Page 49 of Hope After Loss

“Well, the only attention of his I have is in a professional capacity.”

“That’s how it starts.”

I sit up and face her. “How what starts?”

“I started as his personal trainer. Strictly professional,” she confesses.

“Look, Allie, Weston and I are just friends, so if you think I’m some sort of competition for his affection, you’re wrong.”

“Friends? I thought you were just coworkers,” she quips.

“We’re both, and I’m here to get a good workout. A good beginner’s workout with my girlfriends. My relationship with Weston has nothing to do with that,” I insist.

“You’re right,” she says as she stands.

She extends her hand to help me up. “I think that’s good enough for today. Your push-ups have definitely improved. Work on them at home, and we’ll have you doing full burpees in no time.”

“Is class over?” I ask.

“No, it’s just starting, but we’ll begin with something a bit more your speed.”

She turns to the rest of the class, which is either struggling to complete the round or sitting down to recuperate.

“Guys, you can stop. I think I might have been a little too ambitious for the first day. Let’s start with jumping jacks to warm up our muscles and work our way up to some lunges and squats.”

“Thank you,” Erin bellows.

I stretch my arms above my head and roll my shoulders as I rejoin the other class members.

“Anna,” Allie calls after me.

I look back at her.

“Just be careful—with Weston, I mean. He’s easy to fall for and hard to get over.”

I incline my head to let her know I’ve heeded her warning. Not that it is wanted or needed.

“What was that all about?” Taeli asks as she hands me a bottle of water.

“Apparently, our instructor has the hots for Weston,” I tell her.

“Seriously? She put us through that because of him?” Jena squeals.

I shrug. “I think she got the impression Weston and I were a thing.”

“What if you are? It’s none of her business,” Taeli snips.

“We’re not, so it’s a moot point.”

“Erin,” Taeli calls.

Erin leaves her conversation with Ansley. “What’s up?”

“We’re out of here. My wedding dress fits just fine, and we can go walk the track at the high school after doughnuts.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Erin says, and she calls out to the other girls, “Come on, girls. We’re out of here.”

Weston