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“You just missed Kyle,” he said. “He did some HIIT and took a shower, had to get to class.”
“I’ll call him later and let him know I heard he ran out before I got here. Obviously so I wouldn’t make fun of his bench press numbers,” I said lightly. “How’s it going with you?”
“Good,” he said, “promotion’s working out. Sophie’s got the kids this week and next weekend, so you’ll see a lot of me down here. Might as well use that time,” he said, a little sadly. He’d had a hard time with his divorce last year and he missed his kids when they were with his ex. I wondered if maybe Suze should give her sister Deacon’s number when she moved out here.
“Hey, let me know if you want to grab a beer this week since you’re free,” I said, knowing he’d be missing his kids in the evening especially.
“Sure thing, but I’m closing at the dealership Wednesday and Thursday. Thought I might as well score some sales this month if the kids are gone anyway.”
“Good plan. Text me if you change your mind,” I said with a wave.
Then I headed into my office and checked the plan for the week. My staff was all here as scheduled, and our paper goods delivery came in at nine on the dot so everyone would have toilet paper to use in the restrooms. The juice bar needed a new blender because one went out, and I had two voicemails from people wanting to try out A+ on a day pass. I sent those to Suze for follow-up.
In my POP folder, I saw a few applications already in for the internship and scanned them briefly. None from Leanne as yet, but I’d handed her a paper copy, so maybe she’d fill that out and turn it in after the next class—or maybe she changed her mind. I doubted it though. From the little I’d seen of her, I suspected she was pretty determined and stubborn about what she wanted. The lift of that chin, the purposeful stride when she came up to introduce herself, the bold way she met my eyes in class…
I was imagining a connection that wasn’t there again. I must be lonelier than I thought.
CHAPTER5
LEANNE
“Thanks, that really gets the blood pumping, Leanne,” Frieda said to me, wiping her face with a towel. “First thing I ever did to get in shape that didn’t feel like I was in boot camp.”
“Zumba’s fun,” I said. “I’m happy you like it. Will I see you back here on Monday?”
“You bet you will, honey,” she said, walking away with a spring in her step.
I loved doing senior Zumba at the community center. I made playlists of music that the people would’ve heard in high school and worked out routines that fit with that. It helped with participation, and I wanted my students to have a good time. People who felt good and had fun came back for more classes, and that was my goal.
“You got me hooked onFrankie Valli,” one of my long-time students had told me. “You put onOh What a Night, and it was like I was back at the ninth-grade formal!”
I picked up my stuff and was heading out when my phone rang. It was Rina.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I just got off work and wondered if you’d like to grab a burger. I’ll be at Lou’s in about five minutes.”
“Why are you just getting off work at seven? I thought the shelter closed at six,” I said.
“We had a last-minute rescue and had to check them over, I’ll tell you about it over fries,” she said.
“Okay, be there in a few,” I said.
When I walked into the diner, blinking under the bright lights and taking in the noise of the crowd, I spotted Rina at a table with a platter of food already in front of her.
“Thanks for waiting on me,” I joked, eating one of her fries.
“Hey, you took too long. Were you Zumba-ing past the class time?”
“No, it just took a while to get here. Traffic. What’s up with the last-minute rescue? Was Timmy trapped in the well and Lassie saved him?”
“No. Daniela—the new receptionist at the office—her boyfriend’s mom saw somebody dump a box of kittens in a dumpster. She called the boyfriend who brought them to us and we had to clean them up and check them over,” she stopped with a sigh. I patted her hand.
“It’s got to be really hard seeing the way people treat animals sometimes.”
“People are the worst. I would legit like to find the woman who dumped them and left them to die, and I’d like to yank out her eyelashes one by one.”
“That’s…both mean and very specific. Remind me not to get on your bad side. Also, I would sit on her while you yanked her eyelashes out,” I offered.
