Shane’s body shook, unable to control his laughter. “What am I gonna do with her, Lily?”
“I don’t know, but you better figure it out soon. She’s all yours in less than two months.”
Shane turned to face the two of us, reaching his arm around Amanda’s waist to pull her quickly against him and plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “Hmm,” he said exhaling a sharp laugh through his nose, “I thought she was already mine.”
“Well duh,” Amanda said as the doorbell rang.
I shoved the last bite of flatbread in my mouth and hopped up from my barstool to head toward the front door. Watching how cute Shane and Amanda were together made me even more eager to see Adam.
As always, Adam was the perfect gentleman, arriving with a bottle of wine and an appetizer. “You didn’t have to bring anything,” I said, taking the wine and bowl of spinach and artichoke dip from his hands. He took a moment to smooth any wrinkles out of his navy and white plaid shirt and slipped a hand in his pocket casually. “You look great,” I said, leaning up to give him a peck on the cheek.” And he smelled even better. I’d never get tired of inhaling his fresh aftershave.
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure what to wear.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Adam followed me toward the back of the house to the kitchen. “Shane, this is Adam. Adam, Shane,” I said.
“Hey, Adam,” Amanda said, a wide grin across her face. “Glad you could come.”
Adam nodded toward Amanda and smiled politely.
“Good to meet you, Adam,” Shane said, wiping off his hands with a towel and extending one toward him. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to finally put a face to the name.”
“Likewise. The girls talk about you all the time.”
“Not too much, I hope.” Shane shot a glance at Amanda. He knew as well as I did that she had no filter. I knew more about their sex life than Shane probably did, and I guessed he was hoping that Adam hadn’t been present for any of those conversations.
“They told me a lot about CrossFit. Lily’s been dying for me to go. I guess I have you to thank for getting her in such great shape.”
Shane’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Adam’s remark. “Um, yeah, I guess. Lily was always in great shape, though. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“Um, yeah, thanks. A beer would be great if you have one. And I didn’t mean Lily wasn’t in great shape before. I mean, she always looks beautiful. I just meant . . . I know CrossFit’s different than a regular gym.”
Shane laughed as he handed Adam a beer from the fridge, and I could see in his eyes that he was gearing up for a CrossFit explanation. Adam listened silently as Shane explained the origins of CrossFit and why people preferred it to a traditional gym. “You should really take Lily up on her offer and come by sometime,” Shane suggested. “You look like you’re in great shape. I’m sure you could handle it.”
“I’m sure I could too,” Adam countered. “I’m just not sure it’s for me. Too much structure or something. And Lily mentioned that sometimes you do workouts as teams . . . I don’t think I want other people depending on me like that. I kinda just like to do my own thing.”
I sensed Shane debating whether or not to continue the conversation any further. “Well, the invitation stands if you’d like to come by sometime. You should give everything a shot at least once,” he said. “And I think you might be surprised. Don’t be so quick to think other people will be relying on you. It might be the other way around, you know. Okay, who’s hungry?” he asked quickly, allowing Adam no time to respond.
***
Thankfully, the battle of the gyms had ceased as soon as we’d sat down. And strangely enough, so had the conversation. I wasn’t even sure Amanda and I were this quiet in our sleep.
“More wine?” Shane asked Amanda and me, presumably in an effort to break the noticeable silence that had settled over the table.
“Please,” we both said at the same time as we raised our glasses toward Shane.
“You good, Adam?” Shane asked, still holding the wine bottle.
Adam glanced at his half-full glass, and nodded. “I’m good for now. Thanks”
Shane placed the bottle back on the table and silence descended again. It was deafening.
“The food is really excellent, Shane. You’re quite a cook,” Adam said between bites.
“Thanks. It helps in my business to be able to cook well. Sort of like practicing what you preach.”
“Do a lot of the people at the gym ask your advice on their diets?” Adam asked.
“Some do. But I’m a nutritionist by day, so that’s when I give most of my advice.”
Amanda snorted. “By day? What are you, a superhero?”
Adam’s face contorted slightly at Amanda’s comment. He hadn’t been around her enough to understand that she showed love through sarcasm.
“Ignore her, Adam. I do,” Shane said simply.
“You couldn’t ignore me if you tried,” Amanda balked.
Shane sat up straighter in his chair.