“Why will you owe me?”
“I have to pick up my daughter and there are no trainers left.”
I stopped him short. “I’d love to help out, but I have to be back by ten.”
“It’s not a full session, just leg day for a new client. Believe it or not, you’re still insured by me.”
“No way.”
“The daycare just called. We’ve got a vomiting situation—”
Ah, shit. “Say no more.”
Although Shaun took it as me agreeing to help, which I would, really, I just didn’t want him talking about vomit. It was one of my only weak spots. Even talking about it made me nauseous.
“You’re the best. She’s meeting me at the squat rack. Four-day push pull split, but we’re starting slow, just legs and cardio today.”
So much for my run. “You do owe me, big time.”
Seeing this hulk of a guy, a former professional bodybuilder and long-time training partner of mine, rush out of the gym to pick up his three-year-old struck me as funny for some reason. After high school, he stayed in Kitchi Falls when I went off to college. By the time I came back home, he’d already competed in his first show. The transformation was remarkable.
Turning my hat around, praying the newbie had some weight training experience, I headed to the squat rack. A woman with stretch shorts and a baggy tee was already loading plates. Dark hair in a ponytail, I couldn’t see much of her, until I got a good look in the mirror.
No fucking way.
She spun toward me, eyes blazing.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, clearly as much of a fan of me as I was of her. Trying to remember the plan that my family was hoping to get on her good side, I tried not to glower at her after the stunt she pulled.
“Sorry Rae, this isn’t your lucky day. Shaun had an emergency with his daughter and asked me to fill in.”
Pretending not to notice her checking out my arms, I waited for the explosion. Didn’t take long.
“No thanks. I’ll reschedule.”
It would be impossible to tell Shaun what happened here if I didn’t train her. He’d never believe she didn’t like me. Everyone liked me. Especially beautiful women.
“Shaun will kill me. I promised I’d help him out.”
“Sounds like your problem, not mine.”
Screw the plan. “Have you ever lifted before?”
“I said, no thanks.”
I looked at the two twenty-fives she already had up. “Obviously you have, but we should still start slow.”
Rae spun away from me and bent her head under the bar. She gripped it, pretending I didn’t exist, and was about to lift the weight when I said, “Wider.”
I nearly laughed at the look she gave me in the mirror.
“Your feet need to be a little bit wider than your hips.”
I thought she would ignore me, but instead Rae widened her stance. She lifted the bar off the rack and began a squat. Her form was way off.
“Drive your hips back and press your knees slightly open as you bend.”
Another squat, same bad form.