Fit for You

by Cynthia Tennent

  Edge climbed into the driver’s seat in one fluid motion. “Comfortable?”

  “I am.” I had to admit, it was nice to be sitting down again. I granted him my first smile of the day and his eyes grew wide. Did he think I didn’t know how to smile?

  When he came out of his stupor he asked, “Do you want a snack? Uncle Pete keeps his candy—” He opened a compartment in front of me and out popped a snake. To my credit, I only squeaked.

  “Aww, sorry!” He gathered the coiled, flowered snakes and threw them behind the seat. “April Fools’ Day isn’t for a few weeks, but Uncle Pete is always early with his jokes.”

  I waited for my breath to return and finally said, “The apartment I’m going to be living in is at Sixteen Main Street. I hope it isn’t out of the way for you.”

  He shifted the truck into gear, checking his mirrors at the same time. “Sorry, Lily. There has been a change in plans.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face. “A change?”

  “We are going to talk to the Triple C’s,” he said.

  A band of panic cinched my chest.

  Harrison County had been awarded a grant from Fit4You for two trainers. One trainer was going to live and work in Harrisburg and one was going to live and work in Truhart. That was me. I was being hosted by the Community Center Committee. The Triple C’s, as they called themselves. I knew I had to face them sometime, but I was hoping I wouldn’t look quite so tired and helpless when they saw my bum knee.

  I held up my palms. “No need to talk to them right now. Just yesterday the mayor’s wife said the apartment would be unlocked and ready for me.”

  He stared out the windshield and said one word. “Complications.” A tick in his furry beard gave him away.

  Suddenly the minty air and the bumpiness of the road, combined with the unexpected change in plans, gave me a major bout of nausea. I clutched my midsection and ran my hand over my eyes. The truck turned and I almost lost it right there. The window next to me lowered. The fresh air erased some of the minty smell and settled my stomach.

  Several minutes later I was capable of raising my head. “Thanks.”

  He pretended I hadn’t almost puked all over the interior of the truck. “We’re almost there.”

  With misery building in my chest, I waited for any signs of town. I hoped for a quaint gazebo or a cute church with a white steeple. A boardwalk along a pristine lake. Victorian homes fronted by wraparound porches in pastel trim. But everything was gray, white, and empty. The late March sun was low in the sky, sending spindly shadows of the bare tree branches across the road.

  Edge tapped his hand on the steering wheel. “Did you have far to come?”

  Had I come far?

  Two months ago I had been in sunny California, teaching Pilates and CrossFit to beautiful people who paid me an enormous sum to make them even more gorgeous. I lived in a modern condominium on the beach in Santa Monica. I drove a convertible. I worked hard to afford that lifestyle.

  Then my big break happened. An opportunity to be on TV’s Just Lose It as a trainer with my own team. Quitting everything, I prepared myself for prime time. I wrote my diet plans down to the last detail. I researched every way to motivate people to lose the weight that had kept them from living their dreams. I even mixed my own protein powders and created a nutrition plan that guaranteed weight loss. With weeks to go before taping, I was ready for success.

  Who knew a treadmill could cause such damage?

  To my knee and my career.

  I ended up where I started many years ago. On my mother’s yellow floral couch with a hairy dog at my feet, eating noodles and watching TV.

  “Not far,” I told him.

  Five minutes later, we were closer to some kind of civilization. Along the road was a building marked HARRISON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICES, and a neon sign for COOKEE’S DINER.

  Edge pulled up in an illegal parking zone and stopped. “Hang on a minute. I’ll leave the window open. I am going to let the Triple C’s know you’re here.”

  Before I could say anything he jumped out and headed through the front door of Cookee’s Diner. It was the quintessential small-town gathering place. Full of people and homey looking.

  Through the large front window, I watched Edge enter the diner. A half a dozen ladies gave him a hug and more gathered around him. He said something and the women shifted their focus to me. I slouched down and pretended I didn’t notice their stares.

