Chapter Eleven
Ruby
He disappears into the gym like he belongs there. Which he does. Of course he does.
He didn’t lean on the counter this time. That was the first thing I noticed. The space. Like he was making sure it was there. Like he needed it to be there. Which is just perfect. I made him uncomfortable last night, and now he’s making sure I don’t do it again.
After picking up the pen again, I tap it against the counter before forcing myself to focus on the screen. Work. Schedules. Names. Times. Things that make sense. Not Xavier Cole.
“You’re here early.” Her voice cuts across the floor.
Lindsey is already beside him, leaning in like she’d been waiting for the moment he wasn’t at the desk. Of course she was.
“Yeah, gotta get to work.”
“Did you get breakfast?” Lindsey asks.
His brow wrinkles like he’s trying to figure out if she’s concerned or attempting to invite herself to eat with him. “Yes, I did.”
“Good. You shouldn’t work out on an empty stomach.” Her smile is genuine.
Interesting. It was concern. Maybe I shouldn’t judge her when I don’t know her. Heat creeps along my skin at my rash assessment of Lindsey.
“Can you show me this again?” she asks, gesturing toward the machine.
He steps over. Helpful. Easy. That’s who he is.
“Adjust the seat,” he says. He steps in long enough to move the pin, shows the motion, then steps back again.
Fast. Like he doesn’t want to stay there. Lindsey doesn’t seem to notice. Or if she does, she doesn’t care. She lingers anyway.
“You’ve been busy.” She pokes out her bottom lip in a pout. I suppose she thinks it’s sexy, but to me, it makes her look childish.
“Work.” Same tone. No elaboration, as if he’s hoping that puts an end to their conversation. Except she doesn’t end it. Of course she doesn’t.
I look back down at the screen, but I’m not reading anything. I’m trying not to listen but failing.
“Maybe you could show me more later.”
He doesn’t answer right away. Why am I eavesdropping? This is ridiculous.
“Talk to the trainers.” His voice is flat and dismissive.
My heart skips a beat. It’s small. Annoying. Because I shouldn’t feel better that he blew her off. It’s not like it has anything to do with me. But I can’t stop the part of me that wishes it did.
“Ruby.” My shoulders stiffen at the intrusion of my thoughts. Greg stands on the other side of the desk, a file in his hand. “You’ve got membership updates backing up.”
What? I did those yesterday. “No, I don’t.”
His expression doesn’t change. “If you’re done watching the floor, you can double-check this.” He taps a file against his palm, once, twice, as if the pages need as much correction as I do.
He slides the file toward me. When I don’t pick it up, he arches an eyebrow. Watching. Waiting. For what?
I take the file, flipping it open. It’s the printed membership updates from yesterday.
“This isn’t in alphabetical order.”
I blink. “What?”
“The list.” He braces his hands on his hips. “It should be alphabetical.”
I stare at it. Client numbers. Exactly how it’s always been done. Exactly how he’s always asked for it. “You’ve never asked for it in alphabetical order.”
His eyes narrow. “I’m asking now.”
Why would he want it in alphabetical order? That makes no sense. I press my lips together, flipping the pages like maybe I missed something. I didn’t.
“It’s organized by client number. Like always.”
He leans in, voice dropping enough to make it feel like I’m the one causing a problem. “Then fix it.”
I look up at him. “Now?”
“Yes, now.” Greg straightens the stack of papers on the edge of my desk until every corner lines up.
There’s nothing else to say to that. Because pushing back doesn’t get me anywhere; it never does. “Okay.”
He straightens, satisfied, and taps the stack of papers once more before stepping back. “Let’s stay focused.”
Like I wasn’t. Like I don’t always stay focused. He turns and heads back toward his office.
I stare at the file longer than necessary. Alphabetical. Since when? That’s just…. I shake it off, grabbing a pen and starting to rewrite the list even though I know it’s pointless.
Across the room, Lindsey is still hovering, still talking, and still trying. Xavier is already stepping away again. Not my business. I’ve got work to do. Work I did yesterday.
Footsteps approach the desk. I don’t look up right away.
“Everything okay?”
I do look up then. Xavier. Standing a few feet back from the counter.
“I’m working.” I hold up the file. My voice holding more bite than I intended.
His eyes flick to it. Then back to me. “You seemed irritated by whatever Greg was saying. Was there something wrong?”
“Apparently I alphabetized wrong.”
“What?” His brow pulls.
“We’ve always updated membership information by client number. Now, he wants everything in alphabetical order.” I lift a shoulder. “Which makes no sense and means I have to redo the entire system.” A system that was already in place before I started working here.
“You want me to say something?”
“No.” Too fast. Too sharp. I take a breath. “I’ve got it.”
He studies me. Then nods once. “I know you do.” He glances toward the office. “Greg likes to feel important.”
“Careful.” Greg stands in his office studying me with narrowed eyes. Great. Another reason for him to accuse me of not focusing on my responsibilities. That’s the last thing I need. “He signs my paycheck.”
“Fair.” A pause settles between us. Quieter this time. Less charged. Or maybe I’m better at pretending.
“You heading out?”
“Yeah.” Of course he is. He nods once, already stepping back. “See you around, Ruby.”
“See you.”
He turns and walks toward the door, moving like our conversation didn’t impact him. While leaving me reeling. Because he noticed I was upset. Because he checked on me.
Don’t read anything into it. He’s the kind of guy who notices things. And steps in to fix things. It didn’t mean anything.
The bell jingles as he leaves.
I look back down at the file so I can rewrite names I already wrote the first time correctly.
Across the room, Lindsey isn’t working out.
She’s watching the door. The same door he walked through.
Her eyes narrow before she turns away and strides over to one of the trainers.
When she points at the leg press, he smiles at her and nods.
At least Lindsey found someone to help her go over the equipment again.
I frown. Like she doesn’t know how to operate the equipment in the gym, girls like her annoy me.