“Yes, that is the case, but this time, there’s going to be three extremely hot athletes with us,” Erin explained. “I’m ready to bend in half in front of them—your man excluded, of course—and show them just how limber I can be.”
“First, you’re freakishly flexible.” If Erin had been more athletic, she really could have been a gymnast or figure skater. “And second, Mateo isn’tmyman.”
“Yes, he is. You get this little sparkle in your eye whenever you talk about him. Which, by the way, is a lot.” Erin headed for her bathroom, so I followed.
“I don’t talk about him a lot,” I defended.
“Uh, yes you do.Mateo is at practice, Mateo just texted me, did you know Mateo doesn’t like avocados?”
“I’m not that bad,” I mumbled.
“It’s okay that you are. Emmie, I’m a writer.” Her signature gold rings and necklaces jingled as she tugged and pulled her curly brown hair into a braid. For someone about to go to Pilates, she sure was dressed up. And this was coming from the girl who refused to come with me every time I offered.
“You’re exactly where you should be. Going on dates, although I wouldn’t say inviting him and his friends will be fun, but I digress. You should be giddy about Mateo and talking about him nonstop.”
“There’s just something about him.” I struggled to put into words what it was.
“I’m excited to meet him then. Get a feel for how he is and if he’s going to treat my best friend the way she deserves,” Erin said, looking at me through the mirror.
“He’s not going to know what hit him,” I said. Poor Mateo was about to get the third degree. When it came to me, Erin didn’t play games, never did. The one guy I dated for six months got an interrogation, and I was pretty sure he was a little scared of her.
“Exactly what I want.” She turned around to face me, hands on her hips. “Now, you need to go change into your sexiest workout outfit. This,” Erin pointed to my black matching sports bra and leggings, “is not it.”
“What? This is practical.”
“We want Mateo to drop to his knees at the sight of you. While this is great, it won’t do the job. Come on.”
With a wave of her hand, Erin pushed past me to my room. Guess I was changing.
I pulledinto a parking space in front of the Pilates studio fifteen minutes before eight. Erin was practically bouncing in her seat.
“Did you chug an energy drink without me knowing?” I asked, unclipping my seat belt.
“That is a possibility.” Her response meant yes. Oh boy, energizer Erin was always a handful.
“Let's get you inside to work off some of that caffeine.”
With my bag on my shoulder, the two of us headed in. Alignwas a cute little brick and mortar building on Fourth Street, not too far from the Titan’s stadium. I met the owner a few years ago when she opened and had been going ever since.
The first time I walked inside, the space took my breath away. Pale yellow walls made the area feel warm and open the second you pushed through the doors. Twelve Pilates machines lined the room, their reflections stretching across the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Light wood floors and crystal chandeliers bathed everything in a soft, flattering glow.
One wall had the studio's name, and the other a quote that the owner, Ashley, always said before each session.
Strong Looks Good On You.
It was my second favorite place to be.
A couple of women stood by their machines, stretching as Erin and I walked in. Thankfully, Saturday’s morning class wasn’t a busy one, so there were plenty of machines. I claimed one closer to the back of the studio, making sure there were three other ones for Mateo and his friends.
He had no idea what he agreed to yesterday. Maybe I should have told him it was a Pilates class, but where was thefun in that? I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when they walked in.
While I waited for them to show up, I moved around the machine, setting up my towel and water and handing Erin hers. Five minutes passed before the sound of the door stole my attention.
I was helpless in holding back my grin as Mateo and two other guys entered. I gently nudged Erin with my elbow to get her attention, but at a quick glance, I found her already staring at the door.
They looked around the studio in what I could only describe as shock. Pretty sure they were picturing a gym with weights not…this. The handful of women that were present whispered at the sight of the three tall, gorgeous men. Something that didn’t happen here.
Their eyes darted around the space as they slowly made their way toward Erin and I.
