Rebecca reached down, pulled out the pin, and pushed it back in ata lower spot. “You can lift more than that. You aren’t big on challengingyourself, are you?” She didn’t say it in a light or joking manner. She was deadserious, even sounding a bit irritated to Spencer, who clenched her teethtogether to keep from saying something snarky back. Something likeOh, I don’t know. Working withyouhas presented quite a challenge.But she’d been raised to be polite.Ifyou don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.Hermother’s words. Spencer kept quiet, a little surprised when she actually liftedthe new weight.
Half an hour later, all five brides-to-be were finishing up theirsession stretched out on foam mats, in plank positions, lined up on the floorlike piano keys and holding themselves up on their toes and forearms. “SuperFreak” was blasting over the speakers as Rebecca strolled in front of them, herphone in her hand, running her timer for sixty seconds, encouraging them bytalking about core strength and how important it was to their overall health.While Spencer was admittedly pleased that this activity was hard for everysingle one of them, she was not pleased by Rebecca’s barking at her when hermidsection dropped down to the floor about thirty seconds in.
“No. Get that ass in the air. Come on.”
Spencer felt a toe tap at her hip and she ground her teeth, prettysure Rebecca hadn’t singled out anybody else. She milked a couple more secondsof rest before pushing herself back up, every muscle in her body shaking withtremors. A drop of sweat ran from her hairline down her forehead and to the tipof her nose, then dripped off onto her clasped hands.
The timer sounded, and all five women dropped to the ground withgroans of relief. Next to her, she heard Lucy mutter, “Goddamn.”
“Agreed,” Spencer muttered, lungs heaving.
“Did she kick you?” Lucy asked, keeping her voice low.
“It wasn’t really a kick,” Spencer said honestly. “But yeah, shepoked at me with her foot.”
Lucy shook her head but didn’t comment any further.
“Good job, ladies. I’ll see you on Monday. Have a great weekend.”Rebecca turned and left the area, calling out to a man who waved at her from atreadmill. “How’s it going, Phil?”
Spencer, still lying on the foam mat and trying to catch herbreath, watched Rebecca climb the stairs to the cardio equipment.
“You coming?” Lucy said from above her, standing now.
Spencer turned her head, looked up at her. “I’m just gonna liehere a bit longer.”
Lucy’s grin lit up her whole face. “I get that. I have to scoot,though. See you Monday.” She scurried toward the locker room. The other threegirls had also headed in, but Spencer was content to just stay on her stomachfor a bit longer.
BodyFit wasn’t busy at all, only a small handful of people millingaround the equipment, mostly muscular men lifting the free weights, diehardbodybuilders. Spencer watched one guy curl a dumbbell that was bigger than herhead. Not for the first time, she was amazed by how strong men were.
As Spencer slowly got herself to her feet, she saw Rebecca and theguy named Phil coming down the stairs, chatting away. Rebecca led him to anearby area that had long straps with handles on the ends fastened to the wall.He must have said something funny because Rebecca laughed. Not a fake laugh.Not a polite laugh. A full-on laugh. It was fun and contagious enough to makeSpencer smile at the sound.
“Not at all,” Rebecca said. “We’re going to challenge you, yes.But this will be fun.” She stressed the word, put a hand on Phil’s shoulder.“Working out should be hard, but not stressful. Not something you dread. I wantyou to enjoy it. Okay?”
Spencer simply blinked at the words. At the relaxed, approachableexpression on Rebecca’s face. It was one she hadn’t seen before. Theencouraging words were ones she hadn’t heard before. And she found herselfannoyingly jealous of Phil.
Feeling her anger beginning to simmer, Spencer made a face as shewiped down her mat and put it away. Without looking at Rebecca again, shestalked into the locker room.
* * *
“You got Phil tonight?” Sherry asked from behind the front counteras Rebecca approached.
Rebecca smiled. “I do.”
“You love him.”
“I do.” Joining Sherry behind the counter, Rebecca searched theshelves underneath. “I think I left my notebook back here. I’ve got a newcircuit I want to try with him and can’t remember it all.” She bent down,moving folders and bottles and other people’s crap out of her way. A tap on herback made her move to stand, but she whacked her head on the counter first.“Son of a bitch,” she muttered as she stood, rubbing the back of her head,surprised to see Spencer Thompson standing on the other side of the counter.Her face was still flushed from her workout and still had a slight glisten fromperspiration, but her sandy brows were furrowed into a V above her nose and hereyes were not their usual inviting blue. They were cool. Frosty. She had herbag slung over her shoulder, which she hefted as she met Rebecca’s eyes.
“I just wanted to let you know I won’t be back to class.” Her tonewas quiet, but firm, not even remotely resembling the timid, shy tone Rebeccawas used to hearing from her.
“Oh?”
“No. Frankly, I’m tired of the way you treat me, the way yousingle me out for constant criticism. I saw you with your client downstairs.Phil. And I heard you tell him how working out should be a challenge but alsofun. And I realized that I am not having any fun here.Youare not trying tomake it fun. You make it hard and stressful, and I get enough of that on myown. I don’t need it here. This class isn’t for me.” With that, she hefted herbag again, turned, and stalked out the door, Rebecca and Sherry both watchingher go.
“Wow,” Sherry said. “Kitty’s got claws.”
“You did not just say that.” Rebecca shook her head, trying tolaugh at Sherry’s remark but finding herself stunned into inaction by Spencer’swords, by the chill in her eyes, which had turned to sparks as she spoke. “Ishould do something.”
“Are you asking me?”
