He was quiet for a second, like he was thinking about how to answer this without giving too much away. “It seemed like the next rational step.”
“And you thought Briar Glenn was the perfect place.”
“Not at first, actually. I, uh, I was heading to Rock Harbor to check out a property and took the exit for Briar Glenn on a whim. Came into town, loved it, and when I found out about the revitalization grants, it seemed like the perfect place to open a gym. I even managed to talk some of my friends into moving here, too.”
I did another rep. “You convinced your friends to move here?”
“I did.”
That was some dedication. They must be close.
“What are they like?” I asked, trying to get as much information out of this training session as I could.
“Well, there’s Fallon. He’s this annoying ladies’ man griffin. We’ve been friends since we were kids, and no matter how hard Itry, I can’t seem to get rid of him. And I already told you about Cyrus.”
“Is he the kraken?” I asked, remembering what he’d told me about the saltwater pool.
Atlas nodded. “Yep. That’s him. We met in college. He shared a campus apartment with Fallon and me. At first he hated us, but eventually we won him over. Cyrus is also the reason the gym logo has a tentacle on it.”
That was supersweet. It seemed like Atlas was the type to go above and beyond for the people he cared about. I wondered if that included training me.
“It sounds like you guys are really close.”
“We are. I’m lucky to have them,” he said. “Especially since—”
I did one last rep and let my arms fall to my sides. “Since?”
“Just—since I would have been alone here.” The way he hesitated made me think there was more to the story than that. I wasn’t going to press him, but hopefully he’d tell me in time.
“And what about you, Miss Baker?” he asked.
“Well, my story isn’t nearly as interesting. My grandma owned the bakery, then my mom, and when she retired, I took over.”
“Did you go to a special pastry school or did you learn on the job?”
“I learned a lot on the job, but I completed a pastry chef program at the community college in Rock Harbor. All of those years working for my mom definitely gave me an advantage, though.”
“I worked at my family business, too. My parents own a hardware store.”
“So I take it you’re good at fixing things?” I asked. Hardware store employee to gym owner was a pretty interesting pipeline.
“I know a thing or two,” he said nonchalantly.
“Cake transporter, personal trainer, business owner,andhandyman. That’s quite the résumé.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “What can I say? I’m a wolven of many talents.”
“You know—there was something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Ask away. I’m an open book.”
“If I remember correctly, your website said you were also a bodybuilder.”
“Okay, stalker.” He laughed. “Did you dig up my social security number, too?”
“Shut up!” I giggled. “I was curious! I couldn’t help myself.”
“Yes,” he sighed. “I was a competitive bodybuilder.”
