Flirting with the Boss: A love at the Gym Novel

by Sparling, Amy

  I start climbing down from the ladder. “Looks like I’m coming with you.”

  She rolls her eyes, her hands on her hips as she watches me descend. When I get to the floor, I walk up to her. “Noah!” She’s making an angry face but it’s totally in a playful way. “You can’t buy me dinner.”

  “I can do whatever I want,” I say, snapping up the credit card from her hand. “And tonight I’m buying you dinner.”

  She groans, but follows me outside toward the taco truck. “I just feel bad. You already gave me a job. You don’t need to give me food.”

  “Consider it a perk of the job.”

  She rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t object when I pay for our food. I know it’s a not a real date, but it’s fun to pretend like it is.

  When we’d walked out to the taco truck, we didn’t have a single client working out. But in the five minutes it took to get our food, three women have arrived and they’re all on the cardio machines. We have a gym rule that we can’t eat in front of the clients because that’s just incredibly rude to snack on delicious food when people are working out.

  “Wanna eat in my office?” I ask her.

  “Sure,” she says.

  My office is small, with only room for my desk, a couple of chairs, and a filing cabinet. So when Tasha sits in the chair across from me, in the same place she sat when I interviewed her, the room feels even smaller than usual. We’re so close, and yet so far away.

  “You know what would be a really good perk of the job?” she says, unwrapping her avocado taco. “Employee trips to Hawaii.”

  I chuckle. “You don’t want me to pay for tacos but Hawaii is on the table?”

  She grins. “Hawaii is always on the table.”

  My thoughts drift to visiting the beautiful state with her. Not as a group of coworkers, but just me and her, alone on vacation to the most beautiful islands in the world. What I wouldn’t give to see her smile like that, but on the shores of Hawaii…the sun on our skin, and the ocean breeze in our hair…

  “Maybe we can talk Brent into changing the location of the company picnic,” she says with a snort.

  I finish my first taco and unwrap the next one. “I know the Roca Springs park isn’t as good as a tropical paradise, but it should still be fun.”

  “Oh for sure,” she says. “Brent put me in charge of decorations, so I’m heading to Costco tomorrow.”

  “Need some help?” I say. I know. I’m pathetic. I can’t seem to stay away from her.

  “Actually…” She takes a bite and nods. “I could probably use help. I’m getting a lot of stuff and my car is small. Can we use your truck?”

  I grin. It may not a date. It’s a work thing, which isn’t as much fun. But it means one more day of spending time with her. “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  Me: I’m here. Which apartment are you?

  Tasha: park by building 4 and I’ll meet you out there.

  The next day, I arrive at the apartment complex where Tasha lives and look around for the correct building. There aren’t many apartment complexes in our small town, and I’m very familiar with these. I have a lot of friends who live here, and I know from experience that all the buildings on this side of the complex are just one bedroom. That means Tasha shares a one bedroom apartment with her niece, which must be awfully cramped.

  The thoughts clear my mind when I see Tasha walk up to my truck, her hair in a cute bun on top of her head with little strands of hair dancing around her face. She’s wearing her usual black workout leggings, which are so sexy it should be illegal, a pair of running shoes, and a UT college t-shirt.

  The moment she opens the passenger door, I catch the scent of her shampoo, all floral and dangerously cute. I want to run my fingers through her hair. I want to hold her close. I want to do so much with this girl.

  “Hey,” she says, climbing into my truck. “Thanks for driving.”

  “Not a problem at all,” I say, flashing her a grin. I wish she was sitting in the middle seat, her hand in mine. But that’s just one more thought I shouldn’t be having.

  I drive us to the nearest Costco, which is only a few minutes away. It’s a shame because car rides with her are fun. She spends the whole time telling me funny stories about the kids in her classes.

  At the store, I grab a shopping cart and Tasha pulls up a list on her phone. “Okay… so Brent said we should expect about twenty-five people.”

