Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  Sweetbriar was a little, quiet lake town situated in the middle of Missouri, along the southeast side of the lake with the same name. It was hidden away in the hills and valleys of Missouri, several hours from bigger cities like Kansas City and St. Louis.

  It wasn’t a bad place to live, but the tiny community didn’t meet Elle’s requirements:

  1. Be near Brock.

  2. Work for a large law firm in the city.

  After a five-minute drive west, Elle pulled the car through the wrought iron gates of the Sweetbriar Lake Country Club. She parked outside the busy restaurant, nestled in the center of the club, and walked through the parking lot, dodging golf carts headed toward the course.

  Elle smiled and breathed in the lush green of the golf course set against Sweetbriar Lake. Fall had just arrived, and the leaves were beginning to change colors to vibrant orange, red, and yellow hues. It was an autumn she had only ever imagined and seen in pictures or sappy Hallmark movies.

  October in Phoenix was warm and devoid of the myriad of colors that were so abundant here. It felt like a whole other world from the dusty, brown landscape of the desert.

  She liked the idea of a traditional fall filled with fire pits, pumpkin-spice drinks, scarves, and boots.

  Busy gazing out over the golf course and memorizing every detail of the scenic seasonal backdrop, she yelped as she collided with a tall, muscular man. She teetered on her stilettos, trying to regain her balance, arms flailing at her sides, but hit the pavement hard. Ignoring the pain in her butt and the mortification of falling on the sidewalk, she looked up, squinting in the sunlight, at a strikingly tall man with blond hair and the most hypnotic brown eyes she’d ever seen.

  He was dressed in trendy black workout pants and a form-fitted blue t-shirt that said Fit Club on the front. He was a walking advertisement for the club with his toned body and model looks. His biceps strained against the t-shirt and, good Lord, even his ankles looked fit.

  His brown eyes looked irritated on impact but softened as he took in the woman sitting at his feet. His mouth turned up on one side as he smirked down at her, and he reached out a large hand without saying a word.

  She took his hand and looked away, a warm flush creeping up her neck. How mortifying to be sprawled out at the feet of this gorgeous man. His hand was rough and strong, and he easily lifted her to her feet. He continued holding her hand as he gave her a long look from top to bottom that sent shivers up her spine. Elle’s entire body warmed at the intimate exchange.

  “Thank you. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I didn’t see you. I’m sorry,” she rambled quickly, continuing to avoid direct eye contact.

  She removed her hand and forced her mouth shut before she said or did anything else to further her humiliation.

  “My pleasure,” he said in a rough voice that vibrated through her body.

  He was gone before she could respond.

  Elle took a deep breath to try to compose herself. Maybe working out at Fit Club wouldn’t be so terrible if she got to look at men like that while she worked out.

  Inside the crowded restaurant, Elle found her mother, Diane Hastings, seated at a small table near the window, overlooking the putting and chipping greens.

  Her mom looked younger than her fifty-five years in a lilac tennis top and matching skirt. Her blond bob was perfectly styled, and her violet lipstick was a brilliant contrast to her smooth complexion. She stood and smiled as Elle approached.

  “You look a bit crumpled dear.” Her mother frowned as she smoothed her hands down Elle’s skirt.

  Elle’s shoulders fell forward, but upon inspection, she had to admit she was a bit disheveled from her fall outside.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  Elle did her best to sound cheerful as she sat down and opened a menu. The large paper list of lunch entrées shielded her from her mother’s critical gaze. She scanned the menu for something fried or greasy to take the edge off her morning.

  “I saw Amanda this morning. She said the big lawyer ball is coming up next month,” her mother said as she motioned the waiter over to take their order.

  Elle pursed her lips as she considered how to respond. Her mother rarely brought up work topics unless she had agenda.

  “Yes, it should be a good opportunity to talk with other firms and find something more permanent.”

  The critical frown returned to her mother’s face. “You know you work for one of the best lawyers in the state right now. I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better mentor than Clive.”

