“Do you know how many gyms I passed on my way down here, just to take your class?” he said. “I promise, I’m for real.”
“All the way down from where?”
“Georgetown.”
She grimaced. “Okay, yeah, I wouldn’t drive all the way out from Georgetown just to hit on someone.” She gave him another of those quick perusals. “You don’t look that desperate.”
“For a date? No. For a trainer I believe in? Yes, I’m desperate.”
“Be careful there, Twenty-Three. My rate is based on a sliding scale. The more desperate you are, the more that price slides upward,” she said in a teasing voice. She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked down at it again. “I really have to go. Can we talk about this another day?”
“Tomorrow?” he asked. “I need to start training as soon as possible. Should we meet here? I can buy you another smoothie.”
“You said you’re up in Georgetown, right?” she asked. Jamar nodded. “I’ve been meaning to make an IKEA run. How about I meet you halfway? There’s a Starbucks at the outlet mall in Round Rock that’s near IKEA. Does that work for you?”
If he wrote up a list of places where he would run into the most Texas Longhorns fans, Texas Memorial Stadium would be at the top. A Starbucks near an outlet mall would be second.
“Would you mind if we met someplace else? There’s a little café not too far from the outlet mall.” He held up the business card she’d handed him back at Zilker Park. “Is this a good number to text you with the name and directions to the café?”
She nodded, but then her eyes narrowed once more. “You’d better be legit, Twenty-Three. I don’t want you wasting my time.”
“I won’t,” he said. “I don’t have any time to waste, yours or mine.”
He walked back to the smoothie truck and rapped on the window. He handed the guy a ten this time. “She’ll take another smoothie to go.” He turned back to Taylor. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Taylor pulled into a parking spot next to a sky-blue minivan parked at the far end of the aisle, a good distance away from any other vehicle. She got out of her car and met a grinning Melonie Phillips standing at the rear of the minivan.
“I see you’re taking advantage of some of the tips I taught you,” Taylor said in greeting. “Did you even look for a closer parking space?”
“Nope.” Melonie held up her wrist, showcasing the fitness tracker she’d purchased at Taylor’s insistence when they began working together this past summer. “I upped my daily goal to twelve thousand. It’s not as easy to get in those extra two thousand steps as I thought it would be. I’ve had to get creative.”
“You’d be surprised at how many steps you can get in by adjusting your routine just a little bit here and there. One of my favorite tips is to keep the TV remote next to the TV instead of on the couch or bedside table. I can almost guarantee you’ll get another few hundred steps going back and forth to flip channels.” Taylor gestured toward the grocery store and rubbed her hands together. “Let’s get to shopping. I’m excited to see what you’ve come up with as a sensible meal plan.”
Once in the store, she followed Melonie to the produce department, observing as she loaded up on leafy greens, colorful bell peppers, and broccoli. When she reached for a bag of russet potatoes, Taylor stopped her.
“If you’re going to have potatoes, which I recommend limiting as much as possible, go for sweet potatoes.”
“Really? I would have thought sweet potatoes had more sugar.”
“They do, but they’re also much higher in vitamin A. With your family’s history of eye disease, they’re the smarter choice. Better yet,” she said, reaching for a butternut squash, “go half sweet potatoes, half squash, whether you’re roasting or mashing them. It will lessen the carbs and sugar and you won’t be able to tell the difference.”
A grateful smile lit up Melonie’s face. “This is the kind of advice I was hoping for when I hired you. It’s all so much to keep track of, especially with three kids to run after. I swear, Taylor, you have been a godsend.”
Melonie’s praise was the kind of validation Taylor’s battered ego had been thirsting for. Screw all those people who thought she needed a degree to do her job. She had as much fitness and nutrition knowledge as anyone she’d come across. She studied her ass off, making sure to learn as much as she could, determined to provide her clients with the most up-to-date advice.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Taylor said. “Remember, this is a partnership. How much weight have you lost since July?”
“Twenty-two pounds.” Melonie preened. “I cannot wait for my ex and his new fiancée to drive down from Omaha in a couple of weeks to pick up the kids. I bought a new pair of jeans that make my ass look amazing. I want him salivating.”
“Nowthatis the kind of vindication I live for.” Taylor held her hand up for a high five. “Gimme some!”
They slapped palms, then migrated to the meat department, picking out lean cuts of beef and protein-rich salmon. By the time they were done shopping, Taylor couldn’t stop herself from beaming like a proud mama.
“You did a great job, Mel. You ready to do it again next week?”
“That would be wonderful, but . . . ” Melonie trailed off, her lips tilting downward in an apologetic frown.
