“Okay, fish, where have you been?”

Temi gave Thom a side glance as she continued speaking. “Yes, ma’am, I understand. If you

would please hold, I will check on your benefit status.” Temi placed the woman on hold and turned to give Thom her full attention. “I am working, you know.”

            Thom took in her crossed arms and squinty eyes. “Working. Shit, that’s no excuse. Last week you were all Bridget Jones, and now you’re what? Waiting to Exhale?”

            Temi couldn’t help but crack a smile. “What are you doing for lunch?”

            “Apparently listening to your sorry-ass excuses,” he waved an upward palm between them. Trying not to laugh, Temi nodded and went back to her call.

            Tidewater’s weather in October was always so unpredictable. One minute hot as blazes and the next it could feel like winter. Today, however; despite being only the second of the month, felt as though Autumn was on her way. The slight chill in the air was refreshing without being brisk, and the intense heat of the weekend felt like a dream.

            Behind the call center, was a little wooded area. Thom’s parents had torn down a rundown little building, resoiled the area and made it into a little park of sorts. It was small, but they spared no expense, planting older trees, a stone walk path, and three picnic tables.

            “What are you eating?”

            “Salad with beans topped with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and celery with almond butter.”

            Thom wrinkled up his nose. “That’s it?!? I know you want to lose weight but there’s no reason to starve yourself!”

            Temi rolled her eyes. “I’m doing this whole calorie counting thing, and since my breakfast was high in calories, I need to cut back a bit at lunch.” Then she showed him her phone. “You see this app helps me track everything I eat and do during the day. If I exercise it also indicates the number of calories I burned too.”

            “Huh. Maybe I should get that app.” While Thom flipped through the app’s options Temi shook her head. Thom was a complete and utter bean pole. There was no need for him to purchase the app. “So, you want to tell me what you did all weekend,” he handed her phone back.

            “I mostly just hung out with my mom. Since I didn’t see her the weekend after I kicked Jordan out, I thought I should drop by and tell her the news.” Thom seemed okay with her explanation as he nodded, so Temi continued. “I did make it to the gym Sunday morning, but then went back to my mom’s afterwards.”     

            “And how is Ms. Jada,” Thom asked as he opened his chicken wrap.

            “She’s fine. Still healthy and lovin’ life.”

            There was a moment of silence as they chewed their food. Thom finished first. “So, what did she have to say about Jordan?”

“Nothing.” Thom stopped his sandwich wrap in midair, mouth agape, staring at her. “We really

didn’t talk about him. We mainly talked about me and what I want from my life moving forward.” Thom nodded and continued eating. “She had me write down what I really want and then we discussed it.”

            Again, Thom nodded. “So, what do you really want?”  

            Temi opened her phone to a list app and began to rattle off everything she wanted to accomplish by the time she was forty. The type of work she wanted to do, the type of man she wanted to be with, and the sort of house she wanted. Nothing on her list was overly extravagant; in fact, with work and determination, she should be able to have it all. “So, what do you think?”

            “Sounds reasonable,” Thom nodded again. “I don’t like the idea of you leaving me at the center, but if it would make you happy.”

            Temi smiled at him. She knew damn well that Thom was only working for Fuller Communications because his parents wanted him to take over the business when they retired, and since they were older when they had him, their retirement was closer than Thom liked to admit. “If you could do anything, Thom, what would it be?”

            He raised his left brow and gave a smirk. “You mean besides being the personal masseur for just about every boy band in existence?” When Temi glared at him, he shrugged. “Who knows? I mean, after all,” he waved his hands in the air, “this is my life.”

            There was a sadness in Thom’s voice which Temi was sure only those very close to him would be able to detect. She couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to have your whole life planned out for you. In fact, there were times Temi felt as though Mr. and Mrs. Fuller only had Thom so they would have someone to whom they could pass the business.

Well, knowing that Thom wouldn’t want to continue down an unamusing path, Temi quickly changed the subject. She’d bring it up again another time. “So… I thought you were going to spend your weekend catting around?”

            He sighed. “Me too! Alas, I think Norfolk has become too small for me.” Thom began to shove all his trash into a little baggie which had been emptied of trail mix. “Do you think it’s possible that I’ve slept with all the gorgeous gay men in Norfolk?” Temi couldn’t help but smile and raise a brow. “Smile all you want, but I think I’ve done it. Really.” Then with a sigh and two sad brows, “I suppose I’ll have to branch out to the beach boys of Virginia Beach and your Chesapeake country bumpkins. Tell me, do boys in Chesapeake wear overalls all the time, because I don’t think I can handle that.”

