Riley was excited to dig into his eggs and ham, only slightly disappointed they weren’t green because he was still pretty much a child, while Josh wiggled in the seat next to him with enthusiasm as he surveyed his waffle topped with a mountain of whipped cream and fruit.
“When are you guys starting those kids' classes?” Hunter asked between bites.
Tobias finished chewing his omelet and said, “I’m shooting for next month. We’re going to start with yoga before we try anything else, since that’s been the biggest request. We can’t actually give real barbells to six-year-olds, so if yoga does well then I’m going to order some incredibly light mini barbells and dumbbells so the kids have something to lift like their parents. But bodyweight stuff will be easiest and least problematic for now.”
“What do you mean problematic?” Carson asked.
“There are a lot of restrictions on what kids can do since their bodies are still developing. Plus, I want to avoid injuries as much as possible. They don’t quite understand how much they can hurt themselves by lifting something with improper form.”
“Yoga is a good place to start since it’s a slower pace and we can really focus on their safety,” Chase added.
“People are gonna love that,” Garrett chimed in. “They’ll save so much on daycare, it’s like a no-brainer.”
“Think of all the hot single parents that are gonna fill this place too,” Cole added as he turned to Chase. “Maybe you can find a hot DILF to take home. You always loved that ‘daddy’ vibe.”
Tobias interrupted the meal by choking on his eggs, Chase slapping his back from the spot next to him. Once he got a handle on his breathing, he took a drink to be safe, Chase smirking at his reaction.
“Jesus Christ, Cole,” Tobias breathed. “Do you have any kind of filter?”
“Nah, doctors had to remove it, otherwise I would be too perfect and make everyone else feel inferior. It’s for the best for the rest of humanity.”
“You are a piece of work, Cole,” Riley said, suddenly reminded of another problem he was dealing with. “Shit, I almost forgot. Speaking of pains in the ass, Garrett, we might need your help.”
Garrett nodded and continued eating his French toast, but his attention was on Riley.
“I think Josh and I are being stalked by one of our clients,” he explained, the rest of the table quieting. “This author we’ve worked with for years started sending us creepy messages, making it sound like he knows us morethan he should.”
“And he sent pictures of us,” Josh added. “He sent us a picture of us leaving the gym the other morning, and we said we were going to contact the police, but he pointed out he was on public property so it wasn’t illegal.”
“He even pointed out how we could ask our friend Garrett about it to be sure, but how does he even know about you?”
Garrett, a Cherrywood detective, finished chewing slowly, his gaze jumping between Josh and Riley. He took a sip of his coffee, like he was unaware the entire table was waiting for him to respond.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said, far calmer than Riley expected him to be.
“You wouldn’t worry about it? He knows your name. He knows things about Josh and me that he shouldn’t. How can we not worry?” Riley said, starting to feel like he was going a bit crazy.
“It’s my professional opinion that this guy contacting you probably has no life and is only bothering you because he’s ashamed of the minuscule size of his dick.”
“I mean, that’s rude,” Cole said. “I bet he has ahugedick.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Riley asked. This conversation wasn’t going where he thought it would go.
“He knows secret things about Riley and me. You really think we shouldn’t be worried?” Josh asked, aiming hispuppy dog eyes at Garrett.
“Yeah, that sounds like a big deal to me,” Hunter said.
“And if Hunter thinks it’s a big deal, that’s saying a lot, since he’s also so… big,” Carson said, returning his attention to his Greek yogurt bowl. It was adorable when he tried to be funny.
“Yeah, are you really sure they shouldn’t worry?” Chase asked.
“Okay, how about this?” Garrett said. “Send me the emails he’s sent you and I’ll look into it.”
“Thanks, man,” Riley said, relaxing a bit at Garrett’s offer. “I looked into him myself a bit, but couldn’t find anything useful.”
“I’ll bet you fifty bucks that it’s some idiot you don’t have to worry about,” Garrett said.
“Bullshit. I bet he’s hot and suave and his dick is bigger than average,” Cole said, glaring at Garrett.
