Unless he was already starting to feel the same things.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
How did bowling use muscles she hadn’t known she’d had? Cece groaned as she rolled over in bed and opened her eyes. She could tell by the light outside that she’d slept later than she’d meant to.
Peanut sat on the other side of the bed like a tiny, calico gargoyle. As soon as Cece made eye contact with her, she meowed. Loudly.
“I know, you need breakfast. Coming right up, your majesty. Just let me lay here for two more minutes.” Cece grinned even though she ached in new places. Last night had been fun.Fun. At her age. Crazy that was still possible.
But it was only because of Joe and his attitude. His spirit for life was aspirational. It made her want more for herself.
And more of him.
That was a scary thought. She flipped the covers back, sending Peanut running for the kitchen in anticipation of her meal being served.
Cece was in such a good mood, she fed Peanutbeforestarting the coffee. Peanut, if she noticed, showed no gratitude. Cece gotthe coffee going, then took a quick hot shower in an attempt to soothe her aching muscles.
She’d had no idea bowling was such a physical sport but live and learn. It was a stark reminder that she needed to take better care of herself.
Besides walking the beach, Joe did tai chi, which seemed very on brand for him. He was also into paddleboarding, swimming, kayaking, and anything else that could be done outside.
No wonder he looked so good for his age. And so tan.
She got out of the shower and dressed, already thinking about what she might do differently. She was technically retired, so fitting in some exercise shouldn’t be a problem. Writing articles for theBuzzdidn’t take that much time. Not enough for her to use it as a valid excuse.
Coffee fixed, she grabbed her phone and sat in the living room to watch a little news and scroll through social media.
There was a text waiting for her from Joe. She smiled before even opening it.
Had a great time last night. Looking forward to next time.
She smiled as she typed.Me too. To both.
Next time was undecided as of yet, but they’d talked about getting lunch someday next week.
He would eventually ask her to go to the beach with him. She was sure of it. Which would mean putting on a swimsuit.
She grimaced. She needed to get active immediately. There was no way she’d lose the twenty pounds she’d been meaning to before she saw him again, but in his favor, he’d never once made her feel self-conscious about her figure.
What she was feeling now was the truth about her body. She’d been in a slump since being forced to retire, going through the divorce, and recovering from cancer. She hadn’t felt like she was worthy of love. Hadn’t felt capable of loving herself.
After her time with Blaise and then Joe last night, Cece realized how foolish that was. What had happened to her was in the past. Why was she still punishing herself for things that weren’t even really her fault? Yes, she could have vetted her source better and, clearly, she should have.
But wasn’t she allowed one mistake in an otherwise stellar career?
It was stupid to penalize herself. To not live a better life. She was worth more. She deserved more.
She logged into the Colony website and went to the Residents section to look at the fitness center schedule and to see what classes they had and at what times. A class felt like it would be a good fit. Maybe she could ask Paige. Cece knew Paige worked out because she’d followed Paige on TikTok and Paige often posted something from her time at the fitness center.
Also, you could just look at the woman and see she did something. Cece would kill for arms like that.
Honestly, Paige was a little intimidating. The woman was so together it was daunting. She always looked so perfect and clearly took care of herself. But they were friends now, right? Paige was the one who’d invited Cece to the book club.
That had to mean she’d be willing to offer some advice. When Cece was ready. Until then, a fitness class, maybe the one she was looking at right now, the one for beginners, would be just the thing.
The next one was at four p.m. this afternoon. She could do that. Sheneededto do that. She was already sore, so why not?
She clicked that she was interested, which added it to her calendar. She’d get an alert that way.
