She smiled at me. “Yes, we will. Thank you.”
The brunette was still looking at me. “Sorry, what did you say your name was again?”
“Emerson.”
She turned to her blonde friend, her eyebrow raised.
I wasn’t sure what her problem was, but I couldn’t hold back the frown this time so I walked to my bike on center stage. It was time to get started. I clipped in and started pedaling, turning up the first track I’d set.
“Okay, gang! I hope everyone is doing well today. For those of you who don’t know me or have never taken my classes before, I’m Emerson. Jace is sick so I’m filling in. Let’s start with a warm up, get those legs moving. Your hearts are going to be pounding today, so I hope you’re ready to sweat.”
On the screen in front of me, attached to my bike, I could see everyone’s speeds and strength metrics, and watched them increase as they settled into their rides.
“Make sure you stay hydrated throughout, and if you need to stop, push down hard on the dial in the front. Okay, let’s go. Turn it up!”
Soon, everyone was sweating away, pushing hard, and pedaling like they were trying to win the Tour de France.
I was keeping an eye on the two women up front, their giant engagement rings catching the light every time they sipped from their water bottles or wiped a towel across their faces. The brunette was surprisingly powerful for someone so short.
Fifty minutes later, the class was over and everyone started filing out, spent and sweaty, offering murmurs of thanks as they passed.
“Well done, everyone. Great class.”
As I turned around, the two at the front were deep in whispered conversation. Something strange was playing out that I couldn’t put my finger on; especially given the brunette hadn’t stopped staring at me.
“It’s her, I’m telling you!” she hissed as I walked over to them.
“Fred. Stop. Shush,” the blonde whispered back.
Yeah, they were definitely eccentric; must be the English thing. With the lights a bit brighter, I could see the brunette was also sporting her own little baby bump, and her hair was more black than brown.
“How did you like the class, ladies?”
She spun around, not realizing I was so close, her eyes flaring momentarily. “Oh, we loved it. We haven’t done your classes before. How long have you been here?”
“I’ve been here around nine months, but I usually teach the six a.m. crew.”
“Nine months?” the blonde one gasped quietly, before composing herself.
I was starting to think these two might not be entirely sane.
The black haired one carried on as though nothing happened. “No wonder we’ve not seen you before. Do you do any at a more reasonable hour?”
I laughed. “Yes. I take a Saturday mid-morning class and a couple of the specialist rides, but I’ll be doing more.”
“We’ll definitely be back. I’m Freddie by the way, and this is my sister, Wolfie.”
“Great, I’d love to see you two again.”
They headed toward the door before Freddie turned back to me. “This will sound like a strange question, but have you ever been to Vegas?”
I startled slightly, and then nodded.
Wolfie tugged on her sleeve before I could answer out loud. “Francesco, we need to go, we’re going to be late.”
They walked out, leaving me as shivers zipped along my spine. And for the second time that day, memories of the best night of my life burned me from the inside and pierced my brain.
Chapter 6
