Page 11 of Hiding for the Holidays
“Sure, what is it?”
“That,” she says, pointing at the machine in front of us. “What is it?”
“It’s a reverse hyperextension machine.”
“How do you use it?”
I place my body against it, my legs hooking under the padding cylinders, then look at her as I curl them back. “Like this.”
“Ahhh, okay, I see now. I think I figured everything else out, but this one stumped me.”
“You should have told me you wanted to know how everything worked; I could have shown
you.”
“No, I wanted to look at it through the lens of someone who’s new to the gym. I’ll only have that chance once.”
“You’ve been here a day now; you got any recommendations for improvement yet?”
“Definitely. But I want to write up a plan before I tell you.” She glances up at me. “If that’s okay?”
“Sure. You’re the businesswoman; we’re just a couple of guys who know how to lift weights.”
She studies me for a second before she adds, “I’m sure you know how to do more than that. How long have you owned this place?”
“About three years.”
“And what did you do before that?”
“We were in the military.”
“Really? All three of you?” Her eyebrows raise in surprise as her eyes take a quick glance down my body. I wish I knew what she was thinking right now. Is she thinking about how much I look the part?
“Yeah, we were in the army together.”
“Is that how you met?”
I nod as I explain. “We were in the same unit. I was the medic, Grant was our squad leader, and Asher was infantry.”
“Why did you leave?” she asks with a tilt of her head as she hugs the clipboard to her chest.
“We saw ten years of combat. That was more than enough for us to realize we wanted more from life.”
“And running Iron Oaks, this is what you dreamed of?” she asks curiously.
I let my eyes trail over her face as I think about what I really want from life. A family. I sort of feel like I’ve found it with Asher and Grant, but something is missing. Or someone.
“Something like that,” I finally answer.
“So you’re a medic and you were in the military. I think you have a lot more to offer than you think.”
I nod in agreement. “You’re right. I know how to take care of people and how to protect what’s mine.” I know she’s referring to the business, but my answer has a double meaning.
A small blush touches her cheeks, and I try not to react.
What is she thinking about right now?
Is she thinking about me protecting her?
