Ridiculously happy, Jeremy answered,Yes.
Don’t know exactly when I’ll be finished. Sometime after 6.
I’ll be waiting.
Buoyed by the thought of Blake coming to the gym, Jeremy turned to his work, bringing up the monthly list of new members. But where once he could lose himself in numbers, charts, and trends, Jeremy’s thoughts remained consumed with Blake. The smile lighting up his face when he came through the door every night after work. The softness of his lips when they kissed. The desperate sounds when they made love.
Jeremy jerked himself back to the present. Love? When had it moved beyond dating? The pit of his stomach tightened, and he pushed back from his chair, anxious to drive those crazy and scary-as-shit thoughts from his mind, and headed out to the gym floor. For a moment he stood surveying the expanse for any regulars he could greet. Personalized service was what he prided himself on.
He saluted Coby Walker, running on the treadmill who grinned at him but barely broke stride.
“Hey, Jeremy. What’s going on?” Coby’s lean runner’s body glistened with sweat, his sun-streaked brown hair held back with a headband. The two of them had hung out on occasion but never taken it to the next level, though Jeremy certainly found him attractive. Before Blake entered his life, of course.
“Nada. Where’s the next race?”
“Boston.” Coby’s feet pounded the treadmill, but he easily spoke while running. “In April. I’m feeling good about it. Think I’m gonna beat my time from last year.”
“Great. Keep it up.” An idea popped into his head. “Hey, if you want, I’ll give you a shirt from the gym to wear.”
Flashing him a thumbs-up, Cody nodded. “Happy to help.”
“Catch you later.”
Seeing that Gino was busy giving a potential new member a tour, Jeremy took the time to chat with Benny.
“How’s it going?” He took a seat next to the young man.
Since the time Benny and Gino had gone to the movies together, Jeremy knew they’d hung out but hadn’t heard anything else, and he continued to see Gino flirt with customers.
“Okay. Is anything wrong?” Worry darkened Benny’s blue eyes, and Jeremy wondered why Benny always looked as though the sky was falling.
“Nothing. Just wanted to ask you.” Jeremy’s gaze flitted over to Gino. “Anything ever happen with Gino?”
“Happen with—oh.” A red blush stained Benny’s pale cheeks, and he ducked his head. “I mean, we’re really good friends now and hang out all the time.”
“You’re not dating or anything?” He had no idea why he was getting involved, but Jeremy believed Benny and Gino would be perfect for each other. Each one would play off the other’s strengths and help with the weaknesses. Sort of like him and Blake. “Not even a hookup?”
“No,” said Benny, the misery obvious on his face. “He’s always telling me about the cute guys he meets when he auditions for commercials or goes on modeling calls. But I’m fine with being friends.”
“Yeah? I think you’re kidding yourself. If you ask me, you gotta let him know you’re interested. Maybe he doesn’t realize it.”
“You think?” Benny glanced over at Gino, who’d finished and flashed them a smile. “I don’t know. If he were interested…”
“Look.” Feeling protective of the younger man, Jeremy slid an arm around his shoulders and lowered his voice. “Some guys don’t see that they have a good thing right under their nose ’cause it’s familiar. They get used to having you hanging around and always being there. Bet you always do whatever he wants, right?”
As expected, Benny nodded.
“So mix it up on him. Next time he calls, you pick what to do.” Recalling how Blake had come into his own when they’d been together for a while and how much more assertive he’d become, Jeremy squeezed Benny’s shoulders. “Maybe even make the first move.”
The flush returned to Benny’s face. “I could never do that.”
“Sure you could. Love makes us crazy. Or stupid. Sometimes both. But in the end, it’s worth it.” The phone rang, and Benny turned to answer it, leaving Jeremy to think. There went that wordloveagain.
This time, he wouldn’t let himself get sidetracked; he put his phone on Silent and tackled his work. Business first, Blake second. Somehow that no longer felt right.
****
At around sixthirty, his desk phone buzzed. “Yeah?”
