Rebound (25 page)

“
Thanks, Chelz. I’ll work
on it. This time away from him will give me some perspective on how
to deal with my feelings.”

When Chelz left the office, I
proceeded to open up the box and remove the contents. I looked at
each component and decided to plug it up. The contraption sprung to
life after pressing a button. It lead me to steps in configuring
the applications with my specifications. I also opened an account
to purchase applications. I was so engrossed in the setup of the
tablet that I didn’t notice a figure standing at the door until I
heard the clearing of a male’s throat.

I turned slightly to look toward the
door. I was chagrinned to see a gorgeous young man standing there
with the widest smile. His teeth were bright white and perfect. If
Matt was tall, dark and handsome, then this guy was tall, gold and
handsome. He was the exact opposite in coloring with his curly,
golden blonde hair and bright green eyes. He didn’t belong in
Boston. He belonged on the beaches of California, running on wet
sand after surfing. I instantly pictured his naked torso, chiseled
abs, and beefy legs. I got as far as looking at his gorgeous face
and torso, noting that he wore a graphic t-shirt and distressed,
brown leather jacket.

“
I’m sorry. I hope I
didn’t keep you waiting. How can I help you?” I asked, resting the
tablet on the desk, and stood to welcome him into the
office.

“
No need to be sorry. I
was watching you, admiring the fact that you seemed to be
absolutely clueless about that tablet.”

“
You got me there. It was
a gift. I just received it today. I have little interest in
technology.”

“
Ah, you’re a technophobe.
Then I should tell you that if you don’t like technology, then you
have the best to offer in that medium. Seems like you were gifted
the new one, which came out this week.”

I smiled. “Well, I figured he wouldn’t
cheap on it.”

“
A boyfriend?”

I smiled. “Are you interested in
discussing memberships?” I kept my tone professional.

“
She avoids a simple
question. No problem. I understand. Beautiful girl gets a gift from
one of her many suitors, whom she can’t call any of them her
boyfriend.”

What the fuck? “First. Thanks for the
‘beautiful girl’ compliment. Second. My love life is not for public
discussion. Three. I’m just here to sell memberships. I can give
you a tour of the facility. I’ll even give you a month free to try
out the gym for the inconvenience of waiting and my not answering
your questions about my personal life. What do you say?” I
smiled.

He chuckled and put his hand in his
pocket. I noticed that in his other hand, he held a motorcycle
helmet.

“
Please have a seat. I’m
Perla.” I said, extending my hand in salutation. He reached over
and shook mine before taking a seat before my desk.”

“
I’m Eric. I was
recommended this club. I tend to workout outside, but because I’ll
be busy with a new job and live in this area, I thought I’d try
this place out.”

“
Well you came to the
right place. Where did you move from?”

“
California. I transferred
from Silicon Valley.” He was easy to read.

“
So you’re a techno-genius
to my technophobe.” I smiled, which he returned. “How do you like
Boston?”

“
It’s rainy. Not used to
that, but it’s a bustling place. Lots to do and see. Are you
originally from Boston?”

“
Yes, born and raised.
I’ve been here all my life.”

“
Well, I could use a tour
of Boston from a home grown girl.”

“
Well, I’d like to give
you tour of Duration first, then we can discuss rates, if you find
that our facility offers what you need.” I stood up to walk to the
door. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll give you the grand tour.” I said
with a smile. He rose and picked up his helmet. “You can leave it
here. You’ll be more comfortable seeing the place without it. I’ll
lock up the office.”

“
Thanks.” He rose and
followed me.

I gave him a tour of the gym. He asked
questions about when the gym is least busy, amenities, out of
pocket extras, and programs included in monthly cost. He was
interested in the swimming and weight training room. He was very
charming and flirtatious. I did my best to keep my responses
professional. I didn’t want to give him any indication that I had
even a flicker of interest. He was gorgeous, but I could only deal
with one gorgeous man at a time. Besides, he was a “stare at him
from afar” type of gorgeous. If I thought Matt was out of my
league, Eric was on another universe.

When we returned to the office, I
unlocked the door and offered him a seat again. He looked very much
at ease and commanded the room with his presence; very
masculine.

I smiled at him and asked, “Do you
think Duration is a gym that meets your needs?”

“
I’d already decided to
join when I saw you sitting behind that desk.” I pursed my lips to
keep the flutters from making the blood rush to my cheeks. I’ve
been trying really hard not to give him any indication that I’d be
interested in his flirtation.

“
Well then, I will let you
know our rates, so you can be fully informed about membership
because a woman should never be the only reason to invest in
something.

“
A woman is a good reason
to invest and take risks.” He grinned. I had to admit to myself,
‘he had game’.

I smirked. I searched for paper work
to get him started. I cleared my throat, “Here are your pricing
options.” I offered him the options. He chose the single membership
with monthly, electronic withdrawal. I completed Eric Pierce’s
enrollment forms, payment information, and when it was all done, I
handed him his check-in card for his key fob.

When he stood to leave, he asked, “I’m
wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner.”

“
Eric, I don’t date
members.” That isn’t true. I’m dating Matt and he’s a
member.

“
I should’ve asked you out
before I signed up.” He smiled a dazzling smile showing his pearly
whites. They sure make them perfect in California.

“
And I would’ve responded
that I’m not interested in dating guys that are in tech because we
wouldn’t have anything in common. I don’t even own a smart phone or
a TV.”

“
What? Sacrilege. Are you
Amish?”

I laughed. “No. I just like to live
simply. I know the benefits of technology and the internet, but I
don’t like getting caught up with that lifestyle.”

“
So I take it that the
tablet was not a romantic gift?”

