Page 7 of Renascence

He looks down at my plate, then back to me, eyes boring into mine. His penetrating gaze is too much for me, so I avoid it.

“Is it because she turned you down?” I indicate Sheila with a slight jerk of my head.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Emily. Fucking sexy as hell. I’m pretty sure most men would give up their left nut to fuck you.”

I stare at my plate, pushing the contents around with the fork. I don’t know why he’s saying these things to me, but I wish I could believe them. I wish they were true.

But he’s wrong.

So wrong.

I feel the shift in him, the change. Him pulling away. I keep my gaze averted, oblivious as to why I care.I just met the man; so what if he thinks… whatever it is he thinks about me? Itshouldn’tmatter.

But it does.

While keeping my eyes down, I’m still able to see him toss his napkin on the table before sliding out of the booth.

“When you leave here, continue down Main Street. Take the first left onto Second Street and the gym is the third building on the right.”

I finally meet his gaze, unable to read anything in his passive expression.

“See you around, Emily.”

After making a stop at the counter, he leaves the diner without a backward glance. I push the remaining portion of my salad away, no longer hungry. Venom may not know it, but I did him a favor. Having sex with me would be awful, angry or not.

“Can I get you anything else?” Sheila asks as she bounces up to the table.

“Just the check, please.”

“No need to worry about that.” She winks, confusing the hell out of me. “Venom took care of it. My tip, too,” she adds, compounding my confusion.

“He did?”

“Yep. Told you, in and out.” She giggles, clearing the table and walking away.

Yeah. Notmypanties. Even if I believed he wanted to have sex with me, it would take more than paying for my lunch to make it happen. I have to admit, though, it was a nice thing to do, considering the shitty day I’ve been having.

Since my day is looking up, I try to keep the momentum going by heading straight to the gym. The sign on the building says “SHED.” The letters seem to be stripping, but a closer look reveals that’s actually the design… the letters are shedding. That’s pretty cool.

The cute guy behind the front desk gives me a bright smile, his teeth shining like a whitening commercial. “Hi there!” He steps from behind the desk, voice injected with more pep than a high school cheerleader. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. He is pretty upbeat, though. By the size of him, he must have adrenaline to spare. I’m talkingswole. “Welcome to Shed. I’m Kurt. How are you doing today?”

“Good. Nice to meet you, Kurt. I’m Emily.”

I take his outstretched hand, glancing at his bicep and how it’s straining against the sleeve of his red polo shirt.

“What can I do for you today, Emily?”

“Well, I’m in town visiting and was wondering if I need a membership. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”

“You’re in luck!” he announces, grabbing a brochure from the desk and handing it to me. “We have a special going on right now. You can get the first month free, access to all our equipment and classes, and fifty percent off at our juice bar.”

“Wow. That sounds amazing. What’s the catch?” I raise a curious brow.

“No catch. Most people end up getting memberships before their month is up. I’ll make an exception for you since you’re a guest in our little town.”

I blush, averting my eyes when his gaze goes from business to something quite the opposite. What is it with the men in this town? Two in one day is certainly a record for me.

“Would you like a tour?” Kurt asks.