Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 106797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“Come here,” Dale said as he threw the car in park. He pulled me in for a long hug, squeezing me tight, and when he pulled back he leveled his eyes with mine. “You’re an amazing girl, Natalie. Don’t ever forget that. You can do anything you want to do. Talking to Mason hurts right now but one day you’re going to wake up and not even care about what he’s saying or doing because you’ll have moved on from him.”
“Isn’t it Mom’s idea to get me back together with him?”
He waved his hand at me. “Your Mom and I don’t agree on everything.”
Grinning, I leaned over the console and grabbed my gym bag from the tiny backseat. “Thanks for the Dadvice, Dale.”
“Always.”
“Don’t forget I’m staying the night with Willow tonight. She’s picking me up after my session,” I added.
“Got it. Have fun tonight. You deserve it.” He threw me another wide smile as I stepped out of the car, opening my large bubble umbrella as I did. I returned his smile, feeling a little more like I could conquer my training session, and waved him off before turning to Rhodes. When I did, my feet wouldn’t move.
Rhodes was staring hard at the Corvette as it pulled out of the lot, his green eyes piercing through the rain like laser beams. I glanced back and saw Dale glaring at Rhodes with the same disapproval. When I turned back toward Rhodes, he shifted his gaze to me in an instant and kept the same dark expression as I moved toward him.
“Who was that?” he snapped.
“My step-dad?” I answered hesitantly. “Why?”
He blanched. “That’s Dale Poxton?”
I nodded. Most people in this town knew who Dale was, but hardly any of them knew what he looked like — not unless they were in his circle. Dale liked to keep to a certain type of crowd.
Rhodes still hadn’t moved. His eyes were hard for a moment more before he shook his head, kicking off the wall and making his way toward the gym. “Let’s head back.”
“Wait,” I said, jogging a little to catch up with him. “Why? Why did you ask who that was?”
“It’s nothing. He just looked at you funny, I wasn’t sure...” His voice faded to a low murmur and he shook his head again. “Nothing. I was mistaken. How are your muscles today? Are you still sore?”
I eyed him cautiously, but let him change the subject. I was ready to work, too. “I feel a lot better. A little sore, but I can move.”
“Good,” he said, patting the treadmill as we entered the gym. “Hop up and turn the incline to six, speed to four.”
I groaned, but tossed my bag down in the corner and did as he said.
We worked in mostly silence for just over an hour as he moved me around the gym. He had set up an obstacle course similar to the one the week before, complete with the ropes and all. When I bent low in my squat to do the snake in the grass move, I shivered at the memory of his arms around my waist when he showed me how to do it before.
“So what are you doing tomorrow night?” I asked as I lunged across the gym with two plated weights in my hands. My leg muscles felt stronger, steadier, far from the shaky mess they were the first time I did a lunge.
“We don’t train tomorrow, it’s your day off,” he replied simply, head down, eyes on his clipboard.
I huffed, straining against the pain in my quads. “I know that. So what are you doing? Want to come to the fair with me and my friends?”
“No.”
I dropped the plates and put my hands on my hips, turning to face him. “Why not?”
“Pick up the weights, you’re not finished,” he answered, standing straighter before dropping the clipboard and crossing his arms over his chest. I mimicked him in the stance and instantly felt tougher.
“Not until you tell me why you won’t come tomorrow night.” Since when did I have the courage to ask Rhodes to hang out?
He sighed, running a hand through his dampening hair. “Natalie, last night was just me showing you how to cook a decent meal, okay? It was about your training. You’re my client. We have a relationship in the gym, but not outside of it.”
I swallowed what felt like a wine cork wrapped in sandpaper and uncrossed my arms, picking up the weights again. He was right, of course, and I knew that. Still, he was friendly last night — we had fun. I was kind of hoping it wouldn’t just be a one time thing.
Which was stupid of me.
Because Rhodes was Rhodes and I was me. He could hang out with anyone he wanted to, including the beautiful women he trained that he seemed to find company with often. Why in the world would he want to spend time with me?