“
Eric, it was a pleasure
to meet you. Welcome to Duration. If there is anything that we at
Duration can provide while you use our services and facilities,
please do not hesitate to ask any of our employees.”

“
Ah, that avoidance thing.
That’s super sexy.”

I smirked. This guy can easily worm
his way into a woman’s heart or rather, panties.

“
I’ll see you
out.”

“
How about
lunch?”

“
Eric, I’m trying so hard
to be professional, and turn you down gently. If I dated every cute
young man that tried to pick me up, I wouldn’t have time to work a
full time job.” He mock stabbed at his heart.

“
How about coffee? Coffee
isn’t a date. It’s just two people sipping and talking, getting to
know one another. I haven’t met many people in Boston since moving
here two months ago. You’re a Boston girl. You can show me around,
tell me where the hot spots are, what Boston girls like.

“
Eric, you’re better
served picking up one of the young ladies who are members here. I’m
an almost-thirty-divorced woman. I wouldn’t be able to tell you
about any hot spots or what Boston girls like. But I can tell you
one thing . . .” His eyes sparkled, attentive to my every word.
“You’re a handsome man who is overwhelmingly persistent in a town
where the women outnumber the men 3:1. You’ll find many girls to
help you get over your loneliness.” I smiled and walked him out the
door.

I heard a ringing sound. It wasn’t the
usual ring of my phone or of the office phone. I surmised that the
tablet was ringing, which was an odd experience. “I’ve got to get
that. Take care.” I shook his hand. His gaze and hand held onto
mine a tad longer than he should have. He walked out with helmet in
hand. I rushed to answer the tablet.

I pressed the button and answered,
“Hello”. Matt’s gorgeous face came on screen.

“
Hi, babe. I see you
received the tablet. You have it all set up to your
needs.”

“
I wasn’t expecting this,
Matt. I want to be honest. I was a little put off by
it.”

“
I thought you might. I
wanted a means to see you and I thought this would be a great way.
If you were staying in my place, we could’ve video chatted on my
desktop.” He reminded.

“
And the guilt trip about
not staying in your apartment begins.” I smiled to bring some
levity, reducing my agitation.

“
No guilt trips, just the
reality of the circumstances.”

“
Are you at the airport
already? I thought you had a later flight?” Changing the subject
would allow me to enjoy this moment in time with him.

“
No. I’m at my sister’s. I
haven’t seen her in a few weeks, so I decided to check in with her
and my niece. She’s putting her down for a nap.”

“
Oh. That’s sweet. I’m
sure they’re happy to spend time with you.” I felt a bit left out.
We’ve only been seeing each other for a week, but I felt like I
should’ve been with him to visit with his sister. I haven’t met her
and we’ve not discussed meeting his family. I don’t even know their
names. I admonished myself because I realized that I hadn’t
introduced him to my family either.

“
No. My sister takes it as
an opportunity to try to fix me up with her friends, and most of
them are older, divorced women with three kids living in the
subdivision.”

I laughed to keep me from showing my
jealous nature. “I’m sure she’s concerned that you may be
lonely.”

“
Well, I told her that I
met someone, so she’ll back off until she meets you.” His statement
made me tingle with joy. I shrieked internally.

“
I’d love to meet her and
her family. I hate to cut this chat short, Matt, but I have to get
back to work. I’ve already been distracted by this gadget. I
ignored a walk in inquiry trying to finish setting up the tablet,
but at least I signed him up.”

“
He didn’t try to pick you
up did he? You’re my gal. Make sure to tell every man in that gym
that you’re mine.

“
Yes, that’s the first
thing I said to him and when I gave the tour, I announced, ‘I’m
Matt’s girl, everybody.’ He laughed.

“
Okay, funny girl, I’ll
call you tomorrow at some point.”

“
As much as I’m against
this gift, Matt, I do thank you. Have a safe trip.” I blew him an
air kiss. I resisted the desire to just look at his face and hear
his deep voice. I thought of him the entire shift, and prayed for
his safe return. I decided I would have a big surprise for him when
he returns late Sunday.

***

At the end of my shift at Duration, I
commuted to the Inn. Despite being early, I could spend the time in
the lounge, figuring out my new tablet. When I arrived, Alice was
there, and I was surprised by her presence.

“
Hi, Alice. I didn’t
expect you here. How are you?” I asked, happy to see her, but
surprised because she hadn’t been well recently.

“
Hi, Perla.” We hugged.
“You’re here early.”

“
Well. I finished my other
job and I figured that I’d spend some time in the lounge until my
shift, unless you need me to start earlier. What’s up?”

“
Jake quit unexpectedly.
He couldn’t continue working, so I have to pick up the shift until
I find a replacement.”

“
Alice, you can’t possibly
do that. Are you medically cleared to work?”

“
I have no choice Perla.”
She continued to rifle through a stack of papers behind the
reception desk.

“
I’ll start my shift
early. You go home and rest. Do you want me to put an advertisement
with the hospitality programs? I can do that now. You’ll probably
get a few applicants within these next few days. I can help with
interviews.”

“
I’ve already done that.
Thank you, Perla. I do want to get home and rest. I’ve been dealing
with this since yesterday. Ross isn’t interested in dealing with
this anymore. He wants me to take the purchase offer for the Inn,
but you know I can’t do that.”

“
You’re still getting
offers? I’d thought they’ve given up by now.”

“
Yes. They’re tenacious. I
can’t sell. The Inn’s been in the family for generations and I
can’t conceive of being the one to let it go. It’s bad enough I
don’t have children to pass this along to, Perla. Ross is done. He
wants me to give him the Inn and he wants to sell it. He feels that
if I pass it over to him, the guilt of selling would go away, but I
know it won’t. ”