“Oh.”
The surprise in his voice prompting me to ask, “Is there something wrong with me working here?”
“What? Oh, no. I’m just surprised is all.”
“And why is that?”
“I’m shocked you’d want to work withhim.”
Himcould only refer to one person, but I asked my next question anyway.
“Himwho?”
“Crew. He’s a mean sonofabitch.” The man’s round eyes widened after his little outburst. “Please don’t tell him I said that. He’ll revoke my membership, and this is a great gym.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” His posture softened. “As far as knowing him or his personality, I don’t,” I half lied. I wasn’t trying to protect Jackson in any way, but I mostly spoke the truth. I’d had several unsavory encounters with the man, but I didn’t truly know him. Maybe he was a guarded individual for a reason, and perhaps in time he’d show me a nicer side of him. I inwardly chuckled at the ridiculous notion.
“It’s probably best you just stay away from him.” The slight awkwardness that bounced between us didn’t last long as he extended his hand toward me. “I’m Chet.”
“Sophie.”
He shifted his weight to his left leg, the light blue T-shirt he wore clinging to a well-defined physique. Strands of dark blond hair clung to his forehead, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. In what I was sure was a mindless action, he raised the bottom of his shirt and wiped his face. I didn’t look away when he revealed the six-pack he hid beneath the material, but luckily he didn’t catch me staring.
“I know this is sudden, and I hope you won’t think this is too forward, but I was wondering if I could take you out sometime.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not dating right now.”
“Why’s that?”
I wasn’t in the headspace to get into my current situation, and with a stranger no less. And I must’ve pulled a face, because he backed up a step and let go of the treadmill as his stare briefly drifted past me and landed somewhere across the room. “No need to explain, Sophie.” He suddenly looked nervous, so much so, I turned around to see who he’d been looking at, but there was no one there but Lance. “It was nice to meet you, and I guess I’ll just see you around.” I swiveled around to look at him once more, but he walked off before I could respond.
“That was weird,” I mumbled to myself, stepping off the treadmill and grabbing a bottle of cleaner and a cloth to wipe down the machine.
Several minutes later, as I was midstride across the gym, a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I stumbled.
“You okay?” Elton asked, rushing forward and extending his arm toward me before I fell over.
“Yeah. Just forgot to eat, that’s all.”
“Not smart, especially before a workout.”
“I know.”
I flashed him a tight grin, taking a few deep breaths to ward off the lightheadedness. My dad insisted on me taking frozen meals from the house, so at least I would have something to eat when I retreated to my apartment.
When I finally regained my bearings, I released his arm.
“All better?” he asked, his light brown eyes assessing me.
“I’m good. I’ll eat as soon as I get upstairs.”
“Okay, have a good night.”
“You too.”
My gaze followed him as he headed toward Chet. At first, I assumed they were friendly, but from the way Chet’s posture straightened, I believed there might be some sort of issue between them. From where I stood, the only thing I could see was Chet shaking his head, then the slumping of his shouldersright before Elton walked away. The man who’d hit on me clenched his fists several times before stalking out of the gym.
My first thought was that he got in trouble for talking to me, but as the ridiculous thought formed, I pushed it aside because it was simply asinine.
