Page 50 of Happy Is On Hiatus
If that word was supposed to send spikes of desire shooting through her like fireworks, it succeeded. But no, this wasn’t happening. She was not looking for a man or any type of entanglement with a man. And she was certain that sounded cliché—the new divorcée not looking for a relationship—but she was dead serious about that. She didn’t want a man in her life. Going from her parents to Nate had seemed like a natural transition at the time, but in the past weeks that she’d been alone, she’d started to like keeping her own company.
“Why don’t you stop by when you have time,” he said and reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet.
She waited for him to pull the business card free and hand it to her.
“It’s a simple process to get you signed up for some classes. But,” he said and raised his brows when she opened her mouth to say something, “if you’re not ready to make a commitment to a specific regimen, I could offer you some complimentary classes just to get an idea of what might work for you.”
“Massages,” she said, staring down at the card so he wouldn’t see the flush of embarrassment she was certain still stained her cheeks after the flexibility remark. “I’ve never heard of a gym offering massages.”
“It’s new.” He shrugged. “I’m always interested in learning new things, seeing how VGFitness can be set apart from the other gyms. So I took some masseur classes and got certified. Still toying with a realschedule and when or if I’ll bring on more massage therapists. I guess that all depends on customer interest.”
“I’m interested.” The two words just fell from her lips before she’d had a chance to consider how it might sound or if she really wanted this type of connection with him.
Rita had always tried to keep her church relationships in church. Being in her position, it’d been hard to ever really trust members of the congregation. Did they really want to be friends with her, or did they just want to be closer to the pastor and first lady? That question had always circled in her mind, and she’d learned that keeping her distance on a personal level worked best.
“In a massage,” she said, hoping the pause in her response hadn’t given him the wrong idea.
He nodded. “I knew what you meant.” But he had raised a brow initially, so she still wondered what he was actually thinking about her at this moment.
Not that it mattered. Well, she refused to let it matter.
“Anyway, I’ll give you a call to set up an appointment.” She was tucking the card into her purse when he spoke again.
“I’ve got time this afternoon.”
She looked up at him. “Oh.”
“Around three. Is that good for you?”
“I was going home after I run a few errands. To take a ba ... I mean, I was just going home.”
He’d pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I can come by your place when I’m finished here. I’ve got my table and oils in the truck. But I need to check out the bathrooms on the lower level first. Trustee Fornsby reported a leak and a blockage last week, so I need to take care of that before Sunday.”
She’d stopped listening to what he was saying after he’d said he could come by her house. Did she want him coming to her house? Her private safe haven? The place where no other man besides Nate and her relativeshad ever been? This wasn’t a date. The reminder blared through her mind, and she stood, smoothing down the flared top she wore over denim capris.
“If you’re sure it’s not an inconvenience,” she said, her voice sounding way more confident than she was feeling. “I don’t require any special treatment just because of who my parents are and your relationship with the church.”
He frowned. “That’s not how I operate. But I can see how you’d think that. Anyway, no, it’s no problem. I understand you’re busy, and if this is an opportunity to win a new customer to the gym, then I’m a businessman—I’m not gonna pass that up.”
With a tilt of her head, she really looked at him. He hadn’t made any moves on her. Ever. Not in the years she’d known him and not today. For a few moments she’d ridiculously entertained a notion ... but then, no, she had no clue what it would feel like to actually have a man flirt with her. It’d been so long since she’d experienced it. And anyway, all of this was pointless. He said he was a businessman, and she believed him. It did make sense to try to win a new customer whenever possible.
Today, she was his possibility.
Not that she was going to make the mistake of saying that out loud.
“Fine.” She slipped her book into her purse and eased it onto her shoulder. “Three is fine with me. Let me give you my address.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket, swiped over it, and then handed it to her. “Put all your contact info in here. I’ll text before I come. That way, if anything has come up, you can just let me know, and we’ll reschedule.”
“No problem,” she said and typed in all her information. “And thanks, Vance. These past few weeks have been really difficult, so maybe a massage will help.”
He nodded. “It will, but you know it’s only a temporary fix. If stress is your issue, you have to work on that from the inside out. But I’m no therapist,” he joked.
Rita smiled. “I get it,” she said. “And thanks for that too.”
Chapter 20
RUB MY BACK, ANDI’LL RUB YOURS.
