8. Never Works Out
NEVER WORKS OUT
“Hot damn,” Gabriela muttered.
She’d climbed on the bike at the gym on Wednesday mid-morning, knowing there wouldn’t be many around. Her earbuds were popped in, music found and started, then the program that was going to kick her butt.
Now she had some eye-popping candy to look at while she sweated her ass off.
A man on his back, his arms pressing the weights over his head fast and urgent like he was pushing all the demons on his tail away from him.
He set the bar down, then got up and added a shit ton more weight to it, telling her he was just warming up.
From her angle, she couldn’t see his face. That was fine. The sweat glistening on his biceps was more than enough for her.
Her legs were pumping faster on the bike as he lay back down, reached up, wrapped nice, large strong hands around the bar, flexed his fingers some to make sure his grip could hold it.
Then up it went, down to his chest, up again. Not as fast. Not as urgent.
Steady and strong. Building muscle and producing sweat.
She had some sweat pooling at her back, her heart racing, maybe even some dampness between her legs.
Not the normal place she got worked up here. Or not like this. Or for this reason.
Nothing wrong with looking. Picking up men in the gym had never been her thing.
Most times there weren’t many in here, which was why she came at this time.
The other five people besides the hottie on the bench were retired and moving around like it was a social event rather than a workout.
Instead of being caught staring, she pulled her eyes away and went back to focusing on burning calories.
But when there was a loud clang, her gaze shifted back and there was the body she’d be dreaming about tonight, adding even more weight and the employee coming over to spot him.
Bet he didn’t need it, but hey, she was a doctor, she’d gladly rush to his aid if he tweaked a muscle.
“Thanks,” the man said five minutes later, grabbed his towel, then moved to another machine. One closer to her, another to work his chest.
The minute he sat down after adjusting the weights, his gaze swept over and landed on hers.
Her jaw dropped, his smile widened, his laughter joining hers.
“Hi, Luca,” she said, waving. Maybe she was louder than she should have been, causing two older women walking the indoor track to check him out also.
Who were they kidding? Those women were already doing it and she didn’t blame them.
She kept pedaling, Luca kept lifting. He moved around to a few more machines, his T-shirt wetter than hers when he was done.
Was she looking at it fitted and damp to his body? Fuck yeah. There was no way to turn away from it.
Her thirty-minute program ended, she took another swig of her water and moved to one of the pieces of equipment to work her abs not that far away from him.
Why not?
“Come here often?” she asked, knowing he was new to the place. It was his first day off after his rotation, and no way he could have found the time working. Unless he came while she was working.
“It’s only my second day,” he said. “I’m assuming this is your normal time and location?”
“When I’m off, yep. Every day I’m off unless I’ve got plans. I figure I’ve got to make up for not working out five days in a row. Actually, six days. The first day after my rotation, I’m catching up on sleep, then everything else that didn’t get done for those five days. Food, laundry, dust.”
He laughed. “I thought the five days on, ten off was going to be great, but I’m learning it’s being nonexistent to the rest of the world going on for that time.”
“That’s pretty much it. I talk to few, interact with less unless it’s in the office or hospital. You’ll get the hang of it. Guess you’re not like me and need to sleep in the first day after you’re done working.”
“I got up about two hours ago,” he said. “Showered, ate something, tried to figure out my game plan for the day and came here.”
“And now you’ve got those ten days off. So what’s on the agenda if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Food, a haircut, maybe drive around and figure out where the heck everything else is. I spent my first few days unpacking and settling in as best as I could. Had a few things to do to get ready for work too.”
“Well, I’ve got nothing going on. I can show you around, or at least let you know the best places for takeout, even where to get a haircut.”
Which was stupid because, like most people, he’d just look on his phone for that stuff.
She climbed on the equipment, jumped up and put her forearms flat on the thick bars, her fists gripping the short poles, and then lifted her knees to her chest, keeping her upper body still, her abs burning.
There was another one next to her, Luca climbed on and mimicked her routine.
“I wouldn’t mind that,” he said, letting out a few breaths between reps. Much faster than hers. “You know, helping you kill the time during the day.”
