3
Warm sweat dripped off David Kings’ forehead as he rotated on his back to complete his bench-press routine before the stopwatch timer struck a minute. He lifted the shifting weight bar, pushed it high up, and held.
“Hold it. Hold it.” His personal trainer bent over with hands on knees and pushed him from the sidelines.
His nerves crackled at their breaking point as he sucked air into his mouth and held to assist him in completing this set. No way would he stop now.
“Two seconds...and...drop it.”
David settled the weight bar onto its rung and sat up as his trainer handed him a face towel. He twisted between pants to his trainer. “It felt harder. Am I getting weaker or what?” He wiped sweat off his eyes, trying not to frown. The last weight he’d lifted was a hundred pounds, and it hadn’t felt this tough before.
His trainer applauded. “That, my friend, was one hundred and fifteen pounds of weight you just lifted. Last week, you said it had been your goal to lift up twenty more pounds. So I added fifteen to test you. You couldn’t have done it if I told you the weight before you completed the actual lift.”
He patted David’s shoulder. “Normally, I would tell my client beforehand, but I knew you could handle it physically having trained you for a while. So I adjusted them to an additional seven and a half pounds for each end. And you did it. What held you back was the fear in your mind. Bravo, man. You’re stronger than you think you are. Good job.”
David shook his head and rose, twisting the towel and slapping it over his shoulder. “You’ve got to tell me when you increase my weights so I don’t go crazy wondering why it feels heavier all of a sudden,” he complained, though pride flooded his heart over having bested himself even without knowing it.
“I have to be at the school soon so I’m leaving, but I’ll see you in two days’ time.” He patted his trainer’s back, glad not to require the man’s skills until he’d had a rest day and was less sore. The guy was a great trainer, but drove him hard, just as he wanted in his head and heart—until soreness kicked in.
He chuckled at the memory of those few times when he’d switched off his phones to avoid him only to find the man at his doorstep banging the door down and dragging his tail to the gym.
David grinned at his latest achievement as he separated the weights and placed each onto the weights rack, alongside his trainer. There was no other way to bulk up but to do the work, and do the work he usually did. That was one of the reasons people wondered why he was still single at thirty-eight.
An accomplished man with military background, running a private Christian school founded by his dad. And not doing too badly financially. In fact, by many standards, they were rich, and he knew how hard his dad had worked to build the wealth.
Sadly, his heart was taken quite early, and the person occupying it was unavailable. Or so it had seemed. Hearing from Jim that Rose had been jilted from a serious relationship had shaken him up. While he knew fifteen years was a long time to expect someone to still care, he’d wished she gave him a chance. Part of him ached to think someone hurt her heart, while more of him wished she’d come to him. He dusted the bench off with a dry towel.
Now his dad had offered her a job, and she was back in Elliot—in his face literally. He wasn’t sure how to react. Granted, he had promised, Jim, his best friend and Rose’s senior brother, that he wouldn’t hurt her emotionally. However, he wasn’t sure how to pretend as though she was just an acquaintance and meant nothing more. Maybe for her it might be the case, but not for him.
On second thought, he wondered if she might stay or choose to flee yet again when their paths crossed. It was no secret that Elliot was the last town Rose would come back to. So why had she accepted the job offer?
His dad said she was the best qualified, after a phone interview. He knew his dad was right if she maintained her high standard like when they were younger. But he also wondered whether his dad wasn’t simply insisting on her because he knew her as a child, watched her grow up next door, and bought her enough ice cream over the summer those years to be her ice-cream buddy. Time changed people, and he was yet to see how it affected Rose. Was she more cool and reserved than the excited teen who’d found a reason in everything to smile about?
And how was he supposed to behave around her now that they were both grownups? Exhaling loudly, he figured he’d better go home and pray before meeting her again face to face.
David wiped down some other equipment they’d used with disinfectant wipes, and then tossed the wipes into the trash. As he winced at the rebellion of the tight muscles behind his thighs when he moved, thanks to the intense workout, he waved to his trainer with his sweat-dampened towel on his way out.
