Finn’s alarm blared at four a.m., his usual wake time. But today he was sorely tempted to turn it off and go back to sleep. Hours of tossing and turning will do that to a guy. When Laurie and Cole walked out the door to get lunch together, he’d done his level best to be happy about it. After all, hadn’t he decided having the two of them date would solve all his problems with her?
Later that night, Cole’s enthusiastic report about his lunch had Finn clenching his fists behind his back. Part of him wished he’d told Cole to stay at a hotel instead of offering one of several guest suites in his penthouse apartment. But another part of him longed to hear all about the conversation that had passed between Cole and Laurie, hoping Cole hadn’t thrown him under the bus when she criticized their interview technique.
What he hadn’t been prepared to hear was that the two never discussed anything related to the interview or work, but instead had chatted about her childhood growing up in Miami. Cole had discovered more personal details about her in a single lunch than Finn had learned in the year since they first met. She’d even revealed some secret so intimate Cole had sworn to keep it to himself. Finn seriously considered whether Cole might break under certain interrogation techniques… perhaps electric shock would do the trick.
All this had led to his sleepless night, which left him in a foul mood as he began his morning cystic fibrosis routine—a process that took ninety minutes and included a large number of drugs, oral and inhaled.
His phone vibrated with an incoming message. Only Branson would be awake at this hour.
Branson: Want to meet up this morning?
The two often met at the gym before work, as it also gave them a chance to discuss their ongoing business dealings. It was one of Finn’s favorite perks since Branson moved to the city with his family, only spending summers at his estate near Chicago.
Finn: Sure. 6:15?
Branson: Yep.
For Bran, this would be the second workout of the day, as he exercised every morning, before dawn, for at least an hour. He claimed the discipline of exercise made him feel he was in control of his life. For Finn, a systematic cardio workout added days to his life. It kept him healthier and better able to function with his decreased lung capacity. Plus, it made him feel like a normal person.
His phone vibrated again.
Branson: Bring Cole with you. I’ll make Jarrett come.
A smile slid onto Finn’s face… the first one of the day. Though Cole might be able to outlift him in a weight challenge, Finn was almost invincible on an endurance run. Beating Cole would be a satisfying way to start the day.
As he fastened his vibrating vest, designed to loosen the mucous caused by CF, images of Laurie edged into his brain. He wondered what might’ve happened between the two of them if he’d been an ordinary, healthy guy. Nothing! We can’t even be in the same room without fighting.
Of course, provoking Laurie was part of the plan to ward off all women. For thirty-three years he’d lived a happy life, content with the idea that he would never get married or even fall in love. How did Laurie push her way around that barrier and invade his thoughts?
Whatever the cause, he needed to shove her out. He could do it. All he needed was a bit of self-control. An intense workout, especially in competition with his buddies, would soothe his nerves and get him on firm footing. By the time his work day started, he’d be back to normal.
Laurie slung the strap of her gym bag over her shoulder and stepped off the elevator. Inside the ladies’ locker room, she stowed her bag with her work clothes and checked the time. She only had forty minutes to exercise before heading to the showers. She didn’t want to be late for her first day on the job.
Jarrett usually worked from the Denver office, but always came to New York at this time of year to help with the stockholder report and coordinate on the Los Angeles fundraiser. Laurie planned to absorb as much as possible from him now so she wouldn’t need as much help when the time came to work on the New York fundraiser with Finn.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, just thinking of him. But it wasn’t an attraction. It was more of an annoyance, like a low-level electrical charge that intensified the closer he came.
He simply rubbed her the wrong way every time they were together, and she was fairly certain he did it on purpose. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to make him dislike her so much, but she wasn’t going to let him ruin this job opportunity. Once Cole explained the reasoning behind the deceitful interview tactic, her anger had abated. She had to admit, it was a clever way to discern a candidate’s motivation. Now that the job was hers, she had to prove herself worthy.
The whir of exercise equipment and the clang of weights reached her ears before she pushed her way through the heavy doors. The air was cool and well-circulated in the expansive gym, such that she could barely detect the smell of sweat as she marched toward the treadmills and ellipticals. In her experience with gyms, the most fit people worked out front and center, to be admired by all, so she chose an empty machine as far to the right as possible. She’d forgotten her earbuds today, but about twenty television screens hung above the mirrored wall facing the exercise machines. At least she would have something to watch, even if she couldn’t hear the show.
She wasn’t in great shape right now. To be honest, she’d never been in great shape. She’d started an exercise program at least a dozen times, but had never been able to stick to it. The longest one had lasted about a month, and that was only because a personal trainer had shamed her into showing up each day. The first week, she’d barely been able to move. Even lifting her coffee cup had been painful. But the second week, her muscles weren’t as horribly sore, and she didn’t dread the exercise quite as much. By the end of the fourth week, she began to see a difference when she looked in the mirror, and she thought she’d started a new lifestyle.
But then her month of free personal training stopped, and with it, her motivation. Like every other time, she couldn’t find enough reason to work out on a regular basis, and she fell back into her old sedentary routine.
She hoped this time would be different—a new job, a new purpose, a new start on life. This time, she would be disciplined… crack the proverbial whip and get in shape. She yawned, wishing she’d had a few more hours of sleep. Nervous insomnia gave her a restless night, and she’d slammed her hand on the alarm clock when it blared rudely at an obnoxiously early time that morning.
Fixated on following the set-up instructions for her treadmill, it wasn’t until after she’d started her timer and began a thirty-five-minute run that she glanced at the mirror. With her dark curls pulled into a messy ponytail and her makeup-free face, she looked like she’d just rolled out of bed. Luckily, her creamy bronze complexion camouflaged the dark circles under her eyes.
On her right, a blonde woman trotted effortlessly, not a hair out of place, no perspiration marring her perfectly applied makeup.
Good grief, this girl looks like she’s ready for a photo shoot. I need to teach her to relax a little. She’s making me look bad.
The machine to her left was occupied by a woman who sweated and jiggled with each heavy stride.
That’s more like it. This girl and I are going to be best friends. I’d introduce myself, but I’m already out of breath.
Laurie pushed the arrow to slow the machine a bit. She was already counting down the time… three minutes down, thirty-two to go. Desperate for distraction, she scanned the row of televisions, searching for something she could understand without the audio. A game show provided sixty seconds of diversion before it switched to a commercial.