Page 27 of Love and Lies

But despite everything, I heard myself saying, “Sure, why not.” I liked it here—aside from that one other member—and anyway, Simon was nowhere to be seen, so I was going to have to take more classes to get a chance to talk to him. And maybe I’d manage to schedule my sessions in the future so I didn’t run into Jessiah Coldwell.

“Okay, then. I’ll get you the forms.” Demi waved me over to the counter, and I thanked Rafe before following her. “Hey, what happened with Jessiah?” she asked. “After he finished with you he just grabbed his stuff and was out the door.”

I shrugged, feigning ignorance. “No idea. He thought I was a beginner, and I quickly showed him I’m not. Maybe that bruised his ego.”

“I really can’t imagine that. Jess likes strong women. In every respect.”

“Is that experience talking?” I raised an eyebrow. Had there been something between them—or was there still? And why did I care, anyway?

“No.” Demi laughed. “But I’ve trained with Jess many times, and he’s not one of those I’ll show you how it’s done, babe types.” She bent down behind the counter and reappeared with a few sheets of paper in hand. “Maybe it was his brother. He usually takes off pretty quickly if there’s something up.”

I saw my chance and played dumb. “His brother? I thought his brother died.”

“Yeah, his older brother. But he has a younger brother, Eli; he must be fourteen or fifteen now. He’s got some issues, since that thing a few years ago.”

I cast my mind back but couldn’t remember. “What happened?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too curious.

“Eli was kidnapped.” Demi shook her head. “The family chauffeur was involved in the abduction. It was at least a week before they found Eli.”

My eyes grew wide, and I wasn’t acting this time. I hadn’t known anything about that. “Kidnapped? That’s crazy.” That had been my parents’ biggest fear when my siblings and I were younger, but nothing had ever happened to us, thankfully. Jessiah’s younger brother clearly hadn’t been so lucky, though, and my heart went out to him instinctively.

“You said it. Anyway, Jess has been looking after Eli since Adam’s death, because his mom… Don’t tell anyone I said this, but she’s a real witch.” Demi pulled a face. “Sometimes Eli has panic attacks, and Jess has to rush off.” She laughed out loud. “Oh gosh, sorry, I’m totally spilling the beans here. You probably couldn’t care less.”

I gave a half smile. The fact that Demi had called Trish a witch made me like her even more. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just sorry for Eli. And Jess, of course.” Had I just said that out loud, and almost meant it? Wow.

“Yeah, with some people it never rains, but it sure as hell pours, as they say.” Demi marked the places on the form where I had to sign. “First the father dies, then that happens with Eli, and then Adam’s death… Jess wasn’t exactly dealt a good hand.”

I didn’t want to interrupt her now that she was in full flow. “Yeah, I guess everyone heard the stories about Adam. Does anyone know what really happened, exactly?”

“Apparently, it was drugs. He died along with his fiancée, some Upper East Side girl. They were totally smitten, they’d just gotten engaged, and it seems they overdid it a bit with a load of laced goods. Shitty stuff.” Demi shook her head again.

“Right. For sure,” I muttered. She’d risen in my estimation for not assuming Valerie had been at fault for everything, but I was surprised—it sounded like Jessiah had told her a lot about his life but hadn’t mentioned who he thought was responsible? Strange.

“Here, you can take the forms with you, read them at home, and just bring them back next time. Were you as happy with Rafe as he was with you?”

I nodded in earnest. “Absolutely. I’ve never had such a good trainer.”

She beamed. “I’m glad. Do you want to just come back same time next week? Or before?”

“I’d love to come before if you have a slot.” And not just because I’d get a chance to talk to Simon sooner—the workout had also done me good. I felt balanced and relaxed, despite the clash with Jessiah.

Demi gave me an appointment on Saturday; then the phone rang, and so I headed toward the changing rooms to get my clothes.

The club hadn’t emptied out—the opposite, in fact. I opened my locker, saying hi to a couple of members who sized me up indifferently, took out my backpack, and put my regular clothes on again. But as I came out of the changing rooms and made for the exit, an open door at the back of the club caught my eye; I could see filing cabinets and the corner of a desk. Was that Simon’s office? Was he here?

I hesitated for just a moment, then went over, my heart racing and my stomach in knots. Maybe it was just Demi in there filing something away. But as I got closer, I heard the low voice of someone on the phone, just hanging up. Could I really do this? I’d thought long and hard about what to say to Simon when we met, how to get him to tell me what I wanted to know. But now my mind was totally blank, my nerves so taut I couldn’t form a single clear thought. But still… I had to take this chance. So I squared my shoulders and took the last two steps to the door.

Simon sat at his desk, staring with a furrowed brow at a handwritten piece of paper in front of him. I raised a hand and knocked on the doorframe.

“Yes?” He glanced up, and I summoned all my courage to enter his office. “Hi—can I help you?”

You can tell me what you know about the night my sister died. Obviously, I didn’t say that out loud—instead I gave him a smile. “Hi. Yeah, maybe. I’m new, I had my first training session with you guys today.”

“Right—Demi told me about you, and earlier Rafe said you were a real find.” His smile grew wider. “Helen Miller, right?”

I debated whether or not to give up my fake name, but not for long. Taking a deep breath, I decided to go for broke. “Um, well… no. Actually, my name is Helena. Helena Weston.”

Simon’s smile vanished, and his eyes narrowed a little. “Weston? So you’re Valerie’s sister?”