fifteen

Most of the time, Francine was glad Jonathan still had a group of clients and a reason to go to work, even though he could have sold his accounting business and retired. This was one of those days. He had seen the GMA episode—he’d sent her a brief text ending with a Groucho Marx emoticon on how sexy she looked soaking wet on television—but Francine was grateful she didn’t have to talk about it right then. She changed into exercise clothes, even though she had no intention of exercising. With the excitement of all that had gone on this morning, she felt she’d been through an intense cardio workout.

Clad in her exercise gear, she pushed through the front door of the Brownsburg Fitness Factory, hoping she would be in time to catch Brady Prather before spin class.

The gym was in a former church located north of downtown. The building had been creatively repurposed. Arched front doors led into a vestibule that was now the reception area. She flashed her membership badge at the thin blond attendant and entered onto the main floor. To the right were stairs that led up into an anteroom and choir loft where the free weights were located. To her left was a bank of small rooms containing tanning beds. Directly ahead was a large open area that formerly housed pews, narrowing into a triangular shape that had been the sanctuary. The open area had three distinct segments: one for cardio equipment, another for exercise machines, and a third for stretching and yoga. She scouted all three zones, didn’t see Brady, and headed up the stairs.

She hadn’t given much thought to figuring out what to say. She had no idea how to break the ice with Brady, let alone get him to open up about Jake. Whatever story she created, it needed to sound truthful. She decided to imagine she was asking about training sessions for Mary Ruth. Of her overweight friends, Mary Ruth was the one who could benefit the most.

She found Brady with a teenage protégé amid the strength training equipment. She didn’t want to look like she was loitering, so she picked up a couple of light dumbbells, located a bench, and did a set of ten shoulder presses. While she rested, she watched Brady train the young man.

Brady was tall, his head was shaved, and his body showed the thick, well-developed muscles of a guy who did a lot of weight-lifting. His calves were totally out of proportion. They rose out of his shoes like oversized turkey drumsticks before disappearing into the bottom of his long black shorts. If he hadn’t had a soft smile that seemed genuine, he might have come across as scary. Before Francine had to fake another set of shoulder presses, he finished with his client and the young man left the free weight area drenched in sweat. Francine walked over.

“Hi,” she said, sticking out her hand, “I’m a friend of your mom’s. Do you have a moment to talk about personal training?”

“For you?” he asked.

“Well, actually it’s for a friend of mine. She’s kind of overweight. She’s intimidated about coming in. Do you work with older people, or only with athletes?”

“I’ve trained clients over the years who’ve been older. How long has she been overweight?”

“A long time.”

“The problem is, it’s not just exercise; it’s diet too. My clients have to commit to both. It’s a totally different lifestyle. Do you think she can make those changes?”

His answers were coming too fast, and he was asking too many questions. She needed time to run them through her story to see if they matched up. Maybe she should have rehearsed with Charlotte.

Francine stared at him, trying to remember his last question. Something about changes. “She’ll need a lot of encouragement,” she said.

“I can provide motivation here in the gym, but if she can’t stick to the diet at home, it’s not going to work. Is there anyone who can help with the home part? Maybe you?”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Her grandson lives with her, but he’s overweight too. I guess I could check up on her.”

“If she’s willing to put in the work, I’m willing to train her, depending on my schedule. I have a few openings. There’s a sheet at the front desk that has prices on it.”

“Great,” she said. “I’ll pick that up.” She was momentarily relieved to get Mary Ruth out of the way so she could focus on the next topic. “Aren’t you Jake Maehler’s trainer, too?”

Brady shrugged. “He’s one of my clients. If your friend is willing, you need to move fast before she talks herself out of it. Do you think you could get her in here tomorrow for an evaluation? I have a hole in my schedule at three o’clock.”

Francine felt her throat tighten. The more he kept bringing up Mary Ruth, the more difficult it was to keep the lying coherent. “I don’t know. That might be a little too fast. It’s a shame about Jake Maehler’s mechanic, isn’t it? How’s he taking that?”

“He’s handling it. You look to be in shape. Have you considered training with your friend? I could devise a program that the two of you could use together. If you were with her, you might be able to motivate her to stick with it.”

Now she was really getting flustered. Not only was Brady giving short answers about Jake, he kept pushing her about Mary Ruth when she had no intention of actually dragging her into it. “I could try. But about …”

“I have to go. I have a spin bike class in a couple of minutes. Let’s do this. Bring her in tomorrow at three. I’ll talk to her, see where she’s at, maybe work her out just a little.”

Brady started downstairs toward the cardio area.

Francine stumbled a bit, struggling to keep pace with him and think on her feet. “I don’t know if she’ll …”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make her feel good about it. If she really wants to do this, tomorrow’s session will make her want to do it more.” They arrived in the cycling area, where the bikes were arranged in five rows of five each. About twenty were occupied. The bikers were pedaling easily, warming up. Brady mounted the instructor’s bike that faced the class and spoke to Francine. “The first session tomorrow is free, okay? Won’t cost her a thing to come. Want to join my class today?”

“Well, I …”

He held a hand up to indicate she didn’t need to answer. “So, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure,” she replied, but Brady hadn’t waited to hear her out. He was already biking and talking to the class. He picked up a remote and aimed it at the music system. A song blared.

Francine stood for a moment, debating what to do. She suspected Brady wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t show up tomorrow, and the likelihood he would mention it to her if he noticed her at the gym again was slim. Even if she talked Mary Ruth into this, there was always a possibility he wouldn’t be any more forthcoming with information about Jake Maehler than he already had. On the other hand, with two of them working together, they might be able to get him to open up.

Just as she was about to leave, she watched him pick up the remote again, this time dampening the sound so he could talk to the class. Brady and the remote … it made her think. But then she dismissed it. She could connect Brady to Jake and Jake to Friederich, but Brady to Friederich?

She shook her head and headed for the exit. Before she’d even left the building her cell phone rang. She checked the number. It was Joy, so she answered it.