Page 37 of Unconventionally, Elle

Now

A?fter a tough Pilates class with Finn, I recounted the Thanksgiving ?dinner to him, and his big gay heart was fuming.

"Okay, other than the fact I rarely see you these days and you're a writing queen, what the actual fuck, Elle?

People can't treat you like that." Finn was wiping down his reformer as I took a small drink of water.

"I know, I was more shocked than anything at first. Like, I've never had anyone completely ambush me like that." I moved my machine bar back to the front. "I mean, Mrs. Henry was a tipsy mess and then Mr. Henry was a demon from hell--a very rich demon from hell, I guess."

"Well, there are people like that here, everywhere really.

And that opinion isn't uncommon. Ya know, go to college, get your degree, and get the nine-to-five.

" Finn walked away to throw his towel in the bin.

"It's the perpetual cog in the wheel, rat race, all that jazz. " He shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"I know, and for the longest time, I thought that was my story, Finn. I really did. And it's some people's story for sure, like my friend Rachel. She's a corporate queen. I just can't do it, though. And his dad couldn't wrap his mind around it at all."

Finn and I walked into the lobby of the studio and took a seat by the smoothie bar he'd just opened. "You know, I really like this smoothie bar idea," I said while I looked at the menu.

"It was Jackson's idea." Finn shrugged. "But yeah, I like it too." He ran his hand over his sweaty hair and turned back to me. "So, dinner was a shit show. The important thing is this: What does Barrett think of it all?"

"He supports me and says he understands. He knows I'm not dating him for the money. God, that's so tacky to even say out loud."

Finn laughed and his dimples made me smile.

"He likes to say he's living vicariously through me and that he wishes he could have a choice. He feels trapped. I don't know." I sighed. "He supports me one thousand percent, that I know for sure. He's told me that."

We grabbed our bags and made our way out of the studio.

"Ellz, just remember, Jackson and I love you, and you'll always be enough for us, even if the Henrys think you're a moochy millennial freeloader.

'K?" Finn leaned over with a big smile and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Oh, by the way, put this on your calendar: Marley and Laura, our good friends from Pennsylvania, are coming over the weekend before Christmas.

It's an early mini Christmas party, if you will.

Bring Barrett. It's going to be so much fun!

Please say you'll be there?" He squeezed my arm.

I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. "Finn, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You guys leave for Nantucket soon, right?"

"Yep, we leave Friday. Funny enough, I wanted to live there when I first moved up north."

"No shit, that's hilarious. You know it's fucking crazy expensive, right?"

"Literally the exact reason we are here together right now.

" I bumped into him teasingly. "But we are just going for the weekend to relax and see the huge Christmas tree and all that fun stuff.

He says it's really magical." I beamed, thinking about how it would be my first white Christmas in more than a decade.

"You're going to have a blast," Finn said. "When we go in summer, we love the sailboat tours--they're the best and so fun."

"Wait, no way! That's so funny you say that!" I let go of his arms and squeezed his hands.

"Huh, why?" he asked, confused.

"Barrett tells me all the time that he'd rather own his own business, a sailboat business, in Nantucket and do tours. I've just never heard anyone else ever say anything about it. I didn't know that it was a thing." I was excited by the revelation.

"Oh, God. Elle, it's a huge fucking thing. You have to reserve it days in advance. Too bad he doesn't do that. I bet it's way more fun than what he's doing now." Finn shrugged and continued walking.

"Finn, why did you open up the yoga studio?" I asked as we turned onto the next street to go to our coffee shop. I was going to write, and he was going to do a little administrative work for the studio.

"To be honest, I never had the intention of being a fitness studio owner."

I kept staring at him, waiting for him to go on as we walked.

"I had a degree in education and was a physical education coach for a high school here. It was all right, but super political. Later, I became the cheerleading coach and fell in love with it. I loved my girls and training them for competitions and all that stuff."

We arrived at the café, went inside, and got in line for our usual orders.

"Anyways, after a few years, I realized that even though I loved cheer and my girls, I hated dealing with the school board and all the bullshit that went with working in the school system. At that time, I was taking yoga classes here and became good friends with the owners."

Finn gave our orders to John, and we walked to the end of the counter.

"Thanks for the latte," I said with a soft elbow bump.

"No problem. So anyways, I was talking to the previous owners one day after class, and they mentioned they were going to sell the studio because they wanted to retire and travel, but they also wanted the new owner to keep the name and continue the legacy they'd built.

Jackson and I had been dating for about a year, so I went home and told him I wanted to buy the studio. It just felt right."

"Holy shit! Were you scared?" I asked with eyes wide.

"Fucking terrified. But Jackson believed in me and really made the dream possible. He had a little money from his parents and some more saved up. We added it to whatever I had, and it was enough to make an offer."

"Wow." I was in awe of Finn and Jackson. "I actually didn't know Jackson was part owner."

"Oh yes, absolutely. He has more money in this than I do. He's the brains behind it, really. I'm the instructor, social media guru, and face of Align. But Jackson, he makes sure we're good financially."

"You guys make a perfect team. I literally had no idea he's so involved."

"Oh, one hundred percent. The LLC paperwork has his name on it too, ha ha.

Anyway, we went with our money to the owners, and they accepted our offer.

Jackson got all the legal shit taken care of, thank God, and I started getting my fitness certifications.

Also, since I was a student and the instructors knew me, most of them stayed on the schedule, so that was nice. "

"Yeah, for sure," I said.

"I quit my job right after the contracts were signed," said Finn.

"Do you miss your girls and cheer?"

"All the time," he admitted. "But my hands were tied.

I couldn't be their coach anymore with the way the school system was handling internal affairs.

Over the years, some of the ones who stayed in town have come to the studio and said hi, and it makes me happy.

But I had to make a trade-off--stay miserable but keep my girls, or do something that scared the shit out of me but felt right.

I know I made the right choice, though."

"Definitely."

"Elle! Finn!" John called our names from the bar.

"You took one hell of a risk, Finn," I said as we grabbed our drinks from the pickup counter.

He turned, gently grabbed my elbow, and held me in place. "Elle, you're not risking peanuts either." Then he let me go.