AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I didn’t do anything. He just spilled his guts. No idea why."
“Me neither." It wasn't like Colton was a people person or someone who invited you to open up and tell him all your worries. I had to review my management style. If my assistant had volunteered this information to Colton, it meant he was stressed out of his mind, and that wasn't how I did things. I respected my employees and certainly didn’t want them working under duress.
We went inside, and Darren, the owner of the gym, welcomed us. He was behind the reception desk, although he was a trainer too. He ran the place efficiently with only three others on the staff. My brother had brought him a lot of business over the years.
"I've got gloves for you two," he said, handing them to us after we changed. I never bothered buying gloves. Colton did, and he kept all his equipment here.
"Okay, give me your best shot," I told him as we stepped into the ring.
The place was full, which was normal for a Saturday afternoon. There were four rings, and each was occupied.
Colton and I had a rule about not bruising each other; we wanted to let off steam, not look like banged-up idiots.
“What's got you up in arms?" Colton asked as he landed the first punch.
"Nothing." I punched back, and he blocked me right away. He was better than me at this, but he also had more practice. It didn't matter. I didn't come here to win.
"You’re the one who suggested boxing."
Punch. Punch back. Punch. Block. Punch.
"That's because I knew it was the only thing that would get you out of the office."
We went back and forth, back and forth. I wasn't in fighting shape. Colton was. I went to the gym religiously, but my workout didn't include dodging my brother’s fists. My reflexes weren't as quick.
"All right, I think that's enough," Colton said forty minutes later. We were both drenched in sweat, and I was panting like a dog. "Fuck, this was good." He took off his gloves and put them on the bench next to the ring. I did the same.
"I agree. Feels surprisingly good."
He grinned. "That was a win. And you're still insisting that nothing's wrong? Did Grandmother get on your nerves?"
"No. You know she admitted to matchmaking Jake and Natalie?"
Colton jerked his head back. " I don't like that word."
"Neither do I, especially since she informed me that she’s hoping to do the same with Meredith and me."
"Oh, yeah. Spencer told me that."
"Dude, I thought you didn't have time to go out with any of us, but you have time for all the gossip in the family? You know more stuff than I do."
"What can I say? People just tell me stuff. I never ask them for it.” He paused, then said, “I don't remember Meredith."
"You weren't in high school anymore."
"But I know Mom liked her."
That caught me off guard. "Mom talked to you about Meredith?"
"Yeah. After you failed some test in math. She said it was a good thing Meredith agreed to tutor you and also that she liked her."
I had no idea why that impacted me. I had so few good memories of that period. Whenever I thought back on that time, I only remembered Dad's betrayal and my shitty reaction to it. I should've been there for Mom. We all should've. Instead, we gave her headaches on top of everything else she had to deal with.
As we went to the showers, I racked my brain, trying to remember when Mom and Meredith had interacted. For the life of me, I couldn't remember. I had to ask Meredith.
Colton and I showered and changed quickly. We were out of the place ten minutes later.
"We made great time, and I still have hours of work ahead of me."
