Eve was continuing her cool down on the elliptical when her long-time client and best friend, Karen, walked in. She, too, was a little early for a Monday. But nonetheless she appeared bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as always with her perfectly highlighted brown hair in a tight ponytail and eyeliner and lip gloss accenting her face. Eve watched as she spoke to Bobby, waving off the offered towel. Whatever was said, it left Bobby cracking up. Karen had a wicked sense of humor, and Eve was often in stitches even in the middle of an intense workout. It was one of the things Eve loved about her. Her giant heart was another.
“Hiya, hot stuff,” Karen said as she tossed her bag next to Eve’s. She knelt and unzipped it to retrieve a bright pink towel that she slung over her shoulder. The pink matched her snug athletic top as well as the wide stripe running down the side of her black yoga pants. She climbed on the machine beside Eve and started her warm-up. “Did you run today?”
“A little.” Eve gripped the upper part of the handle to get a read on her pulse. Her heart rate had slowed considerably so she picked up the pace, wanting to stay in a higher performance zone as Karen warmed up.
“A little? What in the world does that mean? Did the mountain shrink in size or something?”
Damn it.
Olivia was right back in her mind again. Front and center.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
“Really? Can’t you just accept my answer and move on?”
“Oh, wow, Evie-Eve is hiding something. I wonder what it could be? Hm.”
“I just ended up stopping to help someone. Okay?”
Karen grinned. “Would this someone happen to be an attractive woman?”
“It wasn’t like that, Karen.”
It wasn’t. She’d hadn’t intended on anything happening.
“So, she was attractive.”
She wanted to argue, but she knew Karen would see right through her. She might as well admit that she’d liked what she’d seen. Olivia was thick with muscle and her body curved deliciously in dangerous places, making Eve think about her full breasts and ass all over again.
“That’s not why I helped her.”
“Uh-huh.”
Eve could feel Karen’s stare boring a hole into the side of her face.
“And she just happened to be brunette, right?”
Eve shook her head, knowing there was no safe answer. She did like brunettes and her track record proved it. Damn Karen for knowing her so well.
“That’s what I thought,” Karen said.
“I would’ve helped her regardless. And I can’t help what color her hair is. Or how she looks.”
“I know, honey. No need to get all frazzled on me.” She finally turned to look straight ahead, and Eve almost breathed a sigh of relief, hoping the inquisition was over.
“She has light eyes, doesn’t she? What, green, hazel green? You’re a sucker for the dark hair and green eyes. Yes, sir, that’s it. That’s your mashed potatoes and gravy. Gets you every time.”
Eve heated.
“Mashed potatoes and gravy? That’s a new one. And no, her hair isn’t that dark and her eyes aren’t green. They’re more of a gray.”
“Forgive me, I was way off.” She moved on.
“So, did you offer her your services?”
Olivia laughed with frustration. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, okay. Now you’re going to pout because I’ve got you pegged. Poor Eve. Her best friend knows her too well. How awful.”
Eve turned to tell her to shut up, but Karen was giving her an exaggerated look of sadness and Eve couldn’t keep a straight face.
“I hate you.”
“Oh, you do not.”
“Do so.”
“You love me. You adore me. You want to marry me.”
Eve scoffed.
“Admit it, sunshine. I’ve got your number. I know you better than anyone else and it infuriates you that I can read you so well.”
“Are you warmed up yet?”
“Nope.”
“How much longer?” The urge to bust her ass with a killer circuit was growing.
“Long enough for you to tell me what she said.”
Eve clamped her mouth shut.
“I’m waaaiting.”
“She said she’d think about it, okay?” Eve halted and stepped off the machine. She grabbed her bag. “Come on, you’re warm enough.”
“All right, all right.” Karen followed her back to the large mat area near the free weights. They tossed their bags aside and went carefully into stretches in front of the mirrored wall. “You like her. You like her and something happened. Otherwise you wouldn’t be so cranky.”
“I told you what she said.”
“You’re leaving something out.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Christ, will you let it go? Nothing happened. I helped her and I gave her my card and she said she’d think about it. End of story.”
“Then what’s with the attitude?”
“It’s Monday.”
Karen laughed. “Since when does a Monday bother you? You don’t take days off, so I’m not buying it.”