  Elle looked straight at her mother, determined to stand her ground on this subject. “We’ve already been over this. Clive is great, Mom, and I’m really thankful for all he’s done for me, but I want to live in the city and work for a large firm with more trial work.”

  Diane waved off the explanation. “Are Brock and his father attending the ball?”

  Elle nodded. “Yes, his dad’s firm goes every year,” Elle said, her tone losing a bit of its control.

  She silently prayed her mother wouldn’t ask any more about Brock and why he hadn’t been to visit yet.

  “And are you two still talking about getting back together?” Diane pressed.

  Elle had been vague with her mother on the details surrounding her breakup with Brock and their status — whatever that was. She learned many years ago to be careful what she shared with her mother. She knew if she told her mother that Brock had cheated on her, there was no way Diane would ever welcome him back into their lives like she had before.

  “We talk a couple of times a week. We’re focusing on our careers.”

  Elle couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice. She hated talking about it because the truth was she didn’t understand it herself. She never dreamed that she’d still be sitting in Sweetbriar waiting for Brock to win her back. Six months. It had been six months of empty promises and broken plans.

  The waiter appeared by the table, taking the focus off Elle and giving her a chance to breathe.

  “Mrs. Hastings, good to see you. What can I get for you ladies this afternoon?”

  “A couple of waters and two house salads, Marcus,” Diane said, handing him her menu.

  Elle looked at her mother, debating whether or not she should argue.

  “Did you want something else?” Diane looked from Elle to the waiter, who stared expectantly at the menu in Elle’s hands.

  Elle handed over the menu begrudgingly. “No, a salad sounds perfect.”

  Thank goodness, she still had half a blueberry muffin waiting for her back at the office.

  Elle picked at her cuticles and wondered why her mother still made her feel like a kid.

  “Where did you see Amanda?”

  “She came to tennis this morning.”

  “Amanda plays tennis?” Elle asked, more surprised at Amanda’s ability to be away from Clive for that long than her ability to play a sport.

  Her mother nodded. “Speaking of tennis. Have you given any more thought to joining the ladies’ tennis league? I think it might be good for you to get out and meet some people. You’ve been hiding away all summer. It’s time to join the world again.”

  Her mother was right. She had been hiding — or rather, sulking — since she moved here, and she did need to get out more, but Sweetbriar still felt so temporary. The last thing she wanted to do was get involved in a community she planned to leave in a couple of months.

  “I’ll think about it,” Elle promised.

  With any luck, she’d have a job offer in a few weeks and could avoid further nagging on the subject.

  CHAPTER TWO

  RYAN FOUND HIMSELF grinning, an extra spring in his step, as he walked back into Fit Club after teaching water aerobics at the country club. He hadn’t seen the stuffy woman who had walked directly into him around town before. It was a small community, so it wasn’t often that a beautiful woman came to Sweetbriar unnoticed. She had an air of importance about her from her business attir
e and ridiculously high heels to that large purse she was carrying that could have easily been mistaken for luggage. One red curl had come loose from where she’d gathered it in a ponytail at the back of her neck, and Ryan had found himself wanting to free the entire head of beautiful light-red hair and see what she looked like ruffled up a bit.

  Her small, soft hand had sent off some sort of reaction in him and left him at a loss for words. Real smooth, Ryan. The first attractive girl you see that you haven’t known your whole life and isn’t a client, and you completely blow it.

  She wasn’t exactly his usual type, but lately his type had been more about convenience than anything else. He’d been busy opening the gym and spent most of his time there. Since he had a strict no-dating-employees-or-clients rule, that didn’t leave a lot of possibilities for dating. Opening Fit Club had been his dream since college. He’d played a year of Division I football before he injured his knee and decided to double major in exercise science and business so he could return to Sweetbriar and open a gym.