  They turned back to him and I breathed again.

  While they spoke, I searched the frozen tundra ahead of me for any sign of a gym or the apartment building where I would be staying. Other than a huge pile of snow in the middle of the street, an auto garage, and a few vacant-looking buildings, there was nothing.

  A large young man walked toward me. His hands were stuffed in his coat pocket, his mouth was turned down, and his shoulders were slumped. Tough day. I felt the same way he looked. Suddenly a ball of white hit his head, knocking his hat off.

  Down the street, a group of teenagers laughed. “Too fat to run, Mountain?”

  He picked up his hat and kept walking. Another missile fired.

  I leaned out the window, “Hey! Stop that . . .”

  A third snowball hit him squarely between the shoulder blades.

  Without thinking I grabbed a brown bear off the truck below my window. I threw it toward the kids. “Stop!”

  The little bear didn’t make if far, but it did its job. The kids took off down the street. The young victim was halfway across an open field, safe from the bullies. I watched his retreating back, wishing kids were kinder and I had better aim.

  Edge came out of the diner followed by three women. A curvy blonde wearing an expensive-looking pair of fleece-lined boots and a bright red vest, a large woman wearing a smock with rainbows of some sort, and a pretty, curly-haired younger woman wearing jeans and a Vassar sweatshirt.

  When Edge pulled open my door, three pairs of eyes went directly to my injured leg, then traveled slowly to my face.

  I smiled at them. “It sure is a cold day, huh?” None of them seemed concerned about the temperature. I held out my hand. “I’m Lily Shue.”

  “We’re so excited you are here, Lily.” The curvy blonde wearing expensive clothes extended her hand. “I’m Regina Bloodworth.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I shook her hand and couldn’t help my usual checklist. Buxom. Poor hand strength . . . Needs core and weight training.

  “And this is Marva O’Shea,” she said, pointing to the large lady, who adjusted a pair of pink-rimmed glasses. She was quite overweight, but her strength was surprising . . . Cardio, definitely.

  “And this is Elizabeth Lively.” The younger woman in the sweatshirt waved. Energetic. Lean . . . Might need yoga and breathing exercises to relax, though.

  I forced myself to focus. “Edge, here, was just taking me to the apartment you have arranged for me. “

  The ladies shot glances back and forth. The larger woman, Marva, put a hand on her fleshy throat. “The thing is—the apartment is up a set of rickety steps.”

  The younger woman bit her tongue. “It’s nowhere near a store or a pharmacy.”

  Regina stared at my knee. “Living on the second floor would be dangerous for you with your . . . injury.”

  “I will be fine,” I said, putting my hand over my knee, trying unsuccessfully to block their view of the brace.

  Edge gazed at me over their heads. “What they’re trying to say is—”

  Regina and Marva spoke at the same time.

  “There was a fire—”

  “We had a flood—”

  “Plumbing issue!” Elizabeth Lively said loudly, giving them each stern looks.

  Edge ran a hand over his eyes.

  “I’m sorry?”

  Elizabeth giggled nervously. “You know how it is when disaster strikes. Complete confusion! First there was a fire, and that made the pipes burst, and then there was a flood.”

  Regina
clarified things. “In any case, the whole thing is a bit of a mess. We think it will be better if you stay somewhere else for now.”

  Would it be rude to call my employers liars a minute after meeting them?

  “I know you probably think I can’t take care of myself because of my knee, but I assure you I can.”

  Regina smiled. “Of course you can. But the apartment is a mess, like we said.”

  This new development made things more complicated for me. One of the perks of the job was the proximity to the gym. I wouldn’t have to worry about the fact that I couldn’t drive. I could simply limp next door to the gym for work.

  I started to argue, then stopped myself. I was in no position to complain. At least someone had hired me. I could deal with a change of plans. Fortunately, they hadn’t changed their minds the minute they saw my knee.

