Sure enough, it was her.
“Your salad, sir. They were out of chicken and turkey, so I went with a tuna steak.”
“Thanks. That’ll be great.” I accepted the container and a bottle of water. “Have you seen Natalie Nolan today?”
“Yeah, she’s in the pool,” she replied.
Goddammit. My next session started in ten minutes, and I had to eat too.
“All right, thank you,” I said.
Laurie walked out again, and I lifted the lid on my takeout. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red lentils, a low-fat lemon and chili dressing, a big tuna steak that looked too well-done, and fresh herbs.
If my brothers could see me now…
I suppressed a sigh and called my mother.
She answered on the third ring. “Hey, sweetie! I was just thinking about you.”
“Hey, Ma.” I dug out a proper fork from my desk drawer, ’cause fuck wood utensils. “How are you?”
“It’s a good day,” she replied firmly. “Have you bought anything for Jayden yet?”
It was on my list. The kid’s birthday party was this Saturday. It was Thursday today, so…it was too late to order something from Amazon. I wasn’t that much of a gambler.
“Not yet, but I’m heading down to Cedar with Avery and Elise tomorrow,” I answered. “Lias stole my idea to get him Rollerblades, so I’m gonna get him a crossbow instead.”
I knew it was a gift Darius would approve of, because we had the same old man. Pop had raised us to embrace hobbies that improved skills in speed, accuracy, strength, and coordination.
“Should a nine-year-old play with a crossbow?” Ma asked carefully.
I snorted softly and chewed on a mouthful of dry tuna. “Ryan and I got our first crossbows before we started school.”
She sighed. “But, thankfully, times have changed.”
“Darius hasn’t.” I grinned. “He will definitely approve.”
“That’s hardly reassuring,” Ma muttered. “Now, what can I do for you?”
Feed me.
“You got an extra plate for dinner?” I wondered. “I’m not in the mood for chicken and broccoli tonight.”
“Oh, of course, honey! Always. We eat at seven, and we’re havin’ pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy.”
Fuck yeah.
I arrived at the gym early the following morning. I’d matched with someone on Tinder who’d kept her potential for all of two minutes, before she’d asked for my goddamn sign so she could determine if we were compatible.
Not that it fucking mattered. I hadn’t swiped on anyone since Natalie had gotten stuck in my head, and now I felt like I might as well delete the apps.
My morning workout didn’t brighten my mood enough, so I was still irritated when Natalie walked in at five minutes to nine.
I dragged a towel over my face and then reached for my tee while she signed in at the front desk.
Once she came closer, it looked like she was in a bad mood too.
“Good morning.” I headed over to the treadmills where we’d log some new results.
