you heard about it? New York Magazine did a piece on it last month. Did you know that eucalyptus can clear your body of cancer-causing toxins? My hand to God! Our smokers really seem to enjoy it. Do you smoke? You can get a regular steam, too, if you prefer, but I don’t see why anyone…”
“Can I see the weight room?” I asked. Muscle, I’d learned, burns more calories at rest than fat does, if you can imagine that. So my plan was to get ripped.
“Of course! Of course!” she said, and trotted toward the stairs. “Our weight room is equipped with the latest air-pressure machines, free weights…”
Missy droned on. At the top of the stairs, I leaned on a railing to catch my breath and look around. Abs as far as the eye could see. Mostly men up here, thank God. Struggling with these ridiculous machines in front of skinny little girls would be worse.
“…of course, if you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll need at least three days a week of strength training, so we’ll customize a program just for you….”
Then I caught a glimpse of myself in one of the mirror-covered walls. My face was red as a beet, and I felt like how those guys lifting the huge barbells looked—like they were about to have an aneurysm. Could I really do this? I peered over the railing down at the floor below. Rows of well-conditioned pony-tails swayed from side to side as their owners marched silently onward with fists clenched. Would I ever look like one of them?
“…so if you opt for the deluxe membership package, you have access to both the cardio and weight rooms, along with towel service, of course, and—”
“Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “I don’t know if I can do any of this. I don’t know how.”
“There are three personal trainers on the floor at all times whose job it is to show you exactly how everything works and to make sure you have the right form!” Missy looked around wildly. “Jade? Jade! Come on over here, would ya?”
The fellow in question jogged over from the old bald guy he was spotting.
“Hey, Missy. Is this lovely young lady a new member?”
“She’s thinking about it. She’s never been to a gym before.”
“Hi! Jade Hollowell,” he grinned, and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.” His eyes were so green and his teeth were so white, it was hard not to stare at his face.
I grabbed his hand and looked down at it. Veiny. “Hi. I’m Evelyn. Evie, actually. Evie Mays. Hi.” I am such an idiot.
“Jade’s one of our top trainers. He’s been with us five years,” Missy said slowly. She looked at me with knowing eyes. She’d brought out the big guns for the hard sell.
I looked down and realized I was still holding Jade’s hand. Oh God. I pulled it away quickly. “Sorry,” I mumbled. But he didn’t seem to mind. He just smiled.
“If you like,” Missy offered, “you can book private training sessions with Jade up to five times a week. Or with one of our other trainers.” She was a lot smarter than she looked, that Missy.
“I don’t know…”
“It’s more expensive, of course, but you get what you pay for,” she said. “People find they improve quicker when they have someone to answer to. Plus, he’ll help you get the most out of your workouts.”
“If you want to get serious, I’m your man,” Jade said, staring into my soul. Those eyes. It was like they could see the skinny person buried inside me.
“He really is good,” Missy assured me.
Jade shook his head modestly. “It’s just that I love my job,” he said. “I can’t help it. This is a great place, Evie, really low-key. Everyone here is super friendly. I personally guarantee you that you’ll love it.”
“Come on.” Missy reached out and grabbed my hand. “Give it a shot—you’ve got nothing to lose!”
“If that were true I wouldn’t be here,” I said, and Jade laughed. He actually laughed. At my joke.
“Working out is addictive, Evie, you’ll see. At least it is for me. You know, if I wasn’t here all the time, I’d probably be a much better actor,” he said grinning, and winked right at me.
Missy giggled.
“Where do I sign?”
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