She laughed. “That’s how it feels. When I’m working, I’m so busy, and then can’t wait to be off, but after a few days of catching up, I’m like, now what am I going to do?”
She inhaled after that long explanation, took a quick breath, then switched and was turning her knees side to side lifting them, working her obliques. He did the same, causing her to laugh.
“I feel the same. It will take me time to get used to it, but in the long run I think it will be great.”
“It is, trust me.”
“I’m almost done,” he said, slowing down. “Been here over an hour now.”
“Damn,” she said. “I put my thirty minutes of cardio in, do about fifteen minutes of weights or abs, then I’m out of here.”
“I’m going to shower, hit the store for some food, then get a haircut. Want to meet up somewhere for lunch for that chat on the best places to go?”
“I’d love to. You’ve got my number.”
He hopped off the machine, grabbed his water bottle, her eyes following his movement toward the locker room. Not much to really see in his baggy athletic shorts, nothing more than some seriously toned calves making her wonder if he ran or not also.
She finished up a few more things, then grabbed her stuff and returned home to shower and clean up.
Her phone went off with a text. She hoped it was Luca but noticed her mother instead asking if she was around to talk.
Rather than text back, she just hit the button and called.
“Getting back from the gym?” her mother asked.
“I am. You know my schedule. What’s going on?”
“Not much,” her mother said. “I haven’t talked to you in a few days and thought I’d check in. Your father and I will be on the island soon helping get ready for the fundraiser.”
She forgot about that. “It’s over two weeks away,” she said. “Or are you coming here for a bit? You haven’t said what you’re doing for Thanksgiving either.”
Which would be the week after the Annual Bond Fundraiser. She actually wasn’t working this year and could attend.
But Thanksgiving this year, since the office was closed, and she wasn’t much use in the ER, she hoped she could sneak out for an hour to go home and eat, then return to work in the hospital.
It made her wonder what Luca was doing for the holidays on the island since he’d said he was alone.
Guess that was something they could chat about.
“I thought I would cook on Sunday when you’re off,” her mother said.
“I got thinking, I can leave to eat, if things are slow. Even if they aren’t at the time you’re eating, I can still run home for an hour and see everyone. Why don’t you plan it on Thursday? Justine is off too. I know, I asked her. She might have to work on Sunday.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” her mother said. “I’m just so used to your brother and father working during the week at the office unless they were on call.”
She scratched her chin. “You know, this is the first holiday and normally I had it off too unless I was on call. Maybe I still do. Like just need to put in a few hours early and after dinner like always. I’ll look into that.”
Her mother laughed. “Gabriela, you never ask about those things until the last minute.”
“It’s not that big of a deal to me. We all know in this field we don’t have traditional hours.”
“True. Find out and let me know.”
“I’ll email someone for sure,” she said. “So, I met the new pediatrician. Then I saw him working out this morning in the gym. I’m going to show him around the island after we have lunch.”
“Oh really. It’s a guy?”
“I just said ‘he’,” she said, laughing and plopping her butt in the chair, putting her feet on the stool to get comfortable.
“Tell me about him.”
“His name is Luca Brewer and he’s from St. Louis.” She told her mother the little she knew so far. “He’s by himself here. My guess is he’s just ready to start over. He’s really nice, funny, gets my quirky personality.”
“Do you think he’s cute?”
“No,” she said. “He’s smoking. Like should have been a fireman to put himself out kind of smoking. The teenage girls are probably all giddy around him, the boys think he’s some cool dude.”
“Maybe that is what the office needs right now.”
“Doesn’t matter either way since he’s here. Like I said, I saw him at the gym. He’s running some errands and then going to text me. We’ll meet for lunch and I’ll let him know some things about the island that is his new home.”
“Are you thinking there could be more there?”
“I don’t think that way anymore,” she said. “It never works out. I kind of feel for him in a way and maybe he’s just funny and it’d be nice to have a friend on the island I can chat with who understands my job along with me.”
“That is always nice too. Well, have a good day. I’ll catch up with you later.”
She hung up and wondered why she volunteered so much with her mother, but then reminded herself that she rarely kept anything from them. There was no reason to.
And that also meant letting them know she thought her new colleague was hot.