Eve assisted her with a stretch and continued to fight the battle inside. She’d already gone over what had happened with Olivia and she’d decided to let it go. She needed to let it go. Thinking about their overwhelming chemistry again would only get her going and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. She’d end up going nuts. And self-torture…well, that wasn’t exactly her thing. Besides, she knew what Karen would say. She’d reiterate the couple of times she’d attempted to date women who had been hesitant or shy about their attraction and how they’d ended in disaster for numerous reasons. She’d lay into her for even considering it. Eve would tell her that while she couldn’t control who she was drawn to in life, she did ultimately agree with her. But that wouldn’t be good enough. Karen would still go on and on about it, and it would probably lead to her trying to set her up with someone again.
Something she preferred to avoid at all costs.
“I know you don’t practice this, but it is okay not to share every single thing that pops into your head. Some things can be kept to yourself. In fact, some things should be kept to yourself.”
Karen straightened, placed her hands on her hips, and cocked her head. Then she shook all over as if trying to rid the idea from her body.
“Yeah, no, not for me.”
They finished stretching and both picked up a pair of free weights. Then they widened their stance, slightly bent their knees, and with their backs straight, they began doing bicep curls, alternating arms.
“Since you won’t fess up,” Karen said, pushing out a breath through pursed lips. “I’m going to assume that whatever happened shook your world a little bit. I’ll leave you alone about it if you promise me something.”
“What’s that?”
“That you’ll tell me if anything else happens with her. This mysterious woman of yours.”
“Her name is Olivia, and I promise.” Eve was pretty sure she wouldn’t call so she wasn’t worried about making that commitment.
“Oh, Olivia, eh?” She made a ticking noise. “I can’t wait to get the goods on this one.”
“Yeah, well, I seriously doubt there will be anything to share.”
“Okay, whatever you say.”
Eve pumped the weights while watching their form in the mirror. Karen was fit from years of working out with lean muscles and a strong core. But she wasn’t as built as Eve and not nearly as cut. That wasn’t the look she was going for. So Eve had her using lighter weights and doing more reps to ensure she didn’t get the bulk of muscle.
“We’re going hard with cardio tomorrow,” Eve said, hoping to change the subject. Karen had been a long-time client, but she’d often take breaks, swearing she could maintain on her own. But eventually, she’d start complaining about her appearance or health again. Just as she’d done three weeks ago. This time around she said she’d gained a little weight and no longer felt as tight as she used to. Eve thought she still looked good regardless, but Karen wanted perfection.
Eve had told her repeatedly that she was too hard on herself and that perfection didn’t exist. And while the talks had helped some, Karen still had trouble with self-image. And honestly, so did the majority of the women Eve worked with.
“Whatever you say, Evie-Eve. I am at your command.”
“That’ll be the day,” Eve said as she finished and lowered her weights. She adjusted Karen’s stance as she continued with her reps. “Come on, keep it up. You’ve got to push until burnout. Good. Five more.” Her arms were trembling as she struggled to lift.
“That’s it. Four. Come on, Karen, fight through.”
Her face contorted and the veins in her neck popped as she pushed through.
“Last one,” Eve said, lightly cupping the bottom of the weights for support. Karen cried out on the last curl and knelt to drop her weights.
“I swear to God if you weren’t so good at sculpting my body, I would’ve killed you a long time ago.”
Eve laughed. Threats on her life were something to be expected from clients being pushed to the brink. Karen was no exception, and as she watched her shake out her arms to do another set, Eve thanked the universe for the hundredth time that she had a job she loved and that it made a difference in people’s lives. She thoroughly enjoyed helping her clients, and there was nothing quite like being there alongside them as they evolved into healthier, happier beings. The days when she hugged successful clients to say good-bye were initially bittersweet. But receiving the emails and texts that often followed, reporting their continued well-being and ability to thrive, made every tough moment completely worthwhile.
She smiled to herself, feeling extremely fortunate. But as she did so, her gaze fell upon a brunette on a treadmill in the distance. Her face was red and her body soaked with sweat. She was struggling, not only to breathe, but to keep her pace. Olivia’s face flashed before her, and Eve felt the smile fall from her face. Her insides tightened as she thought about Olivia over-exerting herself, just like the woman across the gym. Would she try to run up that mountain again in her current condition? Would she get hurt?
Eve palmed her forehead. Why did she care so much?
She lowered her hand and refocused on Karen as she started in on another set. But Olivia’s face remained despite her best efforts to push it away. And she wondered, for the first time in her life, how a woman she’d only spent minutes with had claimed so much space in her mind. She wondered how on earth she was going to get her out. And better yet, if she even really wanted her out.