Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
He hated his father. Whenever he had started to achieve something, to see a future, his dad had been there to knock him down. There was nothing for him to focus on because it was always, without fail, taken away from him. Stripped away.
Monster got in a blow, then another. Grant would have a black eye, but he didn’t care. He’d take the bruises any day of the week as it helped him deal with the shit going on inside his head.
Chapter Four
Aria was nervous as she sat in Jase’s office. Grant was working at the gym, or so he said. She’d not seen his truck or his bike anywhere near the gym when she arrived.
Stepping foot inside the gym had also made her nervous. Her body ached, but not in a bad way. In a good way. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
“So, you’ve told me that you would like to be healthier and reach your goal weight. This is all achievable. You have no food allergies, so I’ve set out a meal plan for you,” Jase said. “We’re going to go through all the details now, and then we’ll go out to the gym. Is that okay?”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine.” She didn’t want to talk to him about her eating habits, but all of this would be worth it.
Her mother would stop judging her. People would stop assuming bad stuff about her. They would eventually see more than the fat girl. Hopefully, they’d see a person beneath everything else.
Jase handed her the meal plan. Aria opened it up and saw the abundance of vegetable dinners.
“I have also portioned them out, so you know how much to have of any one item. There’s also a list of good and bad foods for you to enjoy. This will help reduce your weight in addition to exercise. This is all about having a healthy balance.”
Jase kept talking but Aria just stared at it. Another diet, like her mother put her on. There was no chocolate. No fried foods.
I want this.
Forcing a smile to her lips, she nodded. “Yes, this is perfect.”
“Right. I want to get into the habit of weighing you weekly so you can see the benefits of our new lifestyle change. Every two weeks, we’ll take your measurements as well. We’ll keep a progress chart and it will—”
The door to his office opened and Aria turned to see Grant stepping inside. He didn’t even bother to knock. His rudeness wasn’t what surprised her, but the state of his face. He was heavily bruised. One eye even looked swollen shut, and there was a cut across his lip.
“What the …. er, excuse me, Aria,” Jase said, getting to his feet.
She watched as he grabbed Grant’s arm. She didn’t think that was the best of ideas seeing as Grant looked ready to … she wasn’t sure … fall or start a fight.
Jase pulled Grant out of his office but he didn’t shut the door completely, so she was able to hear everything.
“What the hell is this?” he asked.
“I’m reporting for duty.”
“No, you’re not. I mean, seriously, Grant, I think it was a joke you coming here wanting to work and become a personal trainer, but the state of you … this is just ridiculous.”
She didn’t like the way Jase was talking to Grant. Clearly, Grant was going through some things. Whatever they were, it was upsetting him. He’d been in a fight, that had to account for something. Who would beat him like that? She had also noticed he wasn’t wearing his leather jacket, which was a first. He always had on the Chaos and Carnage MC leather jacket, even in the summer.
“I can still work. I’m here, reporting for duty.”
“I’m working with a new client today.”
“Aria won’t mind,” Grant said. “Just fucking ask her.”
She wanted to take care of Grant, to ask him how he was doing, to see if he was fine.
“Ugh, strike one, Grant. Fucking strike one.”
She had never heard Jase swear before, not that she knew the man, but he didn’t seem the kind to curse freely. Maybe Grant had that effect on people.
They stepped into the office.
“Miss Taylor, I need to ask if you have a problem with Grant being present today?” Jase asked.
She wasn’t comfortable with her date being there during her weight loss journey, but she didn’t want to upset Grant either. He’d clearly had a bad couple of … hours? Days? Weeks? Either way, she wasn’t going to add to them.
“I don’t mind.” She forced a smile to her lips and noticed Jase’s eye twitch. He wasn’t happy with her answer.
She wanted to apologize, but she kept her lips shut.
Jase rounded the desk and took a seat. “As I was saying, we’ll be taking your measurements, and your weight. At first, with such a radical change, you’ll see instant success. As we continue with this journey, it will slow down. When we approach that, I want you to be open and honest with me. Some people will stop their new plan as they no longer feel it’s working, but it is. What we want is to reach your goal weight, find the right structure for you, and then keep working to stay on the right track.”