Chapter 9 Liam
LIAM
“Punch the center of the bag, right here.” I pointed at the heavy bag, hoping the teenage kid would actually listen this time. He’d been in for training a few times a week, but he lacked focus and the desire to learn how to box. It made training him a frustrating task.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Rex, the gym manager, waving me over.
I used to run this place on my own, and due to financial strains, I nearly ran it directly into the ground.
It wasn’t until I met Haley that things turned around.
Now the gym had brand-new mats and training bags, the raised sparing ring had bright red ropes, and not a single piece of duct tape could be seen.
It was a far cry from where we were two years ago, and every now and then, a smile would work itself onto my face just thinking about it.
“What’s up, Rex?”
The retired Marine slid a piece of paper toward me while engaging with someone on his phone. Whoever he was talking to, it sounded important. When I trained on the floor, I left my cell phone under the counter, so when people called for me, Rex usually had to flag me down.
I read the note, feeling my face contort with confusion.
Gunther, the financial backer for the gym, and Haley’s mentor, had called the gym and left a message for me to call him back at my earliest convenience but there was a tiny asterisk at the bottom with a separate message.
*This is a sensitive conversation, which may be prudent to have away from Haley.
What the hell did that mean?
Gunther would never leave Haley out of a business conversation; she was the entire reason we were in business together at all. With my curiosity peaked, I grabbed my phone and walked to my office, dialing Haley’s mentor on the way.
Gunther picked up right away.
“Liam, thank you for calling me so promptly.”
Shutting the door, I said, “no problem…what’s going on?”
“Nothing too serious, just a request put in by Haley that gave me pause.”
What sort of request would Haley put in with Gunther two weeks before Christmas?
“What sort of request?” I asked, unsure if I was supposed to act like I knew what my wife was doing.
Fuck if I was able to keep up with what she was playing at.
As it was, exhaustion tugged at me in every fucking way and my body hurt.
Between the girls, the baby and my young wife, my body was stretched thin, my emotions were thinner, and my mind felt completely blank.
Gunther cleared his throat and then explained.
“She put in a request, which we both know is merely a formality since she’s part owner, but the note she entered was to lease a second location for the gym.”
My brain felt like cotton, and the pieces of information he was providing just seemed to lead to more questions.
“Sorry, Gunther, I’m not following…are you saying Haley plans to lease a building for our second location here, in Macon?” Because where else would she be able to oversee the startup? We had the baby, and the girls…there was no way it could work for her to travel anywhere else.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. There on Main Street. She’s putting in a bid to lease the office this afternoon.”
I scoffed, shocked that she’d do this without asking, or talking it over with Gunther or me first.
“We’re not ready for a second location and why on earth would we lease something two weeks before Christmas…it doesn’t make any—”
Aw fuck. It finally clicked.
Haley was trying to get a leg up in the competition by having a more central location.
Shit, this had gotten out of hand. It wasn’t enough that she was trying to outdo Nora at every turn with family traditions, now she was literally leasing property to win a stupid game.
Something that had no cash prize, or any monetary value whatsoever, except to be the house that hosts Christmas every year.
“Sorry Gunther,” I finally let out a heavy sigh, “can you shut down this request on your end?”
Gunther paused before clearing his throat. “I mean of course I can. That’s why we have this in a corporation. Haley can’t make decisions unilaterally like this. Do you by chance know what she’s planning?”
Yes, I did, and I planned to punish my beautiful, little wife for even considering leasing that building.
“I think she’s just eager to jump on an available space for the gym, but we’re not ready yet and it’s so close to the holidays, I don’t want to have to worry about all that right now.”
Gunther chuckled. “Seems she’s eager to get things moving, but we’ll shut it down for now. Want me to break it to her, or do you want to do it?”
“I’ll take care of it, go enjoy your vacation.”
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Croft.”
“Merry Christmas, Gunther.”