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Focus.
Strangely, the view of Phil and Roxy wasn’t holding his attention today like it usually did.
She arched sideways, and her top rose, exposing an expanse of skin. Ted swallowed. He was seriously regretting handing over that key right about now. He’d thought after what she’d said at the hospital, about relieving him of responsibility for helping her change, she may not turn up again, yet here she was.
“Don’t mind me, I won’t listen.”
“What?” He stopped rowing to glare at her.
She was standing with a weight in each hand now, facing him. Ted didn’t think she looked sexy, not at all. That sweat on her chest was not a turn-on… no way, he lied to himself.
“You’re muttering loudly.”
“It’s my gym, and I like to mutter—”
“If I don’t like it, then leave?”
“Something like that.” He got off the rower.
Surprisingly, she didn’t. The old Mandy would have run for cover if anyone had spoken to her the way he just did. This Mandy stayed and worked out.
She did squats, and he tried to concentrate on the weights he was now lifting. When he lost count of how many reps he’d done, he went to the fridge and got out a water.
“Do you want one?”
“Thank you, that would be nice.”
Just thanks would have done, Ted thought, being picky for no other reason than he wasn’t in control. Not at work, and now here. It was enough to send a man crazy.
She took the water, drank deep, then went back to the hand weights she’d just picked up.
“Want to talk about it?” She turned away as she spoke and started doing bicep curls. “It’s the least I can do, considering everything you’ve done for me.”
“I thought yesterday I was just pissing you off and you were relieving me of duty.” Ted sat on the rowing machine again.
She shrugged.
Why did he find everything about this woman sexy? It made no sense to Ted. He had his pick of women, and most would be happy to spend time with him, so why did shy little Mandy Robbins intrigue him?
“No, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t push or pry. Just got on with her workout. For that reason, he found himself talking.
“I have staff problems.” Ted started rowing again.
“I’m sure it’s not the first time, right? It must come with the territory.”
“Something like that, but I don’t usually get too involved.”
“But?”
“But one of my staff is causing problems, and now the other staff are getting annoyed, and things are escalating and there’s a whole bunch of disgruntled people walking about wearing Falls Lodge uniforms. It’s not a good look.”
“That has to be hard.” She faced him again. “But I guess after this long you’re used to these kinds of problems.”
“I don’t like firing people.”
