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“At least you’re off the bike, so nothing dangerous can happen.” Kora stands in front of me, sweat glistening on her face, a towel around her shoulders. We took the same spin class, but she is apparently in much better shape than me.
“How are you standing? I think I’m dying.”
She takes a long sip of water. “This was your idea, remember?”
Kora’s right. I decided I needed to start exercising in hopes that it would help me deal with all the stress I’ve been facing––the eviction, the funeral, Hayden.
Bad things always happen in threes.
The spin instructor is a friend of Kora’s, and we’ve all played trivia together at Mike’s. I assumed it would be safe to take her class, not realizing that she is a sadistic monster.
“I never want to do this again. If I ever ask again, please talk me out of it.” I sit up and take a big swig of my water.
“Hey, look at the bright side. You successfully didn’t think about any of your problems for fifty minutes.” She gives me a triumphant look.
True. All I could focus on in class was not puking all over the bike and embarrassing myself in front of nine other women. Maybe I should torture myself more often and get my ass back on that bike.
“Okay, let’s shower. Want to get food together afterwards?” I grab my towel from my gym bag.
“Yes, please. Don’t forget, you still have to tell me how the call went today.”
I groan. “There’s not much to say. They were confused why I was calling, and they treated me like I only have two brain cells.” I imitate the high-pitched voice of the secretary. “Miss Thomas, we gave you a three-month notice to vacate the premises. The decision is finalized.”
“Stupid bitch,” Kora says angrily. A middle-aged woman next to us gives her a nasty look, and I turn away to hide my laughter.
Kora simply shrugs her shoulders. “Anyway, you tried, and I’m proud of you.”
I get up and start to stretch. “But the real estate woman already got back to me. She said she has some places to show me. I asked her to send over the listings first, because I’m not wasting my time going to places I know I won’t like.”
“Look at you! You’ve been productive. How’s the funeral coming along?”
“I don’t know. It’s overwhelming. So far all we’ve done is taste-test cakes.”
“Damn, you didn’t invite me to that?” She shakes her head.
“Well, I didn’t know you wanted to be around Hayden.”
“You didn’t know if I wanted to eat cake with a hot guy? Ugh. I need to see firsthand what he’s like.”
“He’s chatty, like I mentioned. Gets me to open up to him.”
“That’s still wild to me. Does he flirt?”
“A little?” I frown. “But then he tells someone on the phone how he misses and loves them right after.”
“You think he has a girlfriend?”
I shrug, pretending I haven’t thought about it. “Maybe? We’re going to the florist later if you really want to come with us.”
“Flowers are boring. Invite me when you taste-test food again.”
I laugh. “Deal. Let’s go shower and eat.”
“Good. I’m starving, and you smell disgusting.”
I try to whack her with my towel, but she evades it just in time and jogs toward the showers. I don’t know where she gets her energy from, but I slowly trail after her.
Later, I’m outside my favorite florist looking at small bouquets out front. The sweet and floral scent of the lilies entice me closer, and I inhale deeply.
