Mentally I ran through my to-do list for the day. I had to make some scones for the Busy Bean, put the finishing touches on an excavator-themed birthday cake, and finish icing a large cupcake order. It was nothing Selene couldn’t handle. It was about time I stopped micromanaging and passed some of the responsibility on to her.
If I wanted to have some semblance of a work-life balance, I needed to learn when to let go. When to let others step in for me from time to time.
This was one of those moments.
“Okay,” I relented.
Her eyes lit up. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious.”
She launched herself at me, hugging me tight. “I could kiss you.”
I knew she’d be excited, but I hadn’t expected her to bethatexcited. Maybe the bakery was becoming more than just a part-time job for her. If that was the case, it was going to be a tough pill for her parents to swallow…
“Promise you’ll call me if you need anything.”
“I promise.” She released me, giving me a gentle shove toward the back door. “Now go. Get out of here and get your man.”
“And Tegan,” Dec said. “Make sure you wear something tight. You’ve got a great body. Put it to work.”
Nine
Atlas
Saturday mornings were one ofmy favorite times to hit the gym early. Four a.m. might seem obscene to some people, but I liked working out without an audience. While everyone was tucked safe and warm in their beds, sleeping off their hangovers from the night before, I was praying in the iron chapel.
My headphones blared some loud-as-fuck song into my ears as I grunted, heaving the loaded bar up over my body.
Just another rep, I told myself as my muscles burned, the satisfying ache spurring me on.
Push yourself just a little further.
Be better today than you were yesterday.
But it was hard to keep my focus when all I could think about was her.
Ever since the wedding, my thoughts seemed to gravitate back to Tegan.
On my way to the gym this morning, I smiled wide when I passed by the dark window of the bakery. If I wanted to see heragain, I couldn’t just stand around, waiting for fate to intervene. I had to take action.
Maybe I’d stop by when I left today—if I left at a reasonable hour.
Today I was manning the front desk for one of my trainers, Chai. She’d been having some medical issues lately, so I’d been filling in to pick up the slack. It was a nice change from the day-to-day minutiae of the office work I was used to doing. I missed interacting with clients and helping them achieve their goals, whether it was weight loss or getting ripped.
I was particularly fond of the getting-ripped part.
When my set was finished, I placed the bar back on the rack and took a deep swig from my water bottle. Beads of sweat matted the fur on my forehead and dripped down into my eyes. I wiped it away with my towel before putting my hat on backward, pulling my ears through the holes at the top.
Catching my reflection in the mirror, I took a moment to look at myself. Really look at myself.
I was hot, right?
The heated gazes Tegan gave me at the wedding made me think so. It was such a stark contrast from the way Jade looked at me. If my body comp was anything less than perfect, she made me feel like shit about it. And then there was Tegan, eye-fucking me while she force-fed me cake, telling me I looked great exactly how I was.
It was refreshing.
Kael, one of our first members, sat down on the weight bench next to mine. He was a massive orc who owned the auto shop outside of town. The guy could bench a crazy amount of weight. Clients like him were the reason I bought the best equipment I could.
