“This was a mistake.”
Laughing, Roan handed him a heavy kettlebell. “Twenty swings.”
Jason grabbed the handle and drove through his hips, the kettlebell swinging chest-high. The movement hit everything at once—glutes, core, shoulders, lungs.
“Now, fifteen goblet squats.”
Jason held the kettlebell against his chest and dropped low into squats while Roan counted. By the time Roan sent him to the pull-up rig, Jason’s T-shirt clung damply to his back.
“Ten pull-ups.”
Jason jumped up, gripping the cold steel bar. His muscles protested immediately. After the tenth rep, arms shaking, Jason dropped from the bar and flopped onto the floor. “You’re a terrible person.”
Roan tossed him a towel but didn’t let up. “Sled pushes.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Thought you said be rough?”
At the far end of the gym sat a weighted sled loaded with plates. Groaning, Jason got up and leaned into the vertical bars and drove the sled forward. His shoes squealed against the turf strip while every muscle in his legs lit on fire. Halfway down, emotions roared to life inside of him. He was afraid. Afraid to lose Mauve. Afraid to lose his career. The helplessness of his situation made him angry too. Why couldn’t he have fallen for someone in the business? Someone who would understand that he couldn’t walk away from the craft he’d spent the last two decades honing. He let his frustration out with every movement of his tired body. He gave it all to the workout, turning the sled around and shoving harder this time, breath ragged and the metal runners scraping across the turf.
When he finally stopped, he braced his hands on his thighs, sweat dripping onto the floor. Roan handed him a water bottle. Jason tried to catch his breath while his pulse hammered in his ears. When he could breathe somewhat normally, he sank onto the floor, his sweaty back against the mirror.
His brother sat a few feet from him. “You ready to talk?”
“There’s nothing to say. As Mauve said, we’re at an impasse. She won’t go, and I won’t stay.”
“Okay, we’re going to dissect this. Just brother to brother,” Roan said. “I love you—and I say this with love. You and Mauve need to get your heads on straight.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re making this much too complicated. You can’t tell me that actors who make the kind of money you do don’t have multiple homes. One in L.A. and another one for times when they’re not working. Why can’t that be here in Sugarville Grove?”
Jason bent his legs, wrapping his arms under his knees and resting his forehead against sweaty skin. “Mauve said she doesn’t want to raise a family with a guy who’s gone all the time.”
“And she’s not willing to compromise?”
“She doesn’t trust me enough to give up her job and her life here.” Jason grabbed the towel and scrubbed his face with it, feeling like he could cry at any second.
“What could you do to get her to trust you?”
“I suggested we get married.”
“Um, okay. What do you mean by ‘suggested?’”
“I kind of blurted it out. I told her I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving her behind. I invited her to go to Prague with me.”
“And she thought that was a terrible idea?” Roan asked, nodding like he understood exactly.
“She did, yeah.”
“I guess the question is—what are you willing to give up to be with the woman you love?”
“I have a contract. I can’t get out of the movie. Nor do I want to. This is the role I’ve been waiting for. It’s going to change my whole career.”
“And Mauve feels like her work is important too.”
“That’s right.” He set the damp towel aside. “I’m so frustrated. Why can’t she just agree to come with me? She could have a great life. Exploring Prague and doing whatever she pleased.”
