Samiah caught her wrist. “Not yet. We’re about to start.” She motioned to the front of the room, where the freckled redhead stood. The woman held up a painting of a wineglass on the ledge of a windowsill. It was a completed version of the image outlined in gray on their canvases. Peggy instructed the class to “go with their heart” when painting their own version, but informed them that hers would remain at the front of the class as a guide.
“Okay, that was helpful,” London said. “Now more wine.” She grabbed her empty glass and went off in the direction of the table near the check-in desk that held bottles of wine and extra food.
“I don’t think painting is her thing,” Taylor said.
“I’ll be president of Trendsetters before that girl finds an interest outside of the hospital,” Samiah said.
“Hey, that may not be too far off base. At the pace you’re moving, you’ll be running that company soon,” Taylor remarked. Samiah had already achieved rock-star status at the tech firm where she worked in downtown Austin.
“It sounds as if I’m not the only one making big moves,” she said. “This deal you made with Jamar Dixon is going to work out great for you. What about the other thing?”
“What other thing?”
“Going back to school. Have you looked into any yet?” Samiah asked.
For a moment, Taylor’s confusion rendered her speechless. She’d been so busy with her new client this week that she hadn’t given school a passing thought.
“I think I can scrap those plans now that I’m working with Jamar,” she said. She wouldn’t think about why those words left a sour taste on their way out of her mouth.
“What does one have to do with the other?” Samiah asked.
“The whole point of going back to school was to—”
“To get your degree so that you can take your fitness consulting business to the next level.”
“Which will happen once Jamar gets back into the NFL,” Taylor pointed out.
“But what if he doesn’t?”
The earnestness in Samiah’s voice caused Taylor’s stomach to churn with acid and that sour taste to return to her mouth.
“No . . . no negative thinking,” she stammered. She cleared her throat and tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. “I don’t allow myself to think that way when it comes to my clients.”
Samiah didn’t look convinced, and why should she? Even Taylor had to admit it sounded like bullshit.
“Trust me on this,” Taylor said. “Jamar is getting back into the NFL.”
“Fine,” Samiah said. “So let’s say hedoesmake it onto a team; there’s still no guarantee that it will impact Taylor’d Conditioning in the way that you think it will. Anything can happen.” She took a sip from her wine. “Look, I don’t subscribe to the notion that everyone has to go to college. I just think, in your case, earning your degree would provide security that you don’t have right now.”
She knew Samiah was right, and at this moment, Taylor hated her for it. She’d had this debate with herself. She’d made the pros and cons list. And she’d discovered that it was possible for her to recognize the transformative power of a degree yet still be reluctant about obtaining one.
London returned with her wineglass and a small saucer.
“There is cheese dip,” she sang, doing a little shimmy as she reclaimed her seat. “And it’s good cheese, not the processed kind. I have to admit, this place is growing on me.” She looked from Taylor to Samiah. “Okay, why does it suddenly feel like Thanksgiving dinner back before my parents were divorced? This kind of tension gives me hives.”
“Well,someone is backing out on her plans to get her degree,” Samiah provided.
“Damn. Already? You just decided to go back to school like a minute ago. Why are you giving up so soon?”
“I’m not giving up! I’m just . . . Shit,” Taylor muttered. “I won’t take it completely off the table, but I can’t handle both school and training Jamar.”
“You’ll always have clients that you’re training,” Samiah said. “We already established that you’ll have to simultaneously work and go to school.”
“Iknow!” She grimaced, hating the whiny quality in her voice. “Look, I know that I’ll have to work while earning my degree, but this particular client requires more attention than most. Just the thought of having to do homework after a full day of training makes my stomach knot.”
“Wait a minute,” London said, her eyes suddenly alight with excitement. “I just thought of something. I actuallylikeschool. What if my new hobby is helping you with your schoolwork?”
Taylor started to nod, until Samiah declared, “That is not a hobby. Why don’t you go back to painting?”
