“That’s it, Kyle. Now watch your posture and keep your elbow parallel with your shoulder.” I watched closely as he followed my instructions, then nodded my satisfaction. “You’ve got it, now give me twenty reps while you tell me how your diet is going.”

Kyle huffed out a breath. “It’s not going. In fact, I’d be ashamed for you to even look at my food journal.”

“Why? Did you fall off the wagon already and land face-first into a pile of bagels? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. The trick is to get up and get back on track.” I grinned at him in the mirror opposite us.

“No, I wish.” He shook his head with frustration. “Our new roommate, Henri, has taken over the cooking. He’s into that heavy French stuff and I have no choice but to eat it. I think my arteries are probably swimming in butter right about now.”

I wasn’t sure how to begin unpacking that statement. “Let’s start with you telling me about Henri. Have you and Fred…” I wasn’t sure how to ask this one. I decided to go with being direct. “Have you guys opened up your relationship to a third?”

Kyle looked horrified. “Not at all. Kudos to Beau and the guys, but I don’t think I’d have the energy to deal with two partners. One relationship is enough for me. Henri is some guy that Fred met. I guess he’s down on his luck or something and needed a place to stay.”

I quirked a brow. “Fred moved some needy guy into your house? That doesn’t sound like Fred, no offense. He’s just never struck me as being one of the most charitable guys. How did they even meet?”

“Yeah, you’re not wrong.” Kyle laughed. “I’m not sure how they met, to be honest. Fred never went into detail. He just told me that it was happening and the next thing I knew, Henri was part of our household.”

“That’s complete bullshit, no offense. Switch arms, there you go. Now another twenty on that side,” I directed before getting back into the conversation. “So if he’s a guest in your home, just tell him that he needs to fuck off because you’re the cook.”

“If only it were that simple. Fred didn’t want him to feel like he was getting a handout, so he told him that he could cook in exchange for a place to stay. And when I talked to Fred about the food and suggested going over the menus with Henri, he got all kinds of pissed off. He told me I was being rude and that Henri should be treated like family and hinted that maybe I was being jealous.”

“Seriously? It sounds to me like Fred is playing mind games. You’re the least likely person to get jealous that I’ve ever met. And offering to help with menu planning for your own health isn’t rude at all. What’s rude is to enforce a fatty diet on somebody who’s trying to get healthier.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry, your relationship is none of my business.”

Kyle finished his set and lowered the barbell. I guided him over to the leg machine. While he got his feet in place, I set the weights to the amount I wanted him to lift. “Okay, this machine is for your hamstrings. Remember to keep your back straight and we’re going to do this for three minutes.”

“What’s this ‘we’ shit? You mean I’m going to do this for three minutes while you stand there and watch me sweat.” Kyle smirked.

“Hey, it’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.” I glanced up at the clock on the wall and nodded for him to start as I began timing him. “Well, if you’re only eating dinners at home, then let’s see what we can do to help you plan better nutrition for when you’re away from home. For example, I have a microwavable container that steams broccoli, and another one that cooks rice. I’d be happy to bring those here and leave them in the break room, if you’d like to use them.”

“That’s not a bad idea. But what about breakfast?” Kyle’s face was red from exertion, but he was still able to carry on a conversation which was a good sign that I wasn’t pushing him too hard.

“Have you ever tried juicing? Wait, scratch that. A better option for you would probably be those soy and whey protein shakes that we sell. Just dump a scoop of that into the blender with some ice, almond milk, and a few mix-ins, and you’re set.”

“What kind of things would I mix in? I’ve never done the whole shake thing because I’m never sure what fruits or vegetables to use. Don’t laugh, I know that a person with a culinary degree should probably know this stuff,” Kyle said with a wry grin.

“Not necessarily. It’s not like they teach you to make healthy shakes for fine dining. I have a lot of good recipes that I’ve found online. But if you want to keep it simple? Kale or spinach is the perfect addition. Toss some strawberries and half a banana in there and you’ll never even taste the green stuff, but you’ll get all of the iron and fiber benefits. Just be prepared, it comes out the color of green slime.”

Kyle wrinkled his nose. “Because that sounds appetizing.”

“Right? As long as you don’t pretend you’re drinking the Hulk’s snot, you’ll be fine. Honestly, if you take the vanilla powder and mix strawberry and bananas in like I said, it will taste just like a milkshake. For the fluid, I usually use a cup of almond milk. If I’m feeling frisky, a little orange juice.”

“Thank you, Dallas. This should help me work around the food issues at home without offending Henri.” Kyle breathed a sigh of relief as his three minutes ended. I passed him a towel and his water bottle.

