Page 14 of Hearts on the Table
Will grinned. “Aw, Lainey, you know I’ll always find a spot for you.”
A week ago, his comment would have made my day. Now, I just laughed it off, glancing around. “I’ve never seen this place so crowded before.”
“A TV station was doing a piece on new local businesses. I did a quick interview that aired yesterday.” Will looked a little helpless. “I didn’t expect all this. Who even watches the news anymore?”
Suddenly, the female majority made more sense. “New gym in a cool area… hot trainer… It’s a workout girlie’s dream.”
Reese’s eyebrow twitched. Without a peep, he conveyed his dissatisfaction with my response.
“What? It’s the objective truth.” I gestured at Will, who was looking adorable and flustered as a few more spandex-clad people trickled through the gym doors.
“Favorite regular, I told you!” Will grinned at his brother before winking at me.
“What’s your plan here?” Reese interrupted, his eyes flicking between me and his brother and then back to me.
“Fuuuuuck, I don’t know, man.” Will gazed around, mentally calculating. “I’ll have to split them up and rotate through the circuits to fit everyone in. I could use your help, if you’re game.”
“I’ll take this section.” It could have been unintentional, the way Reese gestured to a group of about a dozen of us standing towards the back of the room. He herded me a little, almost knocking me into the two Lululemon ladies behind us. The move was so smooth, so casual, I assumed he gestured randomly to the closest side of the room.
Until Will rolled his eyes. “Sure you will, bro. So generous of you to takethis group right here.”His hands circled over my head.
Teeth flashed white beneath Reese’s beard. He clapped Will on the back and steered him to the edge of the floor where their other brother, Conner, stood with a clipboard.
I shuffled forward to give the women behind me some more space. “Sorry,” I muttered.
“No worries. Is this your first time, too?” One of the Lulus behind me piped up. I wrenched my eyes away from the other side of the room, reminding myself again tonot stare at your attending, Lainey, before facing them. The one who addressed me was taller, the cream color of her matching workout set making her dark skin glow. Her friend was shorter, standing close with her arms crossed. Her eyes peeked from behind blonde hair with purple streaks.
“Nah, I’ve been coming here for a while. You?”
“First time. We saw the owner’s interview on Facebook.” She nodded to where Will and his brothers were talking through some sort of chart on the clipboard. “Someone posted his interview on one of the Chicago workout groups. It’s gone a little viral. I’m Sameera, by the way.”
“Lainey.” I offered my hand. The blonde girl’s name was Tess. She barely met my eyes when we shook.
“How intense is this going to be? Tess and I are new to the HIIT thing. We’re nervous.” Sameera gave Tess a warm smile.
“Meery’s not nervous. She’s just here for emotional support.” Tess sighed. “It’s important to try new things outside of my comfort zone.” She droned like she was reciting something. Her arms clenched around her waist.
“It’s not too bad. Will’s good at modifying and giving options for people who want to take it slow.”
“Will? That’s the Viking one?” Meery looked back at the guys. I glanced over at Reese. Now that the three of them stood together, it was easy to see their resemblance, but he had a few inches on his brothers. And now that she mentioned it, that big, blocky build and light hair did give off solid Viking vibes.
“That’s Sam. I actually haven’t seen him teach a class before, but we work together. He’s got the patience of a saint. You’ll love him.”
All true. He was a good attending. A good person. Had I always admired him this way? Or had I only realized it now that I was in close proximity to his impressive shoulder circumference?
“Hey everyone! We’re about to get started here. We’ve got a full house today, so we’re going to split up into a few groups!” Will corralled us into three groups so he, Connor, and Reese could lead us through the exercises. We shuffled together as we got sectioned off.
“Actually, does that look a little uneven? Lainey, you want to come over here with me?” Will sported a downright wicked grin.
Before I moved a muscle, Reese’s hand landed between my shoulder blades, steering me deeper into his section without so much as a backwards glance at his brother.
“No? You guys good over there?”
“All good,” Reese called, still not looking back. Meery raised her eyebrows. The shaky smile I gave her turned into a gulp asReese’s hand slid several inches down my spine before falling away. I rubbed at the goosebumps on my arms.
“Morning. I’m Sam. I’m helping Will out today. We’ll rotate through circuits to avoid the other teams. Start with a few laps to warm up, then we’re heading over to the tires, then kettlebells—”
“We’re going to kick your asses!” Will jogged by with his group on the way to the rack of exercise bands in the corner. Some people trailing him laughed and gave usbring it ongestures. I grinned.