  “Really? That many?” I think it over quickly… We’re supposed to bring family, but Kris and I aren’t bringing anyone. Brent will probably bring his sister and her boyfriend, and Jon will bring whoever.

  Tasha shrugs. “I think Brent invited some of his training clients.”

  “Ah,” I say with a nod. “Makes sense. Is your niece coming?”

  Tasha shrugs. “I don’t know. I invited her, but she’s a teenager who thinks she’s too cool to do stuff with me.”

  I laugh. “But you’re not that old yourself.”

  She shrugs. “I’m her guardian so that puts me in the league of old people even though I’m not old.”

  “Makes sense,” I say. “Well, I’ll be there alone, so we can hang out.”

  She puts a case of soda in the cart. “You’re not bringing anyone?”

  I shrug. “I don’t have anyone to bring. My family doesn’t live around here, and I have no girlfriend.”

  “The party is still a couple days away,” she says, checking the list on her phone and then looking back at the aisle of drinks. “You could find a girlfriend by then.”

  “You think so?” I ask, helping her load more drinks into the cart.

  “Of course.”

  My heart beats quicker at the topic of girlfriends.

  “I don’t know about that. I’ve been single for years… I don’t see some magical new girlfriend suddenly appearing any time soon.”

  “How have you been single for years?” she says as she points toward the snack aisle. “Like… was that by choice?”

  I take a deep breath and decide how to answer. “Yes, and no. It’s not that I didn’t want a girlfriend, but I was so busy I guess I didn’t have time to find one.”

  “We need chips,” she says, consulting her list. We get some chips, and I’m afraid the subject won’t change back to what I want to talk about, which is dating, but then she says, “But that’s probably for the best, the girlfriend thing.”

  “Me being single is for the best?” I ask, giving her a questioning look.

  She nods. “Dating sucks. It’s stupid. If you’re single, at least you’re not getting hurt.”

  “True, but sometimes being alone is worse than taking the risk of a relationship.”

  She goes quiet for a second. Finally, she says, “I suppose so.”

  When she glances up at me, I feel a pang of something in my chest. There’s a hurt in her eyes. Or maybe it’s just…a caution. A warning. Something in those deep pools of blue tell me she’s guarding her heart and she’s perfectly happy to be doing so. I swallow and steer the shopping cart onto the next aisle. If talking about dating makes her look this sad, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

  “So what’s next on our list?”

  18

  Tasha

  Janie walks out of her room and stops short. I look over, my hand poised just in front of my eye as I apply mascara while looking into a small mirror on top of my dresser. “What?” I ask.

  She narrows her eyes. “I thought this was a park picnic thing?”

  “It is.”

  “So why are you all dolled up like you’re going to a cocktail party?”

  I cap my mascara and look down at myself. “Do I really look that bad?”

  I’m wearing a blue sundress with silver strappy sandals, and I curled my hair this morning so it looks nice. Normally I’m in workout clothes with my hair pulled back. For the party today, I wanted to look… I don’t know… cute.

  My niece shrugs. “You don’t look bad. You look good. But
that’s weird because I thought it was like, a park?”

  “It is a park,” I say, turning back to the mirror to finish my makeup.

  “Well, am I dressed okay?” She seems concerned as she gazes down at herself. I’m just glad she agreed to come with me after all. I look over at her and she’s wearing jean shorts with a t-shirt. “Yep, you look great.”

  “You said they had volleyball, so I dressed for volleyball.”

  I smile at her. “You’re good, I promise. I just…I just wanted to look nice.”

  Janie’s eyebrows shoot to the top of her forehead. “Oh my gosh, you like someone!”

  I roll my eyes and hide my face in front of my makeup mirror so she won’t see the lie written all over it.

  “You do!” Janie rushes up to me. “Who do you like? Is it one of the hot guys who own the place? Which one?”

  “You are so annoying,” I say as I dust a slight bit of bronzer onto my cheeks. “I don’t like anyone, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  “Let me guess…” Janie says, looking at her phone. “Where’s the Roca Springs Fitness Instagram… there it is.”

