Page 42 of Work It Out
Panic flashed across his face, guilt chasing at its heels. “Um, yes?”
“Nate, how do I feel about lying?”
“To the knives, Grace.”
Rayah stared at him. “You saw a shiny, didn’t you?”
His whole body slumped. “Yes, and I’m sorry for lying. In my defense, you can be scary on a good day, and you don’t seem to be having a good day.”
“Nate…”
“Right. I started on the cardio equipment, but then I needed more spray cleaner out of the supply closet. That’s when I noticed that a new shipment had come in, but whoever put it away,” cough, “Pierce, didn’t put stuff where it belongs. While I was moving all that around, I remembered the third stall in the men’s locker room was out of toilet paper, but I got all the way to the stall before I remembered that I needed that little key. That’s when I realized I hadn’t taken my Adderall today, but I didn’t eat, either, and I can’t take it on an empty stomach.”
“Which led you here.”
“Actually, I was headed this way when I ran into the new girl.” Nate’s eyebrows drew in tight. “You know he’s not into her, right?”
Her cheeks were hot as the sun. “I don’t know anything about their relationship and neither do you.”
“Ray, seriously, I have four sisters. I’ve also had more than a few sexual partners.”
“Man whore,” Grace coughed. She cleared her throat. “So sorry. I must’ve caught whatever you had.”
Nate rolled his eyes. “Fine, four biological sisters and one adopted.” Grace jerked like he’d hit her with defibrillator paddles, but he didn’t miss a beat. “The point is, I know the difference between a sister-slash-friend hug and a fuck-me hug. And that was definitely the first one.”
“Nate?” Rayah said.
“Yeah.”
“Thank you for cleaning up the supply closet and for coming to get me. Eat something, take your meds, then finish cleaning the cardio equipment. Please.”
He leaned against the island, his face screwed into a pretty, modelesque pout. “But, Mom, that was my chore last week. Make Gracie do it.”
“Okay.” Rayah started for the door.
“Really?” Nate said with as much surprise as Jake and Pierce had when she’d acquiesced on the pancakes.
It was like none of them knew her at all.
“Wait for it,” Grace warned gleefully.
Okay, so maybe Grace knew her.
“Sure. Grace can clean the cardio machines. That will give you time to wipe down all the free weights and benches. Then you can clean the bathroom in the lobby.”
“Hehehe.” Grace chortled. “Shouldn’t have called her mom. She told you to quit that.”
“It’s endearing,” he argued.
“It makes me want to call your actual mother and tell her you’ve forgotten how to act,” Rayah snapped.
“Dear God, no!”
Grace pulled out her phone. “I have Denise’s number!”
“That was for emergencies!”
Rayah left them to their mutual torment and strode toward her own. Fran and Zandar were waiting at the reception desk with a scowling Samuel. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
