Chapter Six
Tish was leaving the gym as Misty approached the entrance. “You’re looking good today.”
Misty was gratified by the compliment. Instead of throwing on the first combination she could make with her t-shirt collection and handful of leggings and shorts, she was starting to put more thought into what she wore to her training sessions.
Today’s sports bra offered lift and separation as well as support, one of her favorite t-shirts and earliest designs skimmed over it while hinting at the shape underneath, and the shorts showed off her legs to good effect.
This was certainly a possibility for wearing on camera.
In the meantime, looking good would at least lead to a more confident performance. Her heartbeat spiked, but she hadn’t even started her workout yet. “I’d better get going.”
Tish looked puzzled. “That’s it? No commentary about how Sergeant Spencer’ll make you do extra push-ups if you’re late?”
“It’d be weirder if he didn’t make me do push-ups. He is my trainer.” She found that she had to keep reminding herself of that.
“True. Good luck today.”
Misty tapped her fist to Tish’s extended one before heading inside to meet Spencer at the front desk. As she checked in, he squinted at her t-shirt. “Why do I know that place?”
Misty glanced down at her black t-shirt with a brightly colored logo from Allegro Café. “Just something silly from when I was a kid. It was the main hangout on—”
“The Guardians of Melody Cove!” As Spencer finished her sentence, he looked like he’d just found a twenty in his winter coat pocket. “Oh, my God, I haven’t thought about that in years.”
“Neither had I since I made the shirt, but —”
“You made it?” Spencer’s eyes widened.
“Designed it with my drawing of the Allegro logo, yeah. I used to watch that show every Saturday morning and had fun with it, but when I grew up, I wanted a subtler nod to it than most stores were selling.”
“I used to watch too!” Spencer’s eyes were bright, and his expression looked more animated than she’d ever seen it.
“That was how I got into kickboxing. I watched the show and copied the characters’ moves during the fight scenes.
My parents finally signed me up for a martial arts class after I kicked the coffee table, and a book went through a window. ”
Misty laughed. “Strong even then.”
“I don’t know about that, but they probably figured it was better for me to do this in a dojo than in the TV room.”
“I didn’t take it that far, but the kids in my class were always playing Guardians at recess.”
They’d been walking as they spoke and found themselves in the cardio area. “I don’t know if playing Guardians is what we need to get you in shape for this, but let’s get moving.”
After Misty got on the elliptical, Spencer keyed in the settings. She noticed that they were a bit heavier than last week, but didn’t say anything. She was too lost in her own thoughts.
Whenever Misty designed a t-shirt for a fandom or a book, she didn’t want to take the most obvious route of “I Heart Show” or “Team Character Name.” Instead, she designed them with a beloved quote, a nod to the school or workplace where the story was set, or in this case, a popular hangout.
Her references were subtle enough that only fellow fans would know what it was from without asking, and reviews indicated that such encounters gave her wearers a sense of having found their people.
Odd that Spencer should be among her people, but not unpleasant.
The song on the sound system changed to “2 Be Loved,” one she was pleased to recognize. The first verse went by too quickly for her to begin to keep up, but she sang along with the refrain as she worked her arms and legs.
Spencer smiled. “That’s great! If you can go at this pace and still sing, that means you’re getting stronger. Keep it up.”
Instead of answering, she shot a smile at him during the next verse before breaking into the next chorus. This was already her most gratifying session to date, and part of her wondered if it wasn’t just because of her progress.
****
“Great job today,” Spencer said as Misty finished her cooldown. Sweat was dripping off her limbs, and her ponytail had gone limp again, but she looked great. Her skin glowed, and her smile was wide and bright enough to light up this section of the gym.
She accepted one towel for her face and another to wipe down her machine. “Thanks. I had a good atmosphere for it.” He barely heard the last half over a loud growl of her stomach.
She looked mortified. “Sorry. I had a big breakfast this morning.”
“And between your new muscle mass and this workout, it’s probably all burned off by now,” Spencer pointed out. “Let’s get you a shake.”
