“I was thinking of changing this to this. I want to eliminate thisaltogether…”
“Ugh, yes. Useless, that move,” Sherry agreed.
“Then I thought I’d add these and this.”
They spent the next twenty minutes going over the tweaks andalterations Rebecca had in mind, Sherry giving suggestions and approvals asthey went. By the time they were done, the program was the same, but different.Exactly what Rebecca was going for.
They high-fived and Rebecca thanked Sherry for her help.
“Those girls are going to be so happy with this class. You wait.”
For the first time since being told she was taking over the group,Rebecca was actually looking forward to it.
Chapter Three
Spencer held up her hand, flat so her palm faced down, and watchedher fingers tremble uncontrollably. She couldn’t remember the last time she’dbeen this nervous. She’d actually had a terrifying dream about the Fitness Nazithe night before, complete with tons of shouting and failed attempts atpull-ups and weights Spencer couldn’t even move, let alone lift, and she’dended up bursting into tears. She’d awoken in a cold sweat, her heart hammeringin her chest. Now, with a groan of frustration, she dropped her hand down intoher lap and stared out the windshield of her car at the gathering storm cloudsthat felt much like the inside of her head. It was late July and very humid—toohumid to be sitting in her car without it running. Maybe the forecast rainwould cool things down a bit, but it was more likely that it would make thingsworse. Stickier. Thicker. Even less comfortable, if that was possible.
She knew that if she turned the ignition back on, she could flickon the A/C and be cooler. She also knew if she turned the ignition back on,the chances of her slamming the car into gear and fleeing the gym parking lotwere that much higher.
A glance at her watch told her the class would start in twelveminutes.
Just enough time to sit in her own sweat and work herself intomore of a nervous frenzy.
“All right. Enough.” Spencer said the words out loud into thesilence of the car. “Come on, Spence. Suck it up.” With that, she tugged thecar door handle and got out, grabbed her bag from the back seat, and walkedtoward the BodyFit building, which suddenly looked like some large and ominousbrick behemoth that was about to swallow her whole.
The locker room buzzed with conversation and laughter, punctuatedby the whir of blow dryers and the whoosh of running showers, all underscoredby a Lady Gaga song piped in through the speakers in the ceiling. Spencer hadread someplace that Monday was the busiest day at gyms everywhere, peoplevowing to start the week right with a class or a workout. By Thursday, thingstapered off, and Fridays were dead. Since this class was Monday, Wednesday, andFriday, she supposed she’d find out how true that assumption was.
Never having been comfortable taking her clothes off in front ofothers, Spencer had given herself time to go home after work and change, so shewas pretty much ready for class. She wore a pair of gray sweatpants, a baggyAdidas T-shirt in navy blue, and bright pink Nikes she’d purchased over theweekend specifically for this class. Her blond hair was pulled into a ponytail,and as she tucked her bag into a locker along with her purse, she pulled outthe empty pink water bottle. The ad had said to wear comfortable workoutclothes and bring a water bottle, and Spencer was nothing if not adirection-follower.
As she closed her locker and clicked the lock, she picked up asnippet of conversation from the row behind her.
“You’re in that class, too? I’m super excited. I’m so fat rightnow and I don’t want to have to alter my dress,” one woman said.
“Oh my God, right? My thighs. Seriously. When’s your weddingdate?” another asked.
“November thirteenth.”
“Mine’s in November, too!”
As their voices began to fade, Spencer turned to get a glimpse.Both were wearing skintight nylon black shorts and fitted tank tops, one inbright orange and the other in bright yellow. Neither of them could have beenlarger than a size small.
Spencer shook her head and, for the twenty-seventh time, wonderedif she should just bail. Run, hop in her car, and go home. Would Marti evenknow? Would she care?
But Marti was the one who had wanted her to come, so apparently,shedidcare.
Spencer picked up her water bottle, filled it at the sink, andheaded for Yoga Room #3, where she’d finally meet the Fitness Nazi in person.
I hope shedoesn’t make me cry.
It sounded silly in her head, and Spencer knew it stemmed from herdream, but still.
Sucking in a deep, fortifying breath, she pushed the door open.
Yoga Room #3 was a large, square room with mirrors on two sides,windows on one, and the door and a storage closet on the fourth. The floor waslight-colored hardwood, just like a school gymnasium, and a large andcomplicated-looking sound system was set up in one corner. The two women fromthe locker room were talking together, and it looked liked they’d joined athird.
They didn’t hold Spencer’s attention for long, though, because itwas snagged by the woman at the front of the room.Wow.“Why don’t you guys grab a few matsout of that closet back there and have a seat here in front of me.” She pointedtoward the storage area in the back.
Before Spencer could move, a voice said quietly behind her,“That’s not the chick on the website.”