  “What are you doing?” I say, swatting at her phone. She twists away from me and pulls up the gym’s social media feed, making an intrigued expression as she looks through it.

  “Okay, Brent is hot, but he has a girlfriend. That leaves this guy and this guy…”

  “Would you stop that?” I say, trying and failing to change the subject. “I’m just dressing nice and there’s nothing more to it.”

  “I’d put money on this guy,” Janie says, turning her phone to me. On her screen is a picture of Noah, smiling next to the new pull up bar they installed a few days ago. “The other guy is cute too, but he looks like a bad boy and that’s not really your type.”

  I swallow. Just seeing that picture of Noah makes my whole body warm. And now I’m hoping he likes my dress and that he thinks I’m cute today—cuter than when I wear my boring gym clothes at work. And of course, thinking all these things makes it impossible to hide my emotions from my face.

  “Bingo,” Janie says, putting her phone down. “That’s the guy.”

  I hold up a finger and hope it looks threatening. “Don’t you dare say a word to him today! He’s my boss! I can’t like him, so just keep your mouth shut.”

  She pretends to zip her lips closed, all while grinning at me. “Your secret crush is safe with me.”

  * * *

  I was tempted to leave Janie at home, but I’m glad I brought her with me. The moment we arrive at the park, there are already two dozen people here, and I don’t know any of them besides my bosses and Jon. But they are all busy hanging out with their friends and family. I’m pretty good at small talk, but I’d much rather hang out with my niece if I have the chance.

  Except my plans are short lived because as soon as we walk past the volleyball net, my niece abandons me for a pickup game with Brent’s little sister and a few other teenage girls.

  I walk over to Noah, who is talking with an older woman I don’t know. “Hi,” I say, giving an awkward wave. Introducing myself to new people is kind of awkward, but standing around alone would be worse, so here I am.

  “Ms. Castro, this is Tasha,” Noah says. “She’s our new employee.”

  “So nice to meet you,” the woman says, smiling at me in a way that reminds me of my late grandmother. Only this woman isn’t nearly that old—she’s maybe in her late forties.

  “She’s Brent’s mom,” Noah says.

  “Oh, cool,” I say, returning her smile. “You must be proud of him.”

  “Very proud,” she says, glancing at Noah. “I’m proud of all three of these boys. This one,” she says, grabbing Noah’s arm and giving it a squeeze, “He’s a good one.”

  And then she winks at me.

  She winks at me.

  Oh gosh, I’m dying.

  I think Noah is dying too, because he shuffles on his feet. “I’m okay,” he says, making a joke of what I’m pretty sure was Brent’s mom’s way of hinting that Noah is a good guy to crush on. I’m sure she was just being a typical mom, always trying to find girls for the boys in her life. But, a tiny part of me wonders if she knows something. Did Noah tell her he likes me? I doubt it… but still…

  Luckily, Bella rushes up and grabs her mom, saying they need another person to play volleyball. Now Noah and I are alone, which is better than being subjected to another weird comment from an older woman I don’t know, but it’s also another type of weird situation. Every time I’m alone with Noah, my silly crush on him ramps up to epic levels. It’s hard to stay cool around him.

  “It’s a great day for a picnic,” Noah says.

  Wow. The weather. I must be really boring if that’s all he can come up with, even after seeing me in this cute dress and even cuter hair. Of course, it’s stupid of me to think that. What was I expecting? A compliment?

  “Perfect weather,” I say, hiding my disappointment behind a mask of politeness.

  “You look cute.”

  My heart stops. Did he really just say that? I look up at him and he shoves his hands in his pockets. “Thanks,” I say softly. This is exactly what I wanted, but now that he’s gone and said something like that, I’m freaking out. Is he just being nice or… does he like me?

  His chest rises with a deep breath and he rocks back on his heels. “Food should be ready soon. Brent is on the grill today. He makes a good burger.”

  “Awesome,” I say. At least I think that’s what I say, because I’m too busy playing his words over and over in my mind. You look cute. You look cute. You look cute.

