Page 35 of The Weight Of It All

Reed chuckled and took my hand, pulling me out the door, and when we were outside, he put his arm around my shoulders.

If anyone in the gym had wondered about him being a little chummier with me than his other clients, they wouldn’t be wondering now.

It gave me a thrill that he was open to public displays of affection.

Not that I expected him to snog me in the car park, but it also told me he wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with me.

And for a guy like me, that meant a lot.

“You’re not going to die, Henry. I promise. I’ll be running with you, and I know CPR.”

I unlocked my car and was just about to speak when he cut me off. “And no, you can’t fake unconsciousness so I’ll give you mouth-to-mouth.”

My shoulders sagged. I had no clue how he knew what I was about to ask. “Oh.”

He laughed as he got into my car, and when I pulled the car into the easy Sunday traffic, he held my hand all the way to Drummoyne. It was a shame it was only a five-minute drive, because I really liked the feeling.

I found a parking spot near the rowing club and was met by a crazy woman madly waving from the park. “Oh, there’s Anika,” I said. I shot Reed a nervous look. “You ready for this?”

He snorted. “I am.”

With my heart in my mouth, we crossed the street and headed toward where it appeared that Anika had set up a picnic setting worthy of a photo shoot.

She had blankets spread out, several picnic baskets, cushions, and a soft-looking throw rug.

And as always, she looked gorgeous. “Jeez, did you spare anything?”

Anika kissed my cheek. “There are benefits to working for Myer, dear.”

Sean appeared, carrying more things from the car. “Tell me about it. Do you know how many trips to the car I’ve had to do?” He put down what looked a small, portable fridge. He straightened up and took a better look at me. “Shit, Henry. You look good.”

“Oh, thanks,” I said. I swear, taking compliments would never get easier. “Um, guys, this is Reed. Reed, this is Anika and Sean.”

Anika’s face was priceless. She looked at his chest then up to his face, and there might have been eyelash fluttering. “Hello,” she said meekly, holding out her hand. Dear God, what was wrong with her?

Sean looked at Anika like he was thinking the same thing I was thinking, then he shook Reed’s hand. “G’day. How’s it going?”

“Good, thanks,” Reed answered with a smile.

“Sorry about Anika. It’s not often she’s rendered speechless.”

Anika seemed to snap out of whatever daze she was in and lightly whacked Sean’s arm. “Shut up.”

He just laughed. “No wait, there she is.”

She sighed indignantly and seemed to gather her composure. She looked up at Reed. “So, you’re the one who has Henry looking like a million dollars?”

“Oh God,” I mumbled.

Reed chuckled. “Not sure I can take all the credit.”

She held his gaze. “But you’re making him run this… marathon?”

“It’s not a marathon,” I interjected.

“Yes, I am,” Reed stated proudly. “Because he doubts himself at every turn, and I want to prove to him that he can do it.”

This seemed to please Anika. “Well, good.” Then, not taking her eyes off Reed, she directed her question to Sean. “Did you get everything out of the car, dear? ”

Sean rolled his eyes behind her back. “Yes, dear.”

Reed coughed to hide his laugh, and Anika turned to face Sean, but he was saved by someone walking over to us.

“Melinda?” I asked. I couldn’t believe she was here.

She was wearing a knee-length navy plaid skirt, white shirt, and a navy vest, with her usual John Lennon glasses on the end of her nose.

“You don’t think I would let you do this without me being here to watch?” she asked.

“Aw, thank you,” I said. It meant a lot that she was here to support me.

She gave me a small, pleased smile, then looked up at Reed. She was possibly half his size. “And you must be Reed. Just so you know, Henry made me climb four flights of stairs the other day. I almost died, and I blame you for this. It’s nice to meet you, by the way.”

She held out her hand, which Reed looked a bit scared to shake. He did it anyway. “Sorry about the exercise.”

I made a late introduction. “Yes, sorry. Reed, this is my personal assistant, Melinda. She is a godsend. I’d be lost without her.”

Melinda smiled cheerfully, and Anika kissed her cheek. “Hi, darling. Glad you made it.”

“Oh,” Melinda said, reaching into her satchel. She pulled out some kind of Japanese graphic novel and handed it to Sean. “For you.”

Sean’s eyes lit up. “Thank you!” He soon made himself comfortable lying down on cushions, already turning to page one. “I’ll just stay here until you boys get back.”

Oh right. The whole run thing. I almost forgot.

Reed chuckled beside me. “You ready?”

“Not at all.”

Reed took my hand. “You’re not going to die, Henry.”

“I might, then all these outdoor-type people innocently enjoying the park would be scarred for life. I mean, really, we should think of the children.” Melinda snorted and Anika laughed.

I tried to glare at them, but then I remembered something.

“Oh, and in the case of my untimely and horribly tragic death, you know what song to play at my funeral, right, girls?”

Anika and Melinda answered in unison. “‘Staying Alive.’”

Sean laughed, and Reed chuckled as he put his arm around my shoulders and led me back to the path that wrapped around the bay.

Reed made me stretch for a few minutes before we started.

“Your friends are great,” he said. “Very funny. I can see why you all get along.”

“Anika is like my twin. We think the same. And Melinda… well, don’t let the innocent schoolgirl look fool you. She’s secretly a mathematical genius ninja and can kill four different ways with chopsticks.”

Reed burst out laughing. “Must make your job interesting.”

“Never a dull moment,” I answered. “With any of them.”

“And Anika seems to like me?” He seemed unsure. “It didn’t go too bad, did it?”

“It went well. Though you can probably expect the ‘hurt him and I’ll kill you’ speech when she gets you alone.”

“Fair enough,” he said with a smile. “Emily read you the riot act, didn’t she?”

“Yes, though I was very brave.”

Reed smiled and looked down the path we would soon be taking. “Okay, so we’re going to jog, slow and steady, for three kilometres.”

I whined.

“You do it three times a week, Henry. And we’re gonna do it at your pace.”

“My pace is about fifty kilometres an hour, in my car.”

Reed chuckled, and with a nod over his shoulder, he said, “ Come on. Let’s do this.”

And so I did. I started off on the seven kilometre Bay Run, with the only person on the planet who could have ever made me think it was possible.