“Definitely not! But I go there, and I talk to him and watch him, and the whole time I’m imagining him doing amazingly hot things to my body.”
“Whew, it’s tricky when you start dreaming about sex with your best friend's boyfriend,” Fay laughed. "Can't say that I blame you, though. He is pretty hot. Has Heather ever said anything about their sex life?”
Lisa nodded. “Oh yeah, in great detail too. He knows his way around. They were each other's first, so they have had time to experiment and find out exactly what they like if you know what I mean.”
“Hmmm, I’m just envisioning Tristan Darlington naked,” Fay said. “Yep, that’s hot.”
“Anyways, he and Heather are so much in love; it just breaks my heart to know I can never have him."
"Well, maybe one day they will break up," Fay said, putting her feet up on the coffee table. “Stranger things have happened.”
“I guess, but I doubt it,” Lisa pouted. “Nothing will break those two up. So, not wanting to destroy my friendship with Heather, I sit there like a good friend watching them cuddle and kiss each other.”
“That must be hard to do when you feel the way you do,” Fay replied.
"Harder than you know," Lisa said, nodding her head. “Harder than you know.”
✽✽✽
“Lisa, how are you doing?” Tristan said as he opened the door. “You just brightened up my day.”
Lisa smiled at Tristan. “Yeah, right," she giggled, feeling herself blushing. What she really wanted to do was run into his arms and press her lips against his, showing him how much she cared.
“Heather’s in the kitchen,” Tristan said, picking up his keys.
“Going somewhere?” Lisa asked as she took off her shoes.
“To the park for my run. I gotta keep in shape, you know," Tristan said, flashing her a smile.
“Yes, we don’t want you going all flabby on us,” Lisa teased. What she really wanted to say was I wish I could see you naked so I could check out those muscles, but she bit her tongue.
"Hey, Lisa, how are you?" Heather chirped as Lisa walked into the kitchen.
“Great. Just bumped into Tristan. He always makes my day," Lisa said, pouring herself a coffee.
Heather merely nodded and looked back down at the crossword puzzle she was doing on the counter.
“Is something wrong?” Lisa asked, sensing a bit of tension.
Heather shook her head. “No, not really. I’m just having a bit of a hard time lately.”
“Why? About what?”
“Oh, it’s really nothing. I’ve just been doubting things lately.”
“Things like what?”
“My job, my life, my relationship … ”
“Relationship? Seriously? God, Tristan is like a dream come true.”
“I know, I know, but I’m just not happy.”
“Did you and Tristan have an argument?”
“Oh, good heavens, no. We hardly ever fight. I just don’t … I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Heather, do you know how envious most women are of you? Me included? You are with Tristan Darlington. He's got it all: looks, charm, money, a great career in real estate. Look at the house you are living in! Not to mention, he treats you like a queen.”
Heather looked at her friend carefully. “Hmm, does someone have a crush?”
“What? Me? Nooooo. I’m just saying, you’ve got it all. Why are you unhappy?”
Heather shook her head. “Forget I even said anything. I think it’s just me being in a mood. Let’s go upstairs and start cleaning. I think the drop off place closes at four.”
Climbing up the stairs, Lisa couldn't help but think about the conversation she had just had with Heather. Was there trouble in paradise? What would happen if they broke up, and Tristan was free? Would she be able to pursue him? Even if Heather broke up with him, would she be okay with her best friend dating him?
Shaking her head, she tried to push those thoughts out of her head. Heather was her friend, and if she was going through a tough time right now, she needed to support her, not think about seducing her boyfriend.
The two of them worked nonstop until they finally had two large bags of clothes.
“You sure do have a lot of clothes. Two bags and your closet is still full,” Lisa teased.
“You guys still working?” Tristan asked in surprise, coming into the bedroom and laying sideways on the bed so he could watch.
Heather looked up at him and frowned. “You were gone for a long time. Must have been some run.”
“It was. I stopped into the office after to see what was going on and ended up chatting with Tyler. He just got back from Maui,” Tristan answered, picking out a blouse from the top of one of the bags. “You’re getting rid of this? I always liked this blouse.”
Heather turned and glared at him. “Don’t you have a house to sell or something?”
Lisa looked at Heather in shock, making Heather realize how harsh she sounded.
"Sorry, Tristan. I’m just tired,” Heather muttered, getting up and going into the bathroom.
“What’s up with her?” Tristan asked, sitting up on the side of the bed.
Lisa shrugged and shook her head. She didn’t want to get involved. “I don’t know. She never mentioned anything to me.”
“She’s been acting kind of strange lately. I think her job is getting to her. I’m going to run out and get her some flowers. She always brightens up with roses.”
Lisa smiled as she watched Tristan get up off the bed and walk out of the bedroom. She had a funny feeling that roses wouldn’t do the trick this time, but honestly, she didn’t know what would.
✽✽✽
Heather looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and gave herself a sad smile. What was wrong with her? Lately, when she was around Tristan, he irritated her. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she thought the new instructor at her gym might be one of the reasons. She had been fantasizing about him a lot lately but hadn’t thought anything of it until now. She was sure lots of women fantasized about being with other men. After all, she was only human.
Tristan was amazing, and more than any woman could ask for. Why wasn’t she happy? Why?
Chapter 4
Troy Atwood wiped down the last set of weights before throwing his rag in the bucket. Standing back, he looked at the room filled with gleaming weight machines, bikes, elliptical trainers, and stair masters.
He had taken a big chance opening a gym, and at first, he really had thought he had made the biggest mistake in his life, but now, three years later, Outward Physical was one of the most popular gyms in the area.
When he had first opened it up, his friends had teased him, saying he was doing it just to sit around and watch women in yoga pants work out. He had to admit that being surrounded by some pretty gorgeous women was a bonus, but none of them affected him the way Heather did.
The day that Heather Masters walked into his gym, everything inside of him changed. She was exactly what he looked for in a woman. Strong, confident, funny, as well as a gentleness that he had never seen before. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go, kiss her soft pink lips, and get lost in her eyes. He didn’t really know what love was like, preferring to have many one night stands instead of something serious, but with Heather, it was different. He wanted to get to know her, talk with her, listen to her.