  His dad, the Sweetbriar High football coach, hadn’t been thrilled with Ryan’s career path. If it were up to Coach Calloway, Ryan would be a doctor, a lawyer, or anything that came with prestige and wealth.

  Those things had never been important to Ryan. As corny as it sounded, he wanted to help people, and he wanted to support the town and the people where he’d grown up.

  Ryan took in the building of Fit Club, proud of his first real business. The gym was unlike any other in the area. Many of the gyms in Sweetbriar and nearby towns were old and outdated, offering old-school aerobic classes and a bare-bones weight room.

  Fit Club was state of the art. The main floor of the gym was divided between a weight room filled with new machines and free weights on one side, and on the other side a professional boxing ring and heavy bags. The boxing ring and equipment had been his buddy Chris’s idea.

  Chris and Ryan had been friends since they were toddlers, and Chris had spent some time boxing in amateur tournaments around the state. The boxing ring had proven to be a good idea. It was almost always in use, and it also provided a constant source of entertainment. People were often huddled around the ring watching and cheering those brave enough to get inside.

  The main floor of Fit Club also housed the locker rooms and a few offices where trainers met with clients. Ryan’s office was upstairs and allowed him more privacy when he needed it. Also on the top floor, were large rooms that were used for group fitness classes. One of the reasons Fit Club had been successful was because it offered a variety of classes that people could only find in the bigger cities — aerial yoga, barre, and more.

  The rest of the top floor was filled with large-screen TVs and cardio machines. Fit Club had opened less than a year ago, but it was already filling quickly with members from Sweetbriar and the surrounding small towns.

  As Ryan entered his office, his sister, Tori, walked over from one of the group fitness rooms. Tori was two years younger than Ryan but had been following him and his group of friends around since they were kids. Tori lived and worked part-time as an occupational therapist in Carroll, a town a couple of hours outside of Sweetbriar, but she had been instrumental in getting Fit Club up and running. Since the opening, she had been driving back to Sweetbriar a few times a week to teach and oversee the group classes.

  “Long legs left you a message. She is sending you a new client tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m.” Tori sat and propped her feet up on Ryan’s desk.

  Ryan lifted an eyebrow. “Long legs? I assume you mean Julia.”

  Tori smiled. “The one and only. Tell me again why you aren’t dating her? She’s pretty, fun, and she has had her eye on you for some time.”

  “I’ve told you, Julia and I are just friends,” Ryan said, his voice gruff and uneasy.

  He had been effectively avoiding Julia’s advances for months. The woman was striking but a little too forward for his taste. Even if she wasn’t his client, he’d most likely be dodging her overly flirty passes.

  “Your loss. I already put your new client on the schedule. You’re welcome by the way,” Tori said, placing her feet on the ground and standing.

  Ryan pushed his chair back from the desk, giving Tori his undivided attention. He hadn’t meant to run her off, just get her away from the topic of Julia. “Thank you. I hear Claire is having a housewarming party on Saturday?”

  Tori nodded, bouncing with excitement. “Yes! Luke is coming down for the weekend, and we are planning on stopping by after dinner at Mom and Dad’s. Want to catch a ride with us?”

  Ryan wasn’t thrilled about spending a night with Luke, Tori’s latest boyfriend. Since Tori had started bringing him around, Luke had made very little effort to get to know Ryan or the rest of the family. Ryan always hoped that whomever she ended up with, Ryan could enjoy spending time with him. He and Tori were close, and he didn’t want that to change.

  Ryan put on his most convincing smile. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

  “Okay. Pick you up at six for dinner.” Tori said placing her hands on the desk and leaning forward. “I have exciting news to share with everyone!”

  Ryan raised an eyebrow and checked her hands. With no evidence of an engagement ring, his mind went to the next logical assumption.

  “If you’re pregnant, Dad’s gonna kick Luke’s ass!”

  “I AM NOT PREGNANT!” Tori threw him a sharp look and then smiled happily again as she skipped out of the office.

