d get you in and lift with you, it’s just today has been scheduled for over a year.”
“It’s cool. Richard is probably there, actually. He usually leaves the gym open even when he’s not there, though.”
“Try James. If all the guys are there, it may be awkward, but at least it’ll be safe, you know?”
“Nothing is safe. I’ve been daydreaming about him.”
“Oooh, that’s no good. Bad sign.”
“I know. My boss wanted to send me home.”
“You’re that spacey?”
I laugh. “Guess so.”
“You’ve got it bad, girlfriend.” A voice on the other end shouts her name. “Hey, listen, I’m up at the wall, so I gotta go.”
“Okay, bye.”
We end the call and I sit in the parking lot, staring at my phone, my thumb hovering over the contact entry with James’s name on it.
Do I dare? This seems like inviting disaster.
Or, possibly, something else.
Or maybe nothing. Maybe we’ll just work out together and nothing weird will happen.
Ha. Right.
I call James, my stomach flipping in my chest. It rings three times, and then he answers, and he’s slightly out of breath too. “Hey, Nova. What’s up?”
I don’t even know what to say. My throat is closed, and my stomach is not just doing flips, but twists and all sorts of acrobatics that make it hard to breathe. God, this is dumb.
“I, um. I normally workout at this little gym my friend owns, but it’s closed and I have the day off and I haven’t had time to lift since last week, and—”
“We just started lifting. Come on over.”
“You’re sure? I don’t want to mess up your rotations or anything.”
“As long as you don’t mind working out with a bunch of ugly, sweaty, loud, foul-mouthed gorillas.”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t call you ugly, James. Far from it.”
“I was talking about Ryder, but thanks.”
“I’m not ugly,” I hear Ryder say. “I’m just…very lived-in.”
“If you were to look in a mirror, your reflection would run away screaming,” I hear Jesse say.
“Fuck you,” Ryder says good-naturedly. “At least my hair doesn’t look like a seagull made a nest on a homeless bag lady’s head.”
“Which one of us has a bald spot?” Jesse shoots back.
I can’t help laughing. “You guys are mean to each other, aren’t you?”
James chuckles. “The meaner we are, the more it’s meant with love. It’s a guy thing.”
I flip my ponytail with my free hand. “You’re sure I won’t be in the way?”
“Not at all.” James’s voice is quiet, familiar, and gruff.
“I’ll see you guys soon, then.”
I hang up and head to James’s house. The gate is open, as is the back gate leading to the pole barn, and I pull through. All four men have their big, diesel, macho-mobile trucks parked in a line in front of the barn, and I park next to them, laughing at the fact that my truck fits right in.
