Page 56 of Ellie Hayes and the Himbos
But a moment later, the humor’s gone. “The man was a second father to me. He knew me better than anyone, and he didn’t trust me with what he’d built. He didn’t think I could do it.”
A response dances on my tongue, but I wait him out. I can connect the dots, but the teacher training says that the lesson will have more meaning if he draws the lines himself.
“That fucked with me.Hard.And I know it’s something I should be able to get over, but every time a member or one of the guys oryoupoint out something that needs improving or a new way of doing things, it’s confirmation that Denny was right. I don’t have it in me.”
Again, I wait.
“But, Hayes? The nuts and bolts of operating the gym? Ihateit.” He falls back into the chair. “I just want to coach and help people the way I’m good at, you know?”
I pounce on the connection. “I do! It’s why I don’t teach. Isucked. But I found a way to continue doing what drew me to the field in the first place. My business lets me develop creative ways to work with books and gets me paid for it. It’s all I wanted. Without the endless meetings, bureaucratic bullshit, and the general indignity of intercepting a note that reads ‘Miss Hayes hasaapple head.’”
Ian laughs. “A what?”
“Apple head. My hair was rounder then. And I used the note in a refresher on when to useaandan, so I got some use out of it. But you can find a way to do that, too. You don’t have to do everything. Did Denny do his own taxes?”
“No.”
“And did he treat gentle suggestions like they were monuments to his fallibility?”
He glowers but shakes his head.
“Then why shouldyou? You’ve got the most important part: the actual content of the gym. Find a way to delegate the bullshit.”
“I assume that you already have a list of ways I can do that?”
“Not just me. Your members are a wealth of untappedresources. Let Tom do the accounting! You’d be doing him a favor. Retirement has the guy bored out of his gourd.”
Ian grunts, but I press on. “You did just say that you hate that part.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“That’s all I ask. Except not really.” I hold my hands up in supplication. “I am begging you,pleaselet me redo the merch.”
Another grunt.
“Please? If I do it and you hate it, I’ll put it back—”
“Really?”
“No. That was a lie.But,” I add, generously, “I would give you veto rights to any arrangement I come up with.”
His arched brow asks the secondreally?for him.
“Just let me do it so I’ll lay off?”
“Now, that’s a compelling angle.”
“I could be offended by that, but I’m getting what I want, so I’ll let it slide. We can talk about website copy and community outreach later. Food drive, roadside litter cleanup, free workouts in a park once a month…”
“Hayes,”he warns.
“I said later! Most of those aren’t even my ideas. Five a.m. has a Google Doc. Which you don’t get to be butthurt over,” I warn, just as he threatens to frown again. “You’ve built something that has generated a whole community, and communities tend to get vocal. It’s all out of love, you know. You’ve given them so much.” I smirk. “The least you can do is make them itemize your deductions.”
He takes in a long breath. “As long as you filter the suggestions first, fine. I’m open. But…” He eyes me. “We’re good?”
He cares.
“Better than good. We’ve come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.” I reach out my hand, and he takes it in his for a shake. I allow myself the indulgence of thinking how easily he could pull on our joined hands and let the wheels of my chair roll me right onto his lap.