  A few second pass, and now I’m pretty sure we are both feeling the awkwardness that’s hovering between us. And, what’s really weird here, is that I’m not sure the awkwardness is bad. I think it’s good. Because my boss just complimented me and, well, I think we’re both thinking the same thing. I think maybe, just maybe, he might like me, too.

  I can’t help but grin. “You look cute too,” I say, deciding to be bold for once in my life. “I mean, you always look cute.”

  His grin is electric. I can tell I really hit home with that statement, and now he’s grinning like a little kid. “Okay, well you always look cute too,” he throws back.

  Instead of melting into a puddle, I decide to play it off and be cool. I shrug. “I know.”

  He chuckles. “You want a drink?”

  I nod.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  He walks off toward the ice chests that are on the grass next to the large grill where Brent and Dani are cooking lunch. Janie calls my name, and I turn around, finding her at the volleyball net. She waves me over.

  “You have to check out my serve,” she says, her cheeks pink from all the exercise. This is the happiest I’ve seen her in a while. I’m glad I brought her today.

  I glance back, looking for Noah so I can tell him where to find me, but he’s talking to Brent. Oh well, he’ll find me eventually. This park isn’t very big. I watch Janie show off her volleyball skills for what feels like an hour. It’s really only about ten minutes, but Noah hasn’t arrived with our drinks yet. A few more minutes go by and he’s still not back.

  I glance around the park, trying to find him in the crowd of people. He was supposed to get us a drink, and now he’s just gone. All the giddy excitement I’ve been feeling is suddenly gone, replaced with a realization that hurts like a punch to the gut. Maybe he didn’t want to get me a drink at all. Maybe he was just trying to ditch me.

  19

  Noah

  I never imagined things could go this well. I know it’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone, or even really flirted, but this is different. Flirting with Tasha makes my whole body ache, but it’s the best kind of ache. Seeing her smile lights me up from the inside.

  Now that she’s in my life, I can’t imagine a life without her. I know we’re not official or anything even close to dating yet, and I probably shouldn’t rush anythin
g, but I like this. I like every single thing about her. And what’s even better is that she likes me, too. There is no mistaking the flirting we’ve been doing lately.

  I feel weightless on my walk to get drinks. That was some serious flirting we just did, and it’s my first real confirmation that she’s also into me. Boss or not, I want to date this girl. I’ll just take it slow, and see what unfolds. I’ll only move forward if she wants me to.

  “What’s got you in a great mood?” Brent says, lifting his eyebrows.

  “Nothing.” I know I’m not very convincing because I’m still grinning to myself. “Just getting drinks.”

  Kris jogs up from out of nowhere. “Dude…” He’s panting, like he just ran up here, and I realize, maybe he did. “You have trouble.”

  The look in his eyes tells me he’s serious. “What kind of trouble?”

  He gestures behind him, toward the parking lot. I look out at the cars parked there, and see someone standing there next to a red Jeep. I recognize the Jeep before the person—and it sends a chill down my spine.

  “Is that..?”

  “Yeah,” Kris says, his hand dragging down his mouth. “And she’s looking for you.”

  I curse under my breath and shove the soda can in Kris’s hand. “Do me a favor and bring this to Tasha, okay? Don’t tell her what happened, just tell her I’m busy—” The figure near the Jeep starts walking toward us, and I talk faster. I have to stop this. “Just tell her something, okay?”

  Before Kris can answer, I jog across the grassy area toward the parking lot. My heart is thundering in the worst way. I had hoped I’d never see her again. Jordan Massey. This woman made my life hell for six months. She’s the little sister of my first college roommate. From the day we met, she decided I was her soul mate or something and she became the ultimate stalker. I didn’t like her, and I didn’t want anything to do with her, but she didn’t care. She hung out in my dorm every day, followed me to class, and stalked me in her red Jeep. Her brother did nothing to help, and I had to switch roommates in an effort to get away from her.