She was the captain of our high school cheerleading squad. And homecoming queen. And prom queen.Andvoted the most beautiful and most popular.
The sight of her pulls a resigned sigh from me. Maybe we were switched at birth. Dad would be so proud if I could be even the tiniest bit more like Dana. He wouldn’t feel the need to make apologies for my rather lackluster personality to his girlfriends, either.
And he might even not have been so upset that time he was contacted about my appendicitis. It was on a weekend during my senior year in high school. He couldn’t understand why I called him—It isn’t like I can operate on you.He had an important golf outing with people who mattered, and he was furious he’d been pulled away over something that wasn’t “that critical.” Surely the doctors and nurses could deal with me.
“You need to be less selfish. Consider that others have priorities that might be more important than you.” Dad’s tone said what I was doing to him was comparable to what I did to my mom by asking for blueberries.
My heart ached more than the appendix, and I couldn’t speak through the pain. When I cried, he impatiently demanded that I be given a painkiller.
Dana finishes posing and gets on a treadmill. Soon she’s running like a zebra on the African veldt with a physical grace I can’t even imagine for myself.
After dumping the box in the recycling bin, I go to the breakroom to get something to drink. One of the benefits of working at a gym is that there are lots of healthy options, including flavored tea and water.
I grab a bottle of plain mineral water. Otherwise, Dad’s voice will be ringing in my head the entire time I’m at the restaurant with Owen.
“There you are, pretty girl!” Jack says with a broad smile. He’s my boss, and the founder of Get Jacked Gyms. In his mid-thirties, he’s tall, tanned and ripped, with bleached hair that’s cropped tight. He began his career as a personal trainer, worked up to Hollywood celebs and then decided he’d rather own a gym. He still has personal clients—after all, celebrities pay very well—but he spends a lot of energy on the gym business, too. Get Jacked has four locations in Los Angeles, this one being the original. “Happy birthday!”
His brown eyes linger on my chest a beat too long, but I need this job, at least for the time being. “Thanks.”
I start to make as wide a circle as possible to reach the exit, but he raises a hand.
“Stay put so I can text everyone.” He whips out his phone and starts tapping. “I got you a mocha cake from that bakery you like in Koreatown. We should do the candles and all that.” His biceps bulge as he rubs his hands together in anticipation. He grabs my shoulder and gives it a squeeze.
I take a step back and cross my arms.Why can’t I just win the lottery? Nothing too big. Just a couple million so I can quit my job, get away from this creep and not worry about money ever again.
There’s nobody I can talk to about this gym situation. I mentioned how uncomfortable his behavior makes me to my supervisor, Elaine, but she told me I was just being too sensitive.
“Jack’s just a little hands-on. You’ve seen him when he trains his clients, correcting their form and spotting them to make sure they don’t get injured.”
I have, and he places his hands on their backs and hips and so on to ensure they don’t slouch or lift using bad form.
She continued, “All the trainers do this, not just him. He probably just wants to correct your posture or something because that makes a huge difference in how your back feels.” Her eyes swept over me, the tip of her mouth twisting in you’re-delusional-if-you-honestly-think-you’re-hot-enough-for-his-notice derision.
“But he doesn’t touch them when they aren’t in session. And he stares at my chest. It makes me uncomfortable.”
I might as well have been talking to a wall. And that was when I decided it was time to find a new job. But it’s tough when most places don’t pay as well as Get Jacked, and I have a lot of expenses, including my student loans. Los Angeles is a costly city.
“You can’tnothave cake on your birthday,” Jack adds expectantly, his gaze fixed to my chest. “It’s like a law.”
The cake isn’t hidden between my boobs!“Right.”
Even as I nod with a fake smile and pray that my boss learns the meaning ofmaintaining eye contact, my mind says it’ll be faster to just find a new job.
Jack squints at me. “Are you okay?”
Finally! “Yeah. Why?”
“You just seem a little tense.”
I’m stuck here with you! Where are the others? There’s free cake here!“It’s been a busy week.”
“I can’t do anything about your workload. But tell you what!” Jack’s eyes twinkle like he’s Satan spotting some poor sucker whose soul he plans to steal. “Let’s get a workout together. The endorphin rush will totally de-stress you!”
“I couldn’t possibly impose on you like that.”Or let you put your hands all over me to “correct my form.”
“Imposition? Nah. Consider it a birthday present. Nobody gets to train with me for free but you.” He winks.
God, please spare me. “Hahaha. Right. Thanks.”
