This gym had contestants in every athletic event ever held in New York (Spencer had lost count of the number of people he’d trained for the marathon), not to mention the world.And yet,thiswas a new one on him.Spencer struggled to keep his surprise off his face and to figure out what to say next.
“I see.”He concentrated on speaking in his most neutral tone and stole a glance at the tablet with the form she’d filled out.“Okay, Marisa—”
“Misty,” she corrected.“Everyone calls me Misty.”
“And I’m Spencer,” he replied.
Her lips were a shiny pink, and they stretched into a smile that lit up her entire face.“Like that weird gift shop?”
Like he hadn’t heard that a million times since adopting his middle name as his first, but Spencer would take minor annoyances over bad memories any day of the week.“Like my mom’s maiden name.Anyway, Misty, let’s step aside and go through your application.”
Misty followed him the few steps to the café area.It was starting to fill up at this time of day, but he grabbed a free table.She took the seat further in the sun, which brought out streaks of red in her dark hair, and set a clear pink water bottle with marked increments on the table.The gym sold similar bottles with times of day or measurements to encourage people to drink more, and hers did have standard measurements on one side.The other had messages like “Your body’s hydrated by now, but what about your brain?”and “If you’re not peeing constantly by now, you’re doing this wrong.”Would that help, or distract people too much to properly hydrate?
To distract himself from the absurdity of it, he asked, “Can you tell me more about what you want to do?”
She took a breath, unlocked her phone, and passed it to him.“To try out for the team, I have to qualify to go to this combine upstate.To do that, I have to be able to do all these exercises.”
He looked over the list.They all looked well within his wheelhouse to either teach someone to do or help hone their skills.“Where do you see your biggest weaknesses with this?”
She sat up a little straighter.“I don’t doubt I can pass the sprint tests, but the strength and calisthenic exercises might trip me up.”
“What are your current workouts like?”
“Now that kickball season’s over, not as structured as they were.”
Spencer felt his eyebrows rise.“I’m sorry, what season?”
“I spent this spring and part of the summer in a recreational kickball league,” she said, gesturing to her shirt.He glanced at it to read “Riverside Rockets” in a vintage font.Below, a rocket trailing sparks gave the illusion of soaring over the Manhattan skyline.
“We beat the Astoria Pizza Rats to take the championship for the fourth year in a row.”She was still talking and sounded proud.“That’s a new city record.”
“Congratulations.”It was the right thing to say, and all he could think of after hearing someone talk about kickball more seriously than when he was in middle school.
“Thanks.Anyway, we met three times a week for practice, and then there were games on Saturdays.But that ended about a month ago, and I’m still active—the occasional run with a friend, and sometimes, I go on the treadmill in my building if I need a break in the middle of the day.”
“But it sounds like you need more structure,” Spencer said.“Before we decide anything, let’s set you up for a complimentary fitness assessment.”
“Works for me.I’m a freelance designer, so my schedule is pretty flexible.”
Spencer nodded.That might be useful for her, but it might have been what was keeping her from a regular workout schedule.He could already feel his mind working as they arranged a time, and she forwarded him her fitness requirements for reference.
“Is there anything I should do until then?I mean, I’m already here.”
He looked over the gym’s schedule.“If you’re especially worried about the calisthenics, there’s a Tris and Thighs class starting in fifteen minutes.That might let you do some of the exercises, and I see there’s still room.I can get your name down.”
“Sounds good.”
A few taps later, he looked up.“You’re set, but you’d better hurry to Studio A.Down the hall and to the right.”
“Thanks.See you soon.”She extended a hand with short nails painted dark red, and he shook it.Her skin was soft, but she had a good grip.
Something sparked in Spencer, and he rode the burst of energy to the back office.He looked over the list of exercises and the required results.He’d be able to test her on all these here, but how could he help her get ready for this?
He opened his browser and started doing research.Most of the results involved men’s teams, but he couldn’t imagine the principles of the sport being too different between the sexes.Between the requirements Misty had sent and what he was seeing, a workout plan was starting to take shape.
An alert on his phone broke his concentration.It was almost time for his 5:00 PM session—how had the time between appointments all but vanished?He logged off and headed to the training floor.All the while, he could feel this new project for a new event buzzing at the back of his mind.He could also feelherat the back of his mind.
