“Ready, set… go!”

Cole took off like a shot as I clicked a button on my phone, starting the timer. This was his third circuit through the obstacle course I’d set up for him. 97 seconds was his best time so far.

I watched with pride as he wove his way through the picnic tables I’d dragged around under the pavilion. Some of them he had to crawl under, others he had to vault over.

Next up were tires laid out on the ground. Cole had to go jump into the center of each one before moving to the next. It was kind of like hopscotch without using a rock. Next up he raced to a big elm tree near the pool. Grabbing hold of the trunk, he scrambled up it like a money, using his hands and feet. Then he swung out onto a sturdy tree branch about seven feet off the ground. Hand over hand, he edged out until he could touch an aluminum can I’d hung on there. Then he dropped down, doing a backflip in the process. That might have cost him an extra second or two, but he was like me—he couldn’t resist the opportunity to do flips and such.

Cole raced through the rest of the course which required him to walk on his hands between two benches, run to the pool, jump off the diving board and land in a small inflatable raft which he then had to paddle to the other side. He dashed up and gave me a high five as I stopped the timer. “That was three seconds faster. Good job, son.”

The sound of clapping made us both turn around. Nikki was standing by her car, evidently having just gotten here from her other job.

Not even winded, Cole raced over to see her as I followed at a more reasonable pace.

“Did you see that? How far I had to jump to the raft? I think it blew in the breeze, it was at least a foot farther out than last time.”

As Cole spoke excitedly to her, Nikki nodded, and smiled, but the smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. Nor would she meet mine.

Huh. That wasn’t good.

Whatever was wrong, though, it didn’t keep her from being a good audience for Cole’s story. “Yes, I saw almost the whole thing. You moved so fast you looked like a blur.”

Cole laughed. She was so good with him.

“Dad says I can try one more time to beat my record. Will you watch?”

Nikki smiled kindly, but shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to go start my shift.” She indicated the leasing office with a nod of her head and then winced slightly.

“Stay here and watch. I have a feeling Cole’s going to shave off another few seconds this time.”

The beautiful young woman looked up at me for the first time tonight and smiled. “I’d love to, but I’m late.”

I glanced at my phone. “By a minute. Besides, I’m the boss. You’re on the clock, and your first task tonight is to cheer my son onto glory.”

She smiled again, but fell back as we walked over to the starting line.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye as Cole ran the course again. Something was wrong. Had I done something to piss her off? Or maybe it was something I hadn’t done? I couldn’t think of anything.

She looked as gorgeous as ever. Her blouse was fancier today, some kind of light pink material that buttoned up in the front. The top two buttons were open showcasing a rather impressive cleavage. And I didn’t have to worry about getting caught staring because she kept looking at the ground. What was wrong?

I didn’t have time to ask her because Cole was barreling toward us. I stopped the timer the moment he slapped his hand against mine. He squinted at the phone as I held the screen up to him and then whooped. “92 seconds!”

Cole jumped up and down, and I couldn’t help grinning. “Good job!” I gave him another high five, and he turned to Nikki, his arms outstretched. He threw his arms around her and squeezed. Damn. I wished I could do that.

Nikki’s hugged him back, but she grimaced as she did so. Something was definitely wrong.

I fished a couple of bucks out of my pocket and handed them to Cole. “Why don’t you go get something to drink and cool off inside?”

Cole took the money as Nikki spoke. “I should go in, too.”

“No, you stay out here with me. Cole, tell Barb that Nikki won’t be in for a little while.”

Nikki looked ready to protest, but Cole had already run off toward the building.

Turning, to Nikki, I gestured toward a bench by the lake. “Step into my office.”

She looked from me to the building behind her a time or two before moving toward the lake. Slowly. Really slowly.

I walked slowly behind her, for once not appreciating the tantalizing view of her sweet ass. She moved gingerly, but I waited until she’d settled herself on the bench before I spoke again.

Crouching down next to her, I looked up into her hazel eyes. “What hurts?”

She gasped with surprise, but it hadn’t been hard to figure out. “N-nothing.”

Her hand was resting on the bench next to her, so I picked it up, enclosing it in my own. “What hurts?” This time I made my voice firmer. Deeper.

She stared at me for a moment longer, and then closed her eyes. “Pretty much everything.”

“What happened? Did you trip over something at Morgan’s?”

“No, I—” Her eyes opened and she stared at me. “You know where my other job is?”

“Barb told me. I’ve been in there a time or two—that place is so cluttered that it’s more of a fire hazard than it is a business. Why do you work there?”