  “Should I stay with the other trainer the county hired? The one in Harrisburg?”

  “Do you know her?” Marva, asked.

  I shook my head.

  “Then you would never suggest it.” She patted my leg and then pulled her hand away quickly, as if she was afraid she had hurt me.

  Regina glared at Marva’s gesture and changed the subject. “We thought about the Amble Inn, but they are booked for the next two weekends. So, we’ve made other arrangements. There won’t be an issue with stairs and it will be much easier for you to get around.”

  “And a ride to the gym each day will be available,” Marva said, nodding at Edge.

  I was feeling queasy again. When was the last time I had hydrated?

  Elizabeth grabbed my hand. “You will like it better anyway.”

  “Edge will take you now so you can rest, honey,” said Marva, reaching toward my knee again.

  Regina grabbed her hand and scowled. “We’ll meet you at the gym tomorrow. Then you can tell us all about your plans for the fitness program. I’ve got all sorts of ideas on ways we can get this town in shape—”

  Elizabeth interrupted. “The grant from the Fit4You Foundation is going to do a lot for our town.”

  The three women said their goodbyes and waved me on, practically running back into the building. A swarm of women surrounded them when they entered. I could practically hear the chatter from where I sat.

  I took a deep breath, feeling like I had been blown over by a strong wind. It had been a long day. A long month, actually.

  “All set?” Edge asked, closing my door. I stared at the little bear on the sidewalk. It was ridiculous, but I couldn’t leave him.

  I angled my head out the window. “Can you . . .”

  He glanced around. “What?”

  I pointed to the little guy on the sidewalk. “He, uh, fell off.”

  It was a sad testimony to my throwing arm that it only took two long strides for Edge to reach the little guy. He swept up the bear and turned back to the truck.

  “It was here.” I patted the area beneath my window.

  He reattached the bear. “That’s odd. I can’t imagine how he came off.”

  He sent me a speculative look before climbing back in the cab.

  “What is the name of the hotel?”

  Edge picked up an old iPod that was plugged into the dashboard. “Do you like classic rock?”

  Before I could say anything, the high-pitched, wailing voice of Robert Plant singing “Black Dog” filled the truck. Edge shifted the truck into drive and we took off. He bobbed his head to the beat, completely oblivious to my question or my concerns.

  “Where are we going?” I repeated.

  “You’ll like it. Free food, comfortable bed, nice people.”

  He turned up the music.

  While he tapped the steering wheel and played air drums, I debated rolling down the window and sticking my head outside in order to save my long-term hearing. We were on a road that bordered a lake, with houses on the left and the right. Every once in a while we passed a vacant lot and I could see the lake clearly. It was covered with a layer of snow and ice and dotted with dozens of small shacks. We passed a plump lady snowman wearing a polka-dotted scarf and a straw hat rimmed with pink flowers. Warm weather would melt off her fat. Too bad losing weight wasn’t as easy as that.

  That’s where I came in. My job was to improve health and fitness in the county. An important job. A little inconvenience and a tough day weren’t going to make me forget my mission.

  We made a left turn into a long driveway and Edge honked the horn. “Here we are.”

  I ducked my head to see out the front windshield. The drive sloped upward. A two-story green-shingled house built into the side of a gentle hill was nestled among the trees. A separate two-story garage stood to its right.

  “I appreciate all the space, but I don’t need a whole house.”

  Edge seemed to think that was funny. He turned off the music and jumped out.

  A woman appeared from the corner of the house, followed by three small dogs of indistinguishable breed. I caught part of her greeting. “—finished with the route already?”

  His voice was too low for me to hear. But she looked my way and nodded her head as he spoke. I opened my door and considered whether getting down would be any easier than getting in the truck. Before I could do anything, Edge and the woman were beside me.

  With her light brown, closely cropped head of hair, she could have been anyone’s mother. But she was tall, in blue jeans and a long, bulky sweater, and when her gray eyes smiled, and dimples appeared on her cheeks, there was no mistaking the resemblance.

