Also, there was a good possibility she’d actually fallen asleep and was somehow managing to pedal unconsciously.
Not a bad plan, Molly Maverick. Not a bad plan at all.
Another side note—this class was complete and utter hell. This was how I imagined boot camp. Forty-five minutes of a straight incline up the world’s steepest mountain. Maybe minus the techno version of Taylor Swift in the background.
And I worked out. I wasn’t like Molly who could consume seventy-five percent of the planet’s fast food in one day and wake up the next morning somehow thinner than the day before. I was starting to suspect she had a pet tapeworm.
She complained about her lack of curves and Gumby-like body, but she had no idea how good she had it.
I couldn’t eat half of what she did and even hope to be marginally thin. My body type was brought to you by weekend drinking, six days a week workout and dinners consisting of cocktail cherries and bleu cheese stuffed olives.
To be fair though, most of my dinners happened at two in the morning, after I’d been cooking all night, so I was never in the mood to cook for myself. Especially when there was only me.
I usually just grabbed what was available. Which meant cocktail accoutrements. And sometimes good cheese I nicked from the restaurant kitchen.
The instructor looked at me and smiled sadistically—er, at least that was how it appeared from my angle. Like he was possessed with a workout demon intent on enslaving the entire world with cycling. “All right,” he shouted into his headset, “who’s ready to kick it up a notch?”
I shook my head rapidly. Not me. I was so not ready to kick it up a notch. No notches should be kicked.
Molly groaned next to me. I turned to see if she was okay and she mouthed, “I hate you.” Well, okay then.
It was easy to stop obsessing over Vann after that, since I was convinced I was about to pedal my legs right off my body.
By the end of the class, I was gasping for breath and sweating every last drop of liquid in my body. I stumbled off my stationary bike and grabbed for my towel with shaky hands to wipe it down. I wasn’t always diligent about this step of community workout protocol, but the amount of sweat I’d drenched this bike seat in was unnatural. I’d straight up desecrated the poor thing.
“Oh, my god,” Molly groaned. “That was hell.”
“That was pure insanity,” I huffed. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
Her laser glare was answer enough. “Are you serious?”
I managed a weak smile. “You said it was hard. You didn’t say I wouldn’t be able to walk straight for a week after.”
She threw her hand in the air. “That’s exactly what I said! Those were my exact words!” She turned to the person standing behind me. “Can you believe this, Vann?”
My throat dried out and it had nothing to do with the workout. “My memory is a little fuzzy about what you said.”
“At least she didn’t run out of here to puke,” he said, standing closer than I thought he would have at this point in our estranged relationship.
“Who did that?” I had to ask.
“Vera,” Molly said seriously. “She claimed it had something to do with the pregnancy, but it sounds like an excuse to me.”
“Obviously.” I snapped my fingers. “Maybe I should get knocked up too. That would get me out of a couple of jams.”
Molly laughed, but Vann stilled beside me. I was afraid to look at him, realizing what my comment must have sounded like to him after our one-night stand.
“I think there’s a few steps you have to take first,” Molly suggested. “Like finding a guy willing to knock you up. And I don’t think you’re going to have any luck in your current pool of losers.”
The sound that came out of my mouth was supposed to be a laugh, but it was more like the sputtering sound of mortification. “You never know…”
She gave me a knowing look, but she had no idea the hornet’s nest she was poking right now.
Vann leaned in and nudged me with his elbow. “They’re all losers then?”
Was he fishing for a compliment? Or just trying to make me melt into a blushing puddle of embarrassment. Seriously, what was I supposed to say to that. “No one interested in being my baby daddy at least.”
“Have you asked any of them?”
