I grimace at the thought of my family descending on Orchid Valley. “Tomorrow afternoon. Lord save us all. Are you sure Brinley is prepared to work with my mother?”
Marston chuckles. “Trust me, she’s worked with worse.”
The sound of the garage door pulls our attention from each other and down the hall. Seconds later, the sharp tap of heels is headed our way.
Grinning, Marston leaves me to greet his wife. “Hey, beautiful,” he says when she enters the living room. He wraps his arms around her waist before letting his hands drift to her ass. I pretend not to see. “You have a good night?”
“Sure did. We need to do that more often,” she says. “The timing was serendipitous. Savvy was dealing with some stuff, and it’s the first time in too long she’s talked to us about her stressors.”
My ears perk at her name. “What’s going on with Savvy?”
With a sigh, Brinley steps out of Marston’s arms and drags a hand over her face. “Someone wants to give her an interview, but she doesn’t think they’ll give her the job if she’s not married or at least engaged. I don’t really understand the whole thing, but she feels like a great opportunity is about to slip through her fingers, and it sucks for her.”
“The Rage?” I ask, remembering our conversation from Vegas. “The streaming service?”
The night we met, one of the first things we talked about was our careers. She told me she was a fitness instructor then cringed like she was embarrassed.
“I know what it looks like,” she said. “I’m this blond girl who likes to work out, and who makes a living getting others to work out. It seems so surface. But for me, the aesthetics are just a bonus. I love helping women be strong and teaching them how to be comfortable in their own skin. Everywhere you look, our culture is trying to make us feel bad about ourselves. We’re told we should want this part of ourselves gone or smaller, or these parts to be lifted or bigger or flatter or smoother. There’s just nothing quite like knowing what your body is capable of to make you learn to love it. After I figured out how much I liked being strong, I realized I wanted to help other women be strong too.”
I think that was the moment I fell in love with her. She laughed at herself for “sounding corny.”
Brinley nudges me with her elbow, bringing me back to the present. She’s beaming at me like I’m a student who just answered a difficult question. “How’d you know about The Rage?”
Because I make it my business to know all of Savvy’s dreams. “She said she applies every year. They’re offering her an interview?”
“Yeah, but she implied she was engaged on her audition tape, hoping that would make them consider her, and now the owner wants her to bring her fiancé to the interview. Since she doesn’t have one, obviously, she’s regretting her lie.”
“But if she hadn’t lied, she wouldn’t have this opportunity,” I point out.
“From the sounds of it.” Brinley comes over and gives me a quick hug. “Are you gonna stay with us this time?”
Marston shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “He got a hotel room. Again.”
She props her hands on her hips and frowns. “You know you’re welcome here, right?”
“I appreciate it, but it’s nice to have my own space. Especially when my whole family is going to be in town.” I pause for a beat before pulling the conversation back to Savvy. “Did she say when this interview was?”
Brinley chews on her bottom lip. “I don’t remember. Next week, maybe?”
“Listen, don’t tell her I know about all this. I think I can help her, but if I know Savvy, she’ll only take my help if she’s helping me in return.”
“Are you going to play fiancé?” Brinley asks. “Because I already suggested that, and she knocked me down.”
“I’ll convince her,” I say. If I know anything about Savvy, it’s that she has a good heart. It just so happens that I could use a favor over the next few weeks—a favor I wouldn’t have been selfish enough to ask for before. If this might be path to helping Savvy pursue her dreams, I won’t hesitate. “Leave it to me.”
CHAPTER TWO
SAVVY
“Tell me more about these pole-dancing classes,” my client says. He wipes the sweat from his face and scans the schedule posted over the free weights.
“Sorry, Justin. Those are only for women.”
“Not a problem. I just want to watch.” He winks. “Especially if you’ll be demonstrating the moves. What’s the point of all that hard work when there’s no one there to appreciate it?”
Ugh. Men. “Fun. Empowerment.” I force a smile, working to keep my tone light. “Believe it or not, women want to feel beautiful even when no men are watching.”
“Okay, okay, I get it.” He drapes his towel behind his neck and turns to look me over. “But I only have a few days left in town. Tell me I get to spend at least one of them with you.”
I bite my lip and wrinkle my nose, hoping he’ll back-pedal before I have to say anything.
Why do so many guys think hitting on their trainers is okay? It makes me feel like they were working with me in exchange for sex and not my extensive exercise science background.
Be grateful, Savvy. At least my schedule is full.
When it’s clear Justin is waiting for a response, I do my best to look regretful. “I don’t date clients. I’m sorry.”
Justin turns up his palms. “That’s the beauty, isn’t it? That was our last session and I’m not a client anymore.”
“You’re a really nice guy, but those are my rules.”
He glances down to my naked ring finger then cocks his head to the side as he brings his gaze back up to meet mine. “You’re too beautiful to be single.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. He says it like single is some sort of terminal condition when it applies to a woman. I’ve dated assholes before, and I know full well that no relationship beats a bad relationship every day of the week. “Well, that’s very kind, but how do you know I’m not seeing someone?” I wink in a conspiratorial way.
“He must not be very good to you if you’re still working here. I wouldn’t want my woman flirting with other men all day long. Touching them.”
Those words pull the plug on my patience. Maybe I’m a flirt. I’ve been accused of worse. But he says “touching” like I’m doing something dirty when he’s referring to me spotting him on the bench press and doing assisted stretches with him. And the idea that a man being good to me would mean leaving a job I enjoy? Gross.
“But I’m not you,” a familiar voice says behind me, and I swing around to see Alec Hayes standing by the locker room, his hands tucked into the pockets of his tailored pants. He arches a brow at Justin before strolling to my side. “Savvy likes her job, and I’m secure enough that I don’t need to worry that what she does with her clients is sexual in nature. Most of them get that too. You’re a smart guy, so I’m sure you do.”
Justin straightens. “Of course.” His mouth draws into a flat line as he looks at me then back to Alec. “Funny she never mentioned you.”