“Take five, and then we’re moving on. There are two more leg machines that I want you to use today, and then we’re going to work on your core,” I said with my best evil grin.

Kyle groaned. “You’re trying to kill me, right? And after this, I have to work an entire shift?”

“Your muscles will scream for a day or two, but you’ll get used to it really quickly. You should already be adapting, right?”

He nodded. “Yes, my calves aren’t screaming as badly as they were the first time we did this circuit. And hey, at least you don’t have me jogging on the treadmill today.”

“That’s tomorrow.” I grinned. “Today is strength training, tomorrow is cardio. We’re alternating and working different muscle groups on different days. So back to Henri. Why was Fred so worried about you hurting his feelings? Forgive me, but that doesn’t sound like Fred. He’s never seemed quite that evolved to me, no offense.”

Kyle’s eyes danced with humor. “No offense taken. I’m pretty sure that being a caveman is part of the job description for a cop, right? As for Henri, all I know is that he was kicked out of his house and now he’s all alone in the world.”

I thought about that one for a second. “Did Henri tell you this himself, or did Fred?”

He quickly shook his head. “I talk to Henri as little as possible. He’s a little shit, to be honest. But Fred asked me to be nice to him, so I’m doing my best.”

“Why?” I blurted out without thinking. “I mean, doesn’t this sound a little shady to you? I can’t help but wonder…” I shook my head. “Never mind, not my business.”

Kyle lowered his water bottle. “Finish your thought, Dallas. We’re friends, and I know that you’re not saying anything to me out of pettiness. That’s not your style, and I know that. So just spit it out.”

I chewed my lip thoughtfully for a moment before I said what was on my mind. “I could be wrong, but I’m a little suspicious. It sounds to me like Fred might be cheating on you. And the whole thing with him accusing you of being jealous could be him gaslighting you to throw you off the scent. I don’t know why he’d be so stupid as to move his side piece in with him and his boyfriend, but I kinda think that may be what’s happening.”

Kyle opened and closed his mouth several times before finally getting words out. “Even Fred wouldn’t be that low. I mean, I do see your point. And I won’t lie, Henri totally has a thing for Fred. He said as much to me this morning before I left.”

“The hell he did. What the fuck? Dude, Kyle… I can’t even with this Henri guy. What did he say to you?” My words probably weren’t making much sense, but I was a little stunned by that statement—not to mention upset on Kyle’s behalf.

“To begin with, you have to understand how Henri operates. He’s one of those people that says mean things in a nice way so that if you’re not paying close attention, you’d totally miss it. Like today for example, he took one look at my shirt and asked if I was going to get dressed soon or if I had a later start than usual. I told him that I was dressed and he was like, ‘You’re actually going out of the house in that shade of red? Interesting choice for your skin tone.’”

I shook my head. “Damn. He sounds like a mean teenage girl. But before you go on, what exactly is wrong with that shade of red?”

“The hell if I know,” Kyle laughed. “I’d have to ask Houston, I think. I’m pretty sure that he could explain it.”

I chuckled in agreement. “Houston could not only explain the shade question, he could also probably give you a few lessons in dealing with Henri too.”

“Good thought, I’ll have to remember to ask him. But anyway, as I was leaving today, Henri said something about how he felt sorry for me because I was too blind to realize that Fred doesn’t love me. He said, ‘You do realize that he’s only keeping you for your paycheck, right? He told me how you’re helping him get his house paid off faster. I wouldn’t be too comfortable in that master suite, if I were you.’”

My jaw dropped at that one. “He seriously fucking said that to you? Kyle, you need to tell Fred about that. If he’s innocent, then he’ll have your back. But if he blows it off or accuses you of being jealous again, then you’ll have your answer. Either way, you need to confront Fred.”

Kyle looked so downcast, I wished that I could hug him. But despite our friendship, I’d made so many overtures toward him in the past couple years that I didn’t want him to think that I was trying to swoop in when his relationship was on the rocks.

Even if I had no respect for Fred, I did respect Kyle. And I knew him well enough to know that he would never be comfortable around me when he was single again if he thought that I’d seriously been hitting on him while he’d been in a relationship. My usual flirtiness was different somehow. And that was probably because he knew that I’d never purposely sabotage his relationship.

“I’ll talk to him, but I can pretty much guarantee you that your suspicions are off base this time. I’m pretty sure that Fred would never do that to me. Anyway… we should probably get back to work. Isn’t my break about over anyway? My shift starts in twenty-five minutes and I’ll need a quick shower, so we should probably get back to it?”

I startled guiltily when Kyle spoke. “Sorry, I was lost in thought. Yes, let’s move on to the next machine. I’d hate to make you late for work—I’ve heard that the boss here is kind of an asshole.”

Kyle snorted. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”