She wiped her forehead with a towel before following him to the café. “What do you think?” she asked, glancing at him.
It was the first time she’d directly asked his advice on her food, and he didn’t take that lightly. “I think you should get whatever looks good to you, but ask for an extra scoop of protein powder if it’s not part of the recipe. Hell, maybe ask for extra protein either way.”
As they stepped up to the register, she took his advice when she ordered a berry smoothie. Spencer asked for his usual kale smoothie with extra protein. “I got this,” he offered as they approached the register.
“Are you sure?”
“I get a staff discount,” he said, showing his work badge to the barista. Sure enough, the total dropped dramatically after she keyed in a code.
“I can manage that. At least let me Venmo you for my drink.”
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. You said no extras while you were training, and I can spot you a smoothie.”
“Thanks.”
Once that was finally settled, they grabbed a table to wait for their order. “Waiting for shakes just like at Allegro,” he said, glancing at the shirt to see sweat blooming beneath the neon logo.
“Don’t remember if these were on the menu,” she said. “It always struck me as more of a 50s diner, so regular milkshakes were probably likeliest. Strange, since protein shakes would’ve kept the Guardians in better shape.”
“True. So who was your favorite character?” Once upon a time, that had been a better insight into someone’s personality than their astrological sign.
“Team Zayn from day one.” She spoke without hesitation. “He was a good fighter but didn’t go around with a stick up his ass the way David seemed to.”
Spencer burst out laughing at the description, which he remembered as somewhat accurate. Before he could say anything else, Misty’s smile turned into a leer. “Not to mention the first time I saw Jackson Chase on TV, I started to think maybe boys weren’t so icky after all.”
“Yeah, my first crush was on that show too.”
“Who? No, let me guess. Stacey.”
Spencer frowned. “Where would you get that idea?”
“Because just about all the boys wanted her, and all the girls argued over who got to be her on the playground. Looking back, it’s obvious that they wrote her in to get girls to watch too, but—”
“But I didn’t buy it,” Spencer said. “And I always liked Jordan better than Stacey.”
Misty’s eyebrows rose to give her a skeptical look. “Really?”
“Yeah, she was cuter and always seemed more—”
“One berry with extra protein, one kale with extra protein!” The barista’s voice interrupted the conversation, and he got up to get the drinks.
On the way to the counter, Spencer mused on the show he hadn’t thought about since he’d gotten too busy with school and kickboxing to watch anymore.
Pretty as she was out of the Guardians costume that included a mask, Jordan hadn’t had an ounce of the romantic, if somewhat damsel-in-distress air that had hung about Stacey at times.
If anything, sometimes she was the one who got sent on quests to save the others, and she handled it all with humor, courage, and determination.
The actress who’d played Jordan had black hair and brown eyes, and yet her character kind of reminded him of someone he was getting to know. He came back to the table, wondering if seeing that on the show had determined his type as he’d grown up.
Misty took a sip of her smoothie and theatrically shivered. “Are we sitting in the gym or the café’s refrigerator?”
Spencer barked out a chuckle before turning serious. “I keep meaning to ask. Why are you trying out for a winter sport when you don’t seem to like being cold?”
She stirred the drink with her straw before answering his question. “To be honest, I really haven’t dwelled much on that part. I’ve been thinking more about the athleticism of it, trying a new sport, and possibly going to the World Winter Games with Tish.”
“The World Winter Games,” he emphasized.
“Well, I don’t know how I’m supposed to train for that part.
I can’t blast the air conditioner at home because my roommates would make me pay the higher electric bill myself.
I don’t know anyone who’d let me sit in the back of an ice cream truck, and I’d probably get funny looks if I spent hours hanging around the frozen section of the grocery store in shorts. ”
“There’s something we can do here, something where I’ll guarantee that if you can do this, you can handle any of the cold.” He fought to keep his lips from turning up in a devilish grin. “But you’re not going to like it.”