A young girl whose name tag said she was Kelly stopped in front ofthem. “Protein added to that?” Her brown eyes were big and round, her smilerevealing a mouthful of what seemed like a few too many teeth.
“Um…?” Spencer looked to Lucy.
“We just did core work,” Lucy told Kelly.
Kelly tipped her head from side to side. “Not necessary, can’thurt. If you were lifting, you’d want some protein.”
Spencer shrugged. “I like can’t hurt. Protein, please.”
“I’ll take the chocolate peanut butter,” Lucy said. “No extraprotein. ’Cause peanut butter.”
Kelly nodded and got to work.
“What do you think about spinning?” Spencer asked her friend.
Lucy followed Spencer’s gaze to the hallway where a line of verysweaty people was filing down like so many train cars. “No way. I don’t bike.”
Spencer turned to her, squinted at her. “Why not?”
“My butt’s too big.”
Kelly slid Lucy’s smoothie in front of her and Lucy clenched thestraw between her teeth, took a sip.
“What?” Spencer said with a laugh.
“I’m serious. Those seats are tiny. Skinny. My butt swallows them.Plus,” she lowered her voice, “my lady parts don’t enjoy biking.”
Spencer laughed again, louder this time as Kelly gave her themixed berry smoothie and offered, “That’s only the first time or two. They getused to it.”
“The lady parts?” Spencer asked.
Kelly nodded as they gave her their money and Spencer looked toLucy, who shrugged.
“I guess I didn’t stay with it long enough.”
“Lucky for your lady parts.”
“Damn right.”
They drank their smoothies (Spencer’s was unexpectedly delicious)and chatted about this and that. The entire time, Spencer found herselfsurreptitiously watching to catch a glimpse of Rebecca. Once Lucy finished andbid Spencer goodbye, she was able to concentrate fully on spying, scooting herstool a bit closer so she had a better view. She generally hated all themirrors, as they made it so she couldn’t escape the view of her mushy body, butshe suddenly realized a benefit to them: she could find Rebecca no matter whereshe was. It was a Friday night and the gym was sparsely populated. Rebecca wasworking with the same guy as last time—Paul? Phil?—and from what Spencer couldsee, she was just as cheerful and fun as she’d been the night Spencer had quitclass.
Okay. It’sfine.
Spencer nodded to herself as she sucked the last of her smoothieup through the straw and turned away from the handful of exercisers left.Rebecca had some inexplicable issue with her that kept them from being anythingbeyond trainer and client, and that was fine. Spencer needed to accept that.She didn’t like that accepting it was hard, but she was a grown woman. Sheobviously didn’t understand, but she’d been rejected before, so this wasn’tsomething new to her.
It’s fine.
She left the gym and headed into her weekend with a bit of a newoutlook: the gym was now going to be for her. Not Marti. Not Rebecca. Spencer.
It was the most relaxed she’d felt in quite some time.
Chapter Nine
Spencer was pretty sure she was dying.
She gasped for breath. Her heart hammered in her chest sointensely, if it exploded and burst completely out of her body, she wouldn’thave been shocked. Her muscles burned and she was covered in sweat.
Yeah, this might be the end.
