“I used my position as the Director of Protective Services to secure two before the store opened on its release day.” He held up his wrist, showing that he had gotten one for himself. “The heart rate monitor is excellent for our yoga sessions.”
Evie slowly lowered the instructions she was reading, her eyebrows rising in surprise at his smug confession. “You used your position to secure two before the store opened?” She clicked her tongue at him playfully. “That is not very honourable.” Leaving the watch to sync, she pulled out the rest of her present, a fuchsia pink and black tank top with matching yoga pants.
“You have more faith in my honour and nobility than you should,” Thorn chuckled, watching as she held the tank top up to check the size. “Nissa gave me your sizes, so everything should fit. I thought a new outfit would help you feel more confident.”
“Fake it till you make it, huh?” Evie laughed as she headed toward her bedroom. “Back in a second.”
She changed quickly out of her pyjama shorts and tank top, pulled on her new outfit, and tried a few yoga poses in front of her mirror, making sure everything stayed in place and didn’t ride up or shift with movement. Kara had brought in several top clothing designers after Tommy approved her proposal to launch a fitness division of Sloane Tech, and Evie had to admit that the extra development cost had been worth it.
All Spark Apparel was made with moisture-wicking fabrics that used antimicrobial coatings to reduce odour-causing bacteria, a fairly standard feature in most high-end exercise clothing. What made Spark Apparel special was the incorporation of nano-filament biometric fibres, thin threads that read heart and breathing rates, skin temperature, and micro-movements, then sent the data to a Spark watch or an Iris phone. The clothes were also comfortable and stretchy while still holding their shape perfectly.
Making a mental note to pass along her praise to Kara, Evie returned to find Thorn loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher for her.
“What do you think?” She struck a playful pose. Their regular yoga sessions over the last year had helped her feel much more confident in her body, appreciating it for what it could do rather than how it looked. She was still slightly overweight, loving food too much to take her diet seriously, but she was stronger than she had been in years and had more muscle tone than at any point since her ballet days as a child and preteen.
She watched as Thorn looked up and did a double take, his cheeks taking on the faintest hint of pink as he looked her over. He was not used to seeing her in anything so form-fitting. She normally wore shirts a size larger than she needed, paired with baggy sweatpants when she exercised, and leggings with oversized sweaters or T-shirts during her downtime.
He cleared his throat and gave her a slightly strained smile before returning his attention to starting the dishwasher. “Those colours suit you.”
Grinning, she let out a small giggle and went to the fridge for her water bottle. “Thanks. Ready to go?”
“Lead the way.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Pivot
Evie stepped reluctantly through the door to the training room, with Thorn following close behind her. His hand found the small of her back as the sound of raised voices reached them, and they both paused, looking around for the source of the argument so they wouldn’t intrude.
Thorn nodded to the left, and Evie spotted Aaron. His black tank top and grey sweatpants highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow hips as he stood in front of a punching bag. Paula stood nearby, her blonde hair pulled into a French braid. She wore a black sports bra and leggings that accentuated her toned, defined physique. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her blue eyes were narrowed as she glared at her husband.
“Paula, Beau is flying out tomorrow morning. It’s the last time I’ll see him for a year, possibly ever.” Aaron struck the punching bag a few times and glared back at her. “Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me dinner with your mother is more important than that?”
“You always have an excuse.” Paula turned and walked away, heading to the bench along the wall and picking up her water bottle. “You just hate being around my mother.”
“You’ve known his leave date for three weeks. I added it to our shared calendar.” Aaron looked like he wanted to shake her, and Evie couldn’t blame him. If the date was on their shared calendar, Paula should’ve scheduled dinner with her mother for another night.
“For Chrissake, my best friend is about to go to Iraq and put his life on the line for this country, and I’m spending his last night with him.” He slammed his fist into the punching bag. “That’s all there is to it. I’m sure Cecilia will get over her disappointment.”
“Whatever. You can tell my mom why you won’t be there.” Paula stormed toward them, and Evie and Thorn hurriedly stepped out of her path. Aaron followed, shaking his head in exasperation.
“Sorry. Excuse us,” he said as he passed. The door closed behind them, and Evie looked up at Thorn, startled by the display.
“Are they always like that?”
“They have a strange relationship.” He chuckled bemusedly as he guided her toward a large mat on the opposite side of the room from the treadmills and weight machines. “I am a little surprised he is holding his ground. He usually just gives her what she wants.” He began to stretch, and Evie started to copy his movements.
“Whoever this Beau person is, he must be important.” He continued as he bent at the waist and touched his toes. “And Paula is clearly not a fan.”
Evie snorted. “No kidding. The saying “if looks could kill” comes to mind.” Thorn chuckled, straightening up as Cole and Nissa joined them.
“That does sum it up, although I’m not sure who would kill whom in that situation. Aaron and Paula.” He explained to Cole and Nissa, who were giving them confused looks.
“Ah.” Cole nodded, grinning. “Yeah, we just passed them. Paula looked like the stick in her ass had been shoved up a few more inches.”
“Cole.” Nissa sighed as she reprimanded him lightly. “I’d rather you not share your opinions about the other contractors until Evie has had a chance to form her own.”
Cole just laughed and started to stretch. “She’s smart, I’m sure she’s picked up that Paula isn’t exactly a warm, fuzzy person who wants to be everyone’s friend.”
Evie nodded, thoroughly enjoying Cole’s easy, relaxed personality.
