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Jasper made no move to leave. “There’s something else,” he said. “I think I can help you.”
I resisted the urge to scream in frustration. He could help me by walking the fuck away and letting me figure out my next move, not distracting me with his soft hair and soulful eyes.
“Help me with what?” I almost added, Diet tips? I didn’t want another dose of criticism. Today sucked. It was official.
“If you can cope with working outside of Wellington, I know a place you can use.”
“How far outside?”
“Here. Kapiti.” He hesitated. “My place.”
Galahad Syndrome. He was trying to rescue me again. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and instead sighed. “You may have a large kitchen, but it would need to be certified. That takes time and money, and as grateful as I am—”
“No. Not my house.” He sat up straight. “My gym. It has a kitchen. We got the certification done last year, when we planned to add a juice-and-salad bar, but we never went through with it.”
My inner cynic was about to rubbish the idea, but I squashed her down. Could it work? My transport costs would be huge, and I’d need to be ruthless about scheduling deliveries, instead of doing them at all times, but it wouldn’t be impossible. “Do you have an oven and prep surfaces? How much space is there?”
He shrugged. “It’s as big as that first one we saw.”
“And you’re not using it?”
“Not really. We’re storing energy drinks in the fridge, but we can get a beer fridge for those.”
It was too good to be true. I wanted to say yes, to grab the opportunity before he changed his mind, but there had to be a catch. “How much rent are you asking? And how long do you need me to sign up for? If—when—I find somewhere in town, I’ll want to relocate again.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s not in use. Just cover the utility costs. That’s all. If it makes you feel better, we can draw up a contract, to guarantee your tenancy for as long as you need but keep it flexible for when you want to move.”
Wow. I stared hard at him. “Thank you. I’d be a fool to turn you down.” I chewed on my lower lip as I tried to find the right words. “Why are you doing this for me?”
He held my gaze. “Because I can. Because sometimes we all need a helping hand.”
Or because he felt misplaced guilt for sleeping with me? Pride wanted me to refuse, but practicality won the brief battle. I held out my hand. “In that case, thank you again. How soon can I move in?” I laughed. “I haven’t even looked at it yet.”
Relief flashed in his eyes, and he took my hand and held it tight. It felt too good. “We can go there now, if you’d like.” His voice was husky and reminded me of the night before. Why did he have to be so nice? He was easier to cope with when I thought he was an asshole.
He squeezed my fingers before releasing me.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Apart from directing me on the ten-minute drive to the nearby town and showing me the closest place to park, Jasper stayed quiet.
I was glad. My brain was working at light speed, and holding a conversation at the same time would be impossible.
There were too many questions to consider. How long would it be, before I found new premises in the city? My little cottage was only rented until the end of next week, and then I’d have to go home and commute to the coast daily. That was workable, if I did my deliveries at the end of every day. How would I grow my customer base from up here? Could I expand to local markets? Was there also a local market for products like mine?
“That’s it.” Jasper pointed out the window at a two-story building. “We have the whole of the first floor.” There was a note of pride in his voice, and I recalled I wasn’t the only one to run my own business.
“Will it be busy?” The prospect of walking past a crowd of super-fit people made me uncomfortable.
“Nah. Not on a Sunday. This time in the week, for sure. We do twilight classes that are popular when people get in from work. At the weekend, though, the mornings are busiest.”
“What about your partner? What will he say?”
“He’s cool with it. I called him before I spoke to you.”
“And the new owner? The guy you’re selling to? Will he have a problem?”
“Sam? Nah. He’ll be fine.” Jasper flashed me a grin. “I promise you there are no cockroaches.”
Why was I hesitating? I had no idea. I pasted a smile on my face and followed Jasper. He was slow to climb a set of stairs, and I dawdled behind, but he waited for me at the top. A pair of swing doors carried a swirling logo and the gym name, Koru Fitness.
Jasper touched the design etched into the glass. “Our logo is based on the Koru, the Maori fern. It symbolizes growth, strength, and peace.”
“Appropriate for a gym.”
“Yeah. We thought so.” He quirked his lips. “Shall we?” He held out a hand, and after a moment, I took it.