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I groan. Of course, Grant's already seen the video. "Any chance Clover hasn't seen it yet?"
Grant's laugh is my answer.
"Fuck. I'm trying to get it taken down. If you see her, tell her that, okay?"
"She's probably doing the same thing as we speak. What's going on there, anyway? Clover told Dani it was nothing but hate-fueled lust. You on the same page?"
The memory of that kiss kept me up most of the night. I've dated a lot of women, slept with a few more, and no one has ever kept me on my toes or intrigued me like Clover. "I'm not a hater, Grant, you know that."
"I do know that." He sighs. "I like Clover. She'll give the shirt off her back to a person in need, but she's hard to get to really know and I'm pretty sure she's willing to do whatever it takes to get that gym."
His words bring me back to reality. No matter what I feel for Clover, I have to get this gym. Not just for me, but for my family. To give back my father some of what he lost so he'll know there's a legacy for his family. "Don't worry about me, Grant. I know exactly what I'm getting into."
"I hope so, but take it from me, falling for a Weston sister is a terminal diagnosis."
"I'll hold on to my heart. I'm tougher than you, Holiday."
Grant snorts, but he doesn't call me out on my lie.
Back in the gym, Russell is yelling at Cody to 'hit it like you live' and Cody is punching the bag like he's trying to impress the old man instead of holding back like he said he would.
"Alright, Russell," I say as I approach them. "Quit egging on my client. He's got three more sets to get through before I'm done with him."
Cody throws one more punch, his angle off, and winces in pain.
Russell meets my eye with a sheepish expression before disappearing back into his office.
Cody pulls off the boxing gloves and swings his arm around, but stops before he completes the full circle. "I think I did something to my shoulder."
"You didn't listen to your trainer is what you did. How bad is it?"
Cody moves it around a bit. "It feels like I tweaked it. I don't think it's serious."
"Uh-huh. Tell me how it feels tomorrow morning."
I cross the room and grab a cold pack from under the check-in counter. Cody follows and I hand it over after I've pressed the center and gotten it cold. "Hold this on your shoulder for fifteen minutes. Rest it today and alternate ice and heat tonight."
He presses the cold pack to his shoulder. "Getting old is the worst. What a stupid way to hurt my shoulder."
"First of all, you're not even forty yet. Second, you threw that punch at the wrong angle. Don't blame your body for your poor form."
Cody winces and shakes his head. "Ouch."
"That's what you pay me for, Reynolds. I'm not here to sugarcoat the truth and make life easy for you."
"Guess we can't finish my workout? I've still got one good arm."
"Go home and don't do anything else stupid today. We can work lower body on Friday if your shoulder's not feeling too bad."
"Yeah, okay. I'll text you after I've talked to Simon and settled on his fees for this job."
"Appreciate it, Cody."
I see him off and, finding myself with some unexpected free time, sit down at the computer behind the check-in desk to search for someone to train me in trail running.
***
I'm mid-squat with three hundred pounds of plates on the barbell when my three-year-old niece runs into the gym, shouting my name. "Unca Ash, Unca Ash."