  “Lily, this is my mother, Louise Callahan.”

  Just like the ladies at the diner, her eyes went straight to my knee. But there was more than open curiosity in her face.

  She ran her hand up and down her neck. “You’re not a skier, are you?”

  “No. I’m a fitness trainer. I was hired for the new community center grant.”

  “Community center? Oh, of course. The Triple C’s. Kreapps. I’ve been so out of the loop recently that I forgot all about that.”

  “The Triple C’s are creeps?”

  She laughed. “Not like that.”

  “Lily was supposed to live over the old booksto—I mean above the community center.”

  “How can she manage—” She glanced at Edge as if she had just put two and two together.

  “It sure was strange timing when the fire and plumbing caused a flood in the apartment,” I said, arching a brow Edge’s way. I don’t know why we kept talking in half truths.

  “What flood?” Louise said, turning to Edge.

  Edge ruffled a dog’s head. “Big mess over there. Nasty. That’s why we’re here. Lily is staying with us.”

  Louise pasted on an overly cheery smile, one that I had seen my own mother wearing for the past few weeks. “Of course you should stay here.”

  “With you?” I looked from Edge to his mother. He suddenly seemed fascinated by one of the dogs, who was holding a stick in his mouth. He grabbed the stick and played tug-of-war.

  Louise stepped away and picked up a dog with wiry hair. “Don’t worry about a thing, Lily. Years ago, before we had kids, we rented out the downstairs. It has a separate entrance, a bathroom, and a kitchenette on the same floor. Help her down, Edge. Then we’ll get her settled inside.”

  Edge was back, ready to help me down. I sank back into the seat. “Wait a minute. I can’t stay with your family. Surely there’s another place I can go where I won’t impose on anyone.”

  Edge leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Mom gets her feelings hurt really easy, Lily. Don’t make her feel like you don’t want to stay here. I hate to see my mother cry.”

  “I wouldn’t want anyone to feel bad,” I whispered back. “It’s just that I wasn’t—”

  Edge put a finger to my lips and whispered, “Shh. Don’t upset her. The last time someone refused her hospitality I had to get her a dog. As you can see, we don’t need any more.”

  “Oh, come on—”

  Edge spoke under his breath
again and shifted his eyes to the side rather obviously. “Is she crying? Sometimes it looks like she’s going to laugh. But it’s really crying.”

  Behind him, his mother was biting her lip and staring at the sky. She blinked rapidly as if she might be ready to burst into tears . . .

  “Look, Edge—”

  “You two coming?” Mrs. Callahan shoved her head in front of Edge’s.

  He stepped behind her and sent me a warning glance over her head.

  “Just until my knee is better and I can stay in the apartment in town,” I said to Edge. I wasn’t going to play the game everyone else had started. I knew the apartment was perfectly fine.

  “I am so glad to have you here. I love guests. It’s extremely distressful for me when the house is quiet.”

  He raised his eyebrow at me over the top of her head and mouthed, “See.”

  “Come on, dogs.” Mrs. Callahan turned up the driveway and the furry dogs followed her as if she were their mother hen. The dogs yipped and barked at each other, almost drowning out the sound of her laughter.

  LESSON TWO

  Stick with It—No Excuses

  I waved Edge off and tried to disembark on my own from the teddy truck, as I was beginning to think of it. He stood by the open door, scrolling through his phone as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  After a long minute of repositioning my leg and grasping the door frame, I sighed and raised my arms, signaling for him to lift me down like I’m sure he was planning to do all along.

  Without a word, he reached in and plucked me out of the cab. Once I was on firm ground, he grabbed the crutches from behind the passenger seat and handed them to me. Then he lifted out my suitcases as if they were marshmallows.

  “Shall we?” He nodded to the driveway.

  I cautiously planted the tips of the crutches. It was going to be more difficult to come down in the morning. The thought pulled me to a stop.