“I’m not sure yet. It’s all still coming together, but what would you think of us partnering with them? We could hire someone who would work with the school and train the kids using some of our existing training program. I don’t know . . . maybe if it works, it’s a service we could provide to schools to do something similar.” I was talking faster, motioning with my hands. “You know how often our coaching boils down to undoing shit people have been holding on to since they were kids.”
Cord nodded, and I knew what was in that acknowledgment. When we first met, he gave me the cold shoulder, and I figured he was another spoiled, rich asshole like so many of my new classmates. The first semester we lived together, we just tried to stay out of each other’s way until he stumbled in drunk one night and thanked me for not being an asshole like the athletes who bullied him in high school. I’d never thought much about what people dealt with until that night. After Libby ran away, I’d thought about it a lot.
“Yeah, and it’s not like we’re going to expand FitMi to serve minors, so this could be good. We’re doing well. You want to do this for free, at least for this school?”
“That’s what I was thinking.” I was in way over my head. We’d have a thousand details to work out with the school—our insurance, the finances—and that was all before hiring someone to head it up. It would be a ton of work for me in the months ahead, and that was exactly what I wanted.
“Let’s do it.” He sat back in his chair and glanced down at my phone buzzing on the table.
“Kelsey again?”
I finished the beer and peeled the label. It was a reply from B, and I silenced it. “Nah, but Pearl is arranging a meeting.”
“I wonder what she wants.”
I did not understand why Kelsey was so eager to talk. Even when we were together, she never wanted to chat. When we first met, Kelsey seemed like the girl I thought I needed—serious, self-sufficient, and cooler than I was. She didn’t rely on me for anything, and that felt like a relief for a while after leaving home, but that cool turned colder and colder. We hadn’t spoken once since the breakup years earlier.
Cord shook his head. “Kelsey on top of everything else. When you have a bad day, it’s an epically shitty day.” He held up his beer. “Another?”
I waved a dismissive hand. Another drink would mean feeling even worse in the morning, and this was already more than I usually had. The worry I’d end up like my mom was always resting at the bottom of every drink.
“I got tonight, then.” He pushed up from his chair and strode to the bar to close out our tab. I examined my decimated beer label and scratched off the residue. The distraction didn’t last long before I unlocked my phone and clicked on the FitMi notification.
From: Bmoney34
To: FitMiCoachWes1
Sent: February 8, 8:54 p.m.
You get a pass for having a bad day and being a few beers in. Anyway, I kind of like the name.
Goodnight, Tube Sock
Bubbles
13
LIKED BY KATKO AND 399 OTHERS
If any man ever wanted me the way I want this stranger’s cream cheese Danish, I’m not sure I’d walk again. I’m getting better at usually choosing foods that give me energy. For example, while lusting after a stranger’s pastry full of carby buttery goodness this morning, I took a bite of this very Instagrammable red apple full of nutrients. If I’m being honest, the nutrients didn’t measure up, and I debated if feeling a post-Danish sluggishness might not be so bad. #DecisionsDecisions
* * *
I SAT AT the Best Life conference table, having arrived on time with the donuts. The box was almost empty when our boss arrived. One of the recent FitMi activities had been to read a short article on checking in with your body. It had sounded a little fluffy when Wes suggested it, but it was more about paying attention to physical cues like feeling tired, hungry, and in pain. I’d had the bear claw halfway to my lips when I rethought the decision, because I actually wasn’t all that hungry. Instead, I tore off a small piece of the donut and set the rest on a napkin near my notes.
“Good morning,” Maricela intoned, as if calling us to worship at the altar of style and grace. Eager congregants that we were, we all sat a little straighter. Natalie gave some updates, including that Body FTW was increasing in popularity with consumers and advertisers. Claire and I shared matching cool smiles. Inside, I was doing a TikTok dance from my chat with Wes that morning.
From: Bmoney34
To: FitMiCoachWes1
Sent: February 13, 6:34 a.m.
Wes! I lost 2 pounds! I know, I know—you don’t want to focus on the numbers, but it’s my first numbers! Two pounds is nothing, but I’m so excited that I had to tell you. I did a little dance in my bathroom. Also, good morning. :) B
From: FitMiCoachWes1
To: Bmoney34
Sent: February 13, 6:39 a.m.
B,
I’m glad you feel good! Are you ready to step it up? New homework: not just 30 minutes of movement a day, 30 minutes of cardio (walking, aerobics, etc., to get your heart rate up). I sent you the information about target heart rate—focus on that and report back. I’m sure your dance class will hit the mark!
Tube Sock
P.S. If your valentine needs some ideas, here’s a link to some great alternatives to chocolates.
From: Bmoney34
To: FitMiCoachWes1
Sent: February 13, 6:46 a.m.
Alternatives to chocolate sound like cruel and unusual punishment. I’ll do a lot for you, Wes, but I draw the line there. But I remember . . . all things in moderation. It’s a moot point anyway. No valentine to speak of. Please give real chocolate to the person you’re seeing unless they’re also some kind of fitness freak, in which case flowers. No roses though—they’re boring.
B
From: FitMiCoachWes1
To: Bmoney34
Sent: February 13, 6:51 a.m.
B,
No valentine for me, either, but what’s better than roses?
W
From: Bmoney34
To: FitMiCoachWes1
Sent: February 13, 7:02 a.m.
Wes,
Here’s the 411: Anyone can pick out roses. They’re predictable. Better options to tell someone what you think of them: lilies (classy), sunflowers (bold), dahlias (unique), ranunculus (soft and girly, but still something different), tulips (cheery), and peonies (they smell awesome). Does that help?
I wasn’t sure if he’d responded, since I’d stashed my phone before the meeting. I didn’t know how to feel about the relief that washed over me when he said he didn’t have a valentine, so I tried to ignore it and focus on the meeting. Tackling Body FTW hadn’t lessened the rest of my work, and I had an inbox full of tasks to get through, from reviewing drafts to following up with other departments. I made a quick to-do list on my notes, thinking through what I might write next. I was deciding between a few ideas, but I turned the page when Maricela said my name and asked me to work with the art team on an upcoming photo shoot. Her tone and question were casual, like she asked me to do things like that all the time. I caught Claire’s stunned expression in my periphery. “Sure. I’d love to!”
After that, the mental dance routine continued, because everything was coming up Britta, and I allowed my thoughts to wander to Wes being single.
14
PEARL LOOKED POINTEDLY at her watch. “You needed to leave five minutes ago.”
I pretended to be engrossed in the to-do list I’d made during my last conversation with Aaron. “I know.”
“If that were true, you would have left five minutes ago. Cord told me you might do this.”
“Since when do you and Cord talk about my appointments?”
She ignored my question and grabbed my messenger bag, snatching my phone and slipping it in. “The car is downstairs.”
“Cord should mind his own business,” I muttered, pushing to my feet.
“Talk to your best friend about that.” I expected her to return to her desk once she’d dragged me from my office, but she stepped onto the elevator with me. “You’re a flight risk.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned against the wall of the elevator like a sullen teenager. “Where are we meeting?”
“Margo’s. A diner on the South Side.”
I clenched my fist at my side. I was familiar with Margo’s. Kelsey had picked the location of our first date as well as our last date for our lunch meeting. I thought about canceling on principle alone.