“My trainer quit on me,” Leo started. “It’s too late in the year to find one half as good. Everyone worth paying for already has a full-time gig.”
I took a deep breath after hearing Leo respond directly to me. His voice was an easy trigger for old memories. Like always, he spoke smoothly. Each of his sentences was carefully crafted. He’d kill it on a Toastmasters team and I would know, being a member of my local chapter since freshman year of high school.
“So, despite him having the money to poach someone, he refuses. I told him the next best option was training with me,” Nate said.
Leo sighed. “Richard hates me. I’m not spending the summer trying to argue with him about the basics of form.”
“To be fair, Richard hates everyone.” Nate laughed. “Even Kira.”
My shoulders sank at the reminder. “You’d think he would give me some slack. I was the reason you hired him.”
Nate shrugged. “Don’t take it personally.”
“Easy for you to say,” Leo teased. “How does it feel to have the ground under your feet worshiped by one of the best trainers in the business?”
“Damn good,” Nate said without hesitation. I rolled my eyes with a small smile on my face.
“Whatever.” Leo’s voice held a smile in it as well. “Long story short, I either stay here and train myself or shell out cash from someone who might not even be worth the trouble.”
I chewed on my inner cheek, considering his options before finally saying, “Staying on campus after school’s out? That sounds lonely.”
Nate’s forehead wrinkled, like my observation was beside the point. I couldn’t help but think about how isolated I’d feel on a college campus with no best friend, family, or trainer.
Leo was quiet for a moment and then, cleared his throat.
“Not really,” he said, voice easygoing.
“Empty campus sounds like a dream to me,” Nate added. My brother liked people but loved quiet. He was a human version of a chameleon. Adaption came naturally.
“Well, if it doesn’t bother you, then, you should fight for what you want.” I shelved the last canned beans and tossed the extra plastic bags into the recycling bin. “You want to swim, so find a way to swim.”
“By paying someone,” Nate tried to finish for me.
I shrugged. “By any means necessary. You two got stuck on finding a way. Make a way.”
Nate blinked, giving me a curious look. “That’s surprisingly decent advice.”
“I’m not surprised at all really,” Leo said in a lower tone like he was thinking about something else now.
“Be a verb, boys,” I said as I started out of the room. “Action breeds results. So do spreadsheets.”
“You’re not making a spreadsheet,” Nate said to Leo. “I’m convinced they’re cursed and she’s stuck worshiping at the altar of Excel.”
I clicked my tongue on the roof of my mouth, glaring at Nate. “Make fun of spreadsheets all you want, just remember who helped you on this day. And who made a sheet perfectly tailored to our grocery needs.”
“You haven’t sacrificed your soul in vain,” Nate swore as he placed his hand on his heart. “You have my undying respect.”
I scoffed at his exaggeration. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t eat all the rice treats. I want some leftovers in case my desserts for the block party turn out like trash.”
* * *
The sticky humidity of Florida summers never failed to piss me off. Pair that with a crowd of a hundred people and you had what I liked to call, hell on earth.
“Don’t go then,” Nate told me from his perch on the kitchen island. Ever since he sat down, I’d been venting about potential nosy people at the neighborhood event. “Half the reason you’re doing it is because you’re trying to cover for Mom. Which is a whole other problem in itself. And you know how I feel about that.”
I tried not to make a face. Of course, I knew how he felt about me taking on things that weren’t ‘my responsibility.’ If I didn’t do it, who would?
“You should skip the whole thing,” he suggested. “Let the neighbors talk and think it was Mom’s doing. That’ll force her to start participating in these social events herself and take the load off of you.”