Irritation flashed through her eyes, which was a good sign. If her pain were too severe, she wouldn’t have any energy left to get pissed off at me.

“Because I need the money. Obviously.”

The fire in her eyes would’ve been a turn-on and a challenge under other circumstances, but not right now. “There are lots of other places you could work.”

“Oh yeah? Know much about the job market nowadays? When’s the last time you applied for something?”

Taking her rhetorical question seriously, I thought about it. “The summer after my junior year of high school. A year before I joined the army.”

Her face softened a little—not sure if it was because of my honesty or my mention of military service. “Well, things are a bit different now. I’ve been looking for something ever since I got my degree in May. There’s just not much out there. I apply for a half dozen jobs every week—most of which I never hear back from. I’ve only been to two interviews this past month, and one of them was with Barb.”

I sat down on the seat next to her, still keeping her hand in my own. “Touché. I don’t know a lot about today’s job market, but I do know that you’re a bright and capable young woman. And you could do a lot more than that—if someone gives you the chance to.” A wave of guilt washed over me as I said this. Having her man my front desk didn’t exactly make me the poster child for utilizing her skills.

She nodded but didn’t look at me. With her head bowed like that, I wondered if she was looking at her hand in mine. And I wondered what she thought of that. But there were more important things to talk about. “Tell me how you got hurt.”

Nikki looked out at the lake now, and said something that I had to ask her to repeat.

“I said, it’s embarrassing.”

“Oh really?” I made my voice suggestive, hoping to make her smile, but she didn’t. I tried again, in a normal tone. “Come on, you can tell me. I’m sure you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She was silent for a moment, and then spoke in a quiet voice. “I joined a gym.”

Of all the things I’d expected her to say, that wasn’t on the list. “A gym? Why would that be embarrassing?”

“Because I’m not good at that kind of thing. At exercising.”

“That’s why people join a gym. To learn how to do those things. To get healthier. Which one did you join?” I looked down at her face. She was studiously avoiding my gaze, though I still couldn’t figure out what she had to be embarrassed about. “You’re trying to take control of your health. That’s good.”

“It’s called Lou’s. It’s off Route 15.”

“That’s bad,” I said without thinking. I hadn’t been there, but I’d heard bad things. A buddy I occasionally trained with had applied for a job there and quit within the week. “Hellhole” was one of the nicer names he’d called it. “Do you think you overdid it? A lot of times beginners try to do too much at first. Are you sore?” It was all I could do not to offer my services as a masseuse. If her muscles ached, I’d be more than happy to massage away the pain. And then replace it with all kinds of pleasure.

“Maybe,” she said, and I waited. There was more. “I think it was this one machine that did it.”

“Which one?”

“I’m not sure what it’s called. It’s for working your abs. I didn’t know how much resistance to set it for, and I think I used too much weight.”

“Can you bring your chart home next time? That way I can see what the machine is and suggest a resistance level that might work better for you.”

“What chart?”

“The one they gave you at the gym. To write down your progress and record what machines you’ve used at what settings.”

“They didn’t give me anything like that.”

“Really? You should ask whoever gave you your orientation.”

Nikki shook her head. “There wasn’t any orientation.”

Piece of shit gym, I thought. No wonder she got hurt. “So they basically just took your money and set you loose in there?”

“Basically,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t know they were supposed to do more than that. I—I’ve never belonged to a gym before.”

Her tone was one of shame, and again, I wondered why. Lots of people didn’t go to a gym. The fact that she’d signed up made me proud of her. And frustrated as fuck. “That place doesn’t deserve your money. I could just train you. Gyms are great—most gyms—but you can get plenty of exercise without all the fancy equipment.”

“I know,” she said. “I’ve seen you do it.”

I chuckled. “I guess I’m a bit of a fanatic nowadays.”

Nikki was still staring at the water, and I wanted to put my arm around her, but I held back. I didn’t want to hurt her sore body—plus I’m not sure if she was ready for me to touch her like that. There’d be another chance for that kind of thing soon—I hoped. “Maybe sometime when you’re not working, we could go tour some other gyms. Find you something better.”

She was silent for a moment. “Lou’s was the only one I could afford.”

Shit. That dump didn’t deserve her business. Since I couldn’t put my arm around her, I traced a finger along her cheek and tucked a strand of honey-colored hair behind her ear. For a moment, she leaned her face into my hand, seeming to take comfort from my touch.

What the hell. Gently, I slid my arm behind her head, draping it lightly over her shoulders. For a moment she stayed upright, but then she gradually leaned against my side, resting her head against me.

We stayed like that for a long time.