AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Behind the camera I see Reese standing beside Liz, mimicking for me to sit straight and stop fidgeting. I try, but being still has never been something I’m capable of.
“Thank you, Sam, for having me. I’m so excited,” I nearly squeal into the microphone in my hand.
“I couldn’t tell,” Sam says laughing. “So tell us, what is your motivation? What has got you this far?”
“My daughter, Reese, of course is my main motivation. I want to be someone she can be proud of,” I say looking at my kid. She holds her hand over her heart, touched by my words. “And myself. If I’m really being honest, I’m doing this for… What the hell?” My train of thought is suddenly derailed as my eyes catch sight of the man behind Reese. He’s deep in conversation with someone, and all I can see is his profile, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt who that is.
“What?” Sam the interviewer asks in confusion, but I’m beyond her now.
“Oh my god. Oh my god!” It’s him. The guy from the bar I made out with two nights ago. Without a second thought I hurl myself down so hard I kick my stool back and it clangs noisily against the dumbbells someone set beside me as props.
Making myself as small as I possibly can, I huddle behind Sam’s stool. Gaging the distance between myself and the front door is a little hard to do with so many people in the way, but I figure that if I propel myself forward and just start shoving, I could make it there in about five seconds.
Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me.
“Cat, get up!” Julie grinds out, reaching down, trying to grab at my arm, but I swat her away.
“Are you getting this?” I hear a second before two big sneakered feet walk up to me.
I don’t have to look up to know who it is, but when I do, it takes a while for my eyes to trail up his well-defined legs. Over flat hard abs and wide shoulders covered by a shirt suspiciously identical to mine and finally to that overly sexy face.
The edges of his mouth pull up the way they did when we were at the bar and he read my business card. Green eyes greet mine with a twinkle that makes me giggle nervously.
“Um, yeah, I can’t see it, Jules. You sure it fell?” I ask, ignoring cute guy’s hand as I stand up.
“I didn’t drop anything,” Julie says, and I shake my head at her. Why can’t the woman follow my lead and lie just this once!
“Oh, we have another competitor. Welcome!” Sam’s excitement over this man is far too evident. She throws her hand out to him, forcing me to take a step back. The way she turns her hand over says kiss it, don’t shake it. He doesn’t do it though, giving it a good squeeze instead.
I hope the cameraman is getting this. Then I remember having heard the very line as I lay fallen on the floor. Oh my god! The camera! It caught the entire thing!
My face burns as I imagine what millions, or a few billion people saw through their television as the camera caught the whole thing.
“Sam, this is Dean Cooper from our Orlando location,” Julie introduces. “Dean has also been with Maxx for five years and is an amazing young man. If he were to win, he’d be our youngest franchisee at twenty-nine.”
“Dean Cooper?” I ask him. “Twenty-nine?”
“Dean Cooper,” he says, extending his hand to greet me. When I don’t move, he reaches out and takes mine, shaking it. “Nice to meet you. Cat?”
I look at our hands dumbly. “Dean Cooper, as in my competition, Dean Cooper?”
“The one and only.”
“Did you know who I was the other night?” I demand.
“Not until you gave me your card.”
“And you said nothing?” He knew! The moment he read my name on that business card, he knew who I was. Now that little smirk makes complete sense!
“What did you want me to say?” he asks innocently.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that you were my competition.”
“Well, I did say I’d be seeing you around.” There’s that twinkle again, his eyes full of amusement at my irritation.
I throw my arms up. “You didn’t say it would be at the gym!”
“Where did you think I meant?”