  TRUE TO HER word, Julia texted the details for Elle’s training session at Fit Club as Elle was pouring a glass of wine and treating herself to Chinese takeout.

  Julia: Tomorrow 6:00 a.m. with Ryan Calloway

  “6:00 a.m.?! She’s nuts!” Elle said aloud in between bites of Hunan beef as she read the rest of the details.

  Mornings were not the time to be operating anything heavy or participating in anything that involved coordination. Not that it was going to matter. The last time she’d stepped foot in a gym she’d been ten pounds lighter and carrying far less emotional baggage.

  Elle hadn’t always been averse to fitness. Once upon a time, she’d been athletic and fit, playing tennis on her high school team and working out to old Tamilee Webb workout DVDs in her parents’ living room.

  Elle topped off her wine glass and soaked in the comforting silence of her condo.

  The one-bedroom unit had a spacious open-concept feel and had been decorated in an elegant modern Bohemian style.

  Yes, it was exactly the kind of place where she’d dreamt of living all those years she’d spent holed up in small apartments with paper-thin walls and a view into the neighbors’ dining room.

  The only problem was that it was a sham. The photos that were scattered around pictured her and friends she’d long lost contact with and an ex-boyfriend who didn’t deserve to be remembered in happy moments that failed to capture the lying, cheating tattoo he had (or should have) on his forehead. And the condo and its beautiful handpicked décor was all Amanda. Elle was subletting the place from her while she was in Sweetbriar, and, as usual, Amanda’s decorating had a distinct flair with impeccable attention to details.

  Elle’s cell phone vibrated on the counter in front of her.

  Brock, the screen read, with a picture of the two of them skiing at Pine Top last winter. Their red, wind-whipped faces were happy and smiling, the last trip they’d taken together.

  She’d emailed him earlier today to ask if he was coming to the ball. According to Julia’s list, he had already RSVP’d, but it was a good excuse to contact him under the guise of work.

  “Hi, Brock.” Elle answered the phone trying her best to sound casual and indifferent. She grabbed her wine glass with her free hand and walked through the dining area out to the small attached patio.

  The patio backed up to an undeveloped forest area with more green than Elle had seen in the entire state of Arizona. Being outside among the tall and majestic trees that continued as far as she could see gave her strength
and courage. Both were needed when dealing with Brock.

  “Hey, babe. I got your email. Yeah, I will be there. I can’t wait. It’ll be good to finally see you. Maybe I can come into town Friday, and we can catch up before the ball on Saturday?”

  Elle could hear the assured tone in his voice and thought it was just like him to think this was no big thing. Her icy resolve was melting, and she battled her conflicting emotions. She should hate him and never speak to him again. Should. But she didn’t.

  “Sure, that sounds great,” Elle heard herself saying as she smiled into the phone. Thirty seconds into the call and she was already nearly bouncing up and down with excitement at finally having a concrete date scheduled to see him. Who cared if it was for work and not a trip just to see her?

  They talked a few minutes more about work and how they were settling into new cities before Brock mentioned he’d run into some old high school friends, and they were heading out for the night. They said their good-byes, and Elle felt a twinge of jealousy that he was out having fun while she was friendless and lonely in Sweetbriar.

  If she had known how dull and lonely her life here would be without him, she may have just forgiven him and moved to Kansas City anyway, liked they had planned before he shattered her heart into a million pieces.

  No, she couldn’t allow herself to think like that. She deserved more than empty promises, and she needed him to prove that to her.

  Elle re-opened the text from Julia. The trainer’s name was Ryan Calloway. She wondered what he was like. Julia hadn’t mentioned him before, so he was likely unattractive or gay. Julia had dated nearly the entire male population of Sweetbriar and the surrounding towns, and she liked to kiss and tell all the gory details.

  Elle felt the nervous energy build inside her as she thought about the ball, her plan to win Brock back, and her early-morning training session. The last item being the most worrisome since she was only ten hours away from having her weight and body fat measured by a perfect stranger. Super.