            The last few minutes of their lunch hour was spent talking about the slim pickins of Norfolk, and how Thom really needed to land a sophisticated city boy. Temi didn’t mind the turn in conversation, in fact, she felt Thom was right. When she thought of an older Thom, she imagined him in a big city walking his miniature poodle and having catered parties. Granted, he could do all of those things here, but the feel was different from the feel in her imaginings.

            “Well, sugar, lunchtime’s over,” he stood and offered his arm. Temi hooked her elbow to his and they walked arm in arm into the building. “So, would you like to hit the gym after work?”

            “Of course. In fact, why don’t we make a thing of it until we start dating again?” Recognizing Thom was following her train of thought, she elaborated. “Together, let’s hit the gym each night after work and keep one another company. However, we won’t let it stand in the way of dating. If you get a bite, I will totally excuse you from the gym.”

            “Huh. And what makes you think I’ll excuse you if you if you get a bite?” Temi gave him the side eye. “Okay, bitch, you know I will,” he smiled back.

            Temi hated the treadmill. No. Actually, hate wasn’t strong enough; there had to be a word stronger than that. “Just one more minute. One more and I promise to get you a milkshake.”

            Temi gave Thom the angriest look she could muster. A fucking milkshake!?! Really? A milkshake would mean another hour or so of this agonizing running in place! Fucking milkshake, her ass.

            “Okay, black beauty, you’re done!” Temi loved coming to the gym with Thom but sometimes he was a bit too much with the encouragement… or what he thought was encouragement. “On to the weights?”

            Nodding, Temi climbed shakily off the treadmill and began wiping it down. “I’ll meet you over there.”

            “You okay,” Thom asked as he wiped sweat from her forehead. When Temi nodded, he smiled. “Okay. Would you like to start on legs, arms, or abs?” She hated the ab machines just as much as she hated the treadmill, and Thom knew it. So, with one raised brow and a minor look of defeat, Thom got the hint. “We’ll start with the thighs.”

            A moment later, Thom and Temi were side by side on thigh machines; Temi working the inner and Thom working the outer and buttocks. Despite the workout, they were able to crack jokes and have a little fun while doing their weight training. They would try to do as much as they could on their machine, then switch and attempted to outdo the other’s weight or number of reps. Oddly enough, Temi had very powerful legs and always beat Thom on those particular machines whereas Thom always beat her when it came to upper body strength.

            “Okay, I think I’ve had enough of this. Can we skip this switch, move to one bicep machine and blow this joint?”

            Temi laughed. “Giving up already,” she asked in a breathy voice. She really didn’t blame him. Today they had done an hour on the treadmill rather than their usual thirty minutes.

            “Damn right.” Thom wiped his face with his towel. “I say we grab a light dinner and call it a night. It’s not like we won’t be here again tomorrow.”

            As Temi laughed she noticed a tall rather good-looking guy on one of the bikes look in their direction. “Don’t look now, Thom, but I think there’s a guy checking you out.”

Thom’s hands froze as he wrapped his towel about his neck. “Well, diva don’t keep a queen in suspense. What does he look like?”

Temi began to wipe down her machine while talking to Thom. The guy checking out her friend was in the row of cycles just behind Thom; therefore, while talking to Thom she could pretend she was also looking at him when, in fact, she was actually checking out Mr. Hot-Stuff. “Okay, he’s tall, well built, brown hair with hints of red, and his eyes are light. I can’t tell if there just a very pale blue or grey.”

“Is he muscular? Girl, you know I like my daddy’s buff.”

Temi laughed. “He’s no Schwarzenegger.”

“I’d settle for a part machine Worthington.” Temi shook her head at Thom. He always seemed to like guys so very different from himself. His last boyfriend was totally granola. Loved camping and was determined to live off the grid. He even built his own house from wood he’d sourced from his property and wood he’d salvaged from old schoolhouses and churches. He was positively gorgeous, but Thom live off the grid? Hell, nah! One look at the composting toilet, and he was done.

“Well, I’m not sure if he’s Sam Worthington material, but he’s the third cyclist in from the left on the back row. Check him out as we walk to the showers.”

Walking slowly, Temi stood on the side with the cyclist so Thom could look unsuspiciously around her to check out his admirer. Then before going their separate ways into their respective locker rooms, Temi asked what he thought. “Well, he’s no Sam, but he just may be worthy.”

            Temi laughed and entered the locker room shaking her head.

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