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The gym is boring without her. Life is quiet when she isn’t around. I train. I train others. I do gym admin. I strum my guitar, wishing it was her fingers playing and her voice I was hearing, instead of my own.
I want more. I need more. It’s time to do something new and challenge myself.
I set my tuna steak and edamame beans aside – it’s lean protein and greens, I can’t be expected to be a kale convert after two weeks. Come on!
Opening the lid of my laptop, I sit at the kitchen counter and find Drew’s e-mails about franchising.
After an hour, I think I understand the basics: someone else owns the land, someone manages the gym, but it’s my style, my training regimes, and my brand they use. I make a note of things I need to ask. How do I make sure the quality of the training is maintained? Who pays for equipment and the fit-out of the gym? Do I get to dictate which suppliers are used and how many members the gym has?
I go to the fridge for a beer but when I reach inside, I decide to take a club soda instead. By the time I’m finished reading everything Drew sent me, it is after midnight and I am pooped.
36
BROOKS
Week 2 Without Her
Stepping out of the elevator, the first thing I see is the new gold sign saying:
Welcome to Statham Harrington
I’m so damn proud of my buddy for getting his name on the wall.
‘Hey, handsome. Admiring the art?’
‘Hey yourself,’ I say, hugging Sarah.
‘I’ll take you through to the meeting room. Drew is just finishing up a call. Do you want coffee?’
Following her impressively fast strut in sky-high heels, which ought to be considered an extreme sport, I tell her, ‘Actually, I’m not drinking so much caffeine.’
She stops, dramatically – in true Sarah fashion – and spins to face me. Holding her hand to one side of her mouth, she whispers, ‘Don’t let the attorneys hear you slander their best friend. Men have been killed for lesser things.’
I’m still smiling at Sarah as I stand in the meeting room and take in the view of Manhattan’s skyline under the early morning sun.
‘Brooks, my man.’ Marty comes into the room and shakes my hand. ‘I can’t stay. I’ve got a mock deposition in two minutes, I just wanted to say hi. Are you coming to poker at Drew’s on Saturday?’
‘I’ll be there.’
‘Great stuff, great stuff. All right, got to go. When I make him wait, my client is like you when you’re hungry.’
‘Shit, you better get going.’
‘I know, right?’
As Marty leaves, Drew comes in. ‘Hey, buddy.’ He shakes my hand and we take a seat at the glass table. ‘Do you want a bagel or pastry or something?’
‘No, I’m good.’
‘You’re turning down food? Sarah says you don’t want coffee, either. What the actual?’
‘Since you made me buy this suit and it’s like two inches too small, I can’t afford to eat pastries.’
‘The suit is the perfect cut, Brooks. You’re just used to elastic waistbands. Right, let’s get down to it.’
‘I’m ready. I’m in. Let’s franchise.’
Drew smiles as he sips his take-out coffee. We talk through everything I think I understand. Drew fills in some blanks and answers my questions.
