She snuggles against me. “I know. I think I want to.”
And I’m right back to horny and excited. Thankfully I don’t have too much time to think about the date, since I promised Vinnie I’d go back to the gym today and run some classes.
I shower and stare at my face in the mirror for far too long wondering if I should wear makeup or skip it. Surely it will come off if I break a sweat. But will my appearance put people off?
Eventually I decide against it, dress, and grab my keys. I’ll have to go by my flat first to pick up my gear, so I don’t even have time to make Jen’s breakfast. I wasted too long worrying about tonight.
Stupid.
She pulls me in for a kiss as I go back into the bedroom to say goodbye. “You’re gonna be great.”
“Thanks.” I wonder, though, if I can hack it as a personal trainer now that I’m dead. It’s a very physical job and there’s hands-on stuff with clients. How will people feel about me once they know my nose might fall off in their lap or my arms might choose the moment I’m spotting them to drop clean off?
Vinnie’s look as I walk in the door is almost enough to make me turn right back around. A moment later my stocky boss strides over and claps me on the back hard enough to rattle my bones, just as though nothing has changed. I pat myself down just to check nothing fell off.
“Hey, man, you look like shit. Good to see you.”
“Good to be back.” I force the words out, but as I look around, I start to feel them. The smell of the gym feels good—sweat and spray cleaner and hard work. Smells like home. Well, second home, right after the feeling I get having Jen back in my life.
“You’re full of it, Garrett. Hurry up. I’ve got fourteen ladies waiting for their power hour class, and they might just tear me a new one if you don’t show. You have no idea what these older women get like. They’re vicious.”
I laugh at the idea that anything could scare my brawny, tough-as-nails friend. I can’t see what’s so bad when I dump my stuff in my locker and open up the doors to the circuit room. The moment they see me, all the women waiting for my Thursday morning class crowd around me talking at once. “Adam, what happened to you?”
“Someone told me you got turned into a vampire.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
“Oh my god, Vinnie tried to send us another trainer, but you should have seen it. He couldn’t handle it.”
Barbara steps to the front of the crowd, her ponytail immaculate as always, and glances at her Apple watch. “Ladies, can we get started? I’ve got a ten o’clock I can’t miss.”
“Right, right.” I clap my hands. “Barbara’s right. Did you come here for power hour or what?”
They all cheer.
“Alright, ladies. Up on those bikes. I want you warm, I want you sweating. Let’s get to it.” Just like that, the muscle memory takes over and I hit my stride.
Barbara gives me a little wink as she heads for her bike, and I hit play on the playlist I curated for them. The energy in the room lifts.
Once they’re warmed up, I get them alternating through a series of squats and deadlifts, checking their form. Nadia is using the biggest set of dumbbells today. I watch to make sure she’s keeping her back straight, leaning in to correct her when she arches a little. Pauline is favoring her left side. When she finishes her set, I check in on her, reminding her not to push herself too hard.
Honestly they’re all looking good. “You’ve all been working hard while I was away. Alright, on your next set, ladies, we’re leveling up. I want you to hold that squat for a count of five all the way down.” Leaning into my own squat to demonstrate, I grin at their groans. “Come on now. How else am I going to get those cougar muscles working? You’re gonna need those butts and hips and legs strong when you’re on top, am I right?” I count them down and swap legs, leaning in, watching them work.
“Oh my god, Adam,” laughs Nadia. “The things you say sometimes.”
I grin. “Did you miss me?”
Rachel groans. “No!” She’s shaking as she comes up from the extended squat, so I go over and check her on the next one. Despite her protests, she dips all the way into it.
“Yes. Work it.”
At the end of the hour, I switch the fast, pumping music to a slower track, leading them into stretches and relaxation. I look around the room at their flushed and sweaty faces smiling back at me. “Well done everyone. Find some space to lie down on your mat. Close your eyes. Time for our affirmation. Breathe in. Breathe out. Let go of all that tension. Shoulders down, Pauline.”
Soft laughter fills the room at our little in-joke. I can still remember Pauline’s first day. She came in wearing her shoulders as earrings after an ugly divorce. Since taking my class once a week and working through the program I set up for her another four days at the gym, she can’t stop telling me how relaxed she feels.
I draw in another audible breath and let it out. I have to really concentrate on the action now that I’ve stopped needing to breathe. “You’re going to meet today with your head held high and you’re going to crush anything that stands in your way. Because you’re strong. You’re fit, and you’re ready.”
As they file out for the shower room, each one of them passes by to give me a high five.