His trainer barely lifted his head above the stair-climber he was unplugging. “See you next time, man. Watch your fat calories’ intake. Drink lots of water, and eat more proteins and less carb. Nuts and berries are fine, but don’t overindulge.” Same old instructions. His trainer always recited this to him, all the time.
“Got it.” He made his way to the shower, thankful that he’d found this private fitness facility up near the edge of Elliot. His private coach, the owner, was an added bonus as he was sure he’d workout with or without a trainer. His anxiety heightened as he wondered what awaited him at the school. He’d half-expected the workout to calm his nerves, but it only made him sore, and yet still anxious.
Since he was the school’s administrator, he’d officially welcome Rose Denison into the Elliot-Kings staffing team today. A task he was none too eager to do considering their history. Had she changed in appearance from the shiny-haired, witty but carefree, teen girl? Some things, he feared, never changed. Like the way his heart rate picked up simply at the thought of a reunion. Twenty years post high school, and his heart still knew its way around Rose. As he stepped into the shower, he hoped, for his sake, his heart would keep its musings to itself. She was back for a job, not for him.
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Thursday morning came, and Rose slapped her books onto the L-shaped oak desk, dropped her purse into the first drawer, and wondered where her entire class of students was. She double-checked the room number on the wooden door’s glass overhead. Classroom 18. Right.
Then confirmed the time on her watch. Eight o’clock. Her class began at eight, but no one was here. Did the students not know her class start time? She gathered the loose prep sheets and stacked them onto a file holder as the door swung open and her past slammed right in her face. Caught in mid-movement, she deposited the sheets and retrieved her hand. She straightened as gray-brown eyes bore into hers, taking her more than a decade back to these same halls, at another time, when they were both younger, much younger.
Rose managed to clear the wedge from her throat. “David.” She wasn’t so sure what her next statement should be. Why was he here? “What a...surprise for sure to see you.” She clenched her hands into fists to control her shock.
David didn’t speak. He simply drew closer, confidently shoving a hand into his pocket, never taking his eyes off hers. His eyes teased her to continue guessing the reason for his presence. But he was smiling, really smiling, and dimples dotted both dark-brown cheeks. Rose swallowed her curiosity, not so comfortable to have seen him on day one at her new job. Did he know she was coming?
He drew closer, and she refused to squirm. She was a grown woman and would act like one, even if it killed her. Or was fake. She pinned an arm to her hip and stood tall. “You’re in the military, David. Aren’t you supposed to be off somewhere...I don’t know…” Her voice trailed off when he stopped right in her face, inches away, his aftershave making an acquaintance with her nostrils. His breath felt warm on her face.
Her breath caught. What was that thought about being a grownup? She could hardly recall.
He stepped beside her, unhinged a nametag, and placed it on her desk. He then took her hand gingerly in his large one and led her toward the classroom door. Tongue-tied, she simply followed.
The doors swung wide, “Welcome to Elliot-Kings School!” children’s voices roared. Her eighth-grade class filled the area.
Teachers, she assumed they were, stood some rows behind, applauding and smiling big. She was sure David remembered that she didn’t like surprises. She preferred seeing what was coming.
He let go of her hand, leaned in, and whispered, “I’m sorry for the surprise. And it’s good to see you again.” He moved away, past the throng of kids now inching forward to shake her hand. As she greeted them first, from the corner of her eye, she saw him join the corp. of teachers at the back. His muscular frame was hard to miss. She baffled at the way he had transformed from the lanky teen to a man you wouldn’t want to mess with, yet he had been gentle to her, both in tone and in manner.
The kids were all offering their hands for a shake, some bowing slightly and greeting her. “Welcome to Elliot-Kings, Ms. Denison. We hope you like it here.”
So did she. She was in familiar territory, and yet, it couldn’t be more unfamiliar. She’d been gone from town for so long, she felt like a stranger. She glanced up briefly between greetings. And there was David, looking like a bodybuilding pro, a toned blast from the past, reminding her she was indeed back home in Elliot. He exuded a matured air. And quiet peace. She had to answer one question to herself after this was over. Did she want to stay in her hometown knowing he was also here?
To begin